Highland Rhododendron Project (HRP)
Supported by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), The Highland Council and Highland Birchwoods and the Highland Invasive Species Forum, the Highland Rhododendron Project will
- Prioritise control within designated sites (SSSIs, SACs) in Highland
- Encourage land owners to take up SRDP grants to remove rhododendron
- Develop community-led removal projects
- Promote and disseminate best practice in removal
Introduced to the UK from the Iberian peninsula in 1763, Rhododendron ponticum was widely planted in gardens and parks and was planted extensively in Victorian hunting estates to provide shelter for game birds. Thriving on wet, acidic soils and mild climate, R. ponticum spread rapidly beyond its original range to move into the countryside and successfully out-compete native plantlife and threaten biodiversity.
Left unchecked, R. ponticum develops a dense canopy supported by a tangle of woody stems which casts such a deep shade that nothing can grow underneath them - reducing the space available for native flowers, mosses, lichens and other wildlife. Some of these species are more abundant in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe – and a few are not found anywhere else.
Rhododendron ponticum and its hybrids (often referred to as simply rhododendron), has been identified as a priority Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) under Scotland’s Species Action Framework (SAF). Within the UK Biodiversity Action Plan it is identified as a serious threat to upland oakwoods and several lower plants and fungi and may also act as an intermediate host for the Phytophthera ‘sudden oak death’ fungus.
To find out more about HRP, please contact Julie Paton on 01463 811653 or julie.paton@highlandbirchwoods.co.uk
Further Information
Identification and Current Issues:
The key idenditification features of R. ponticum are illustrated in the GB NNSS Identification Sheet
Download the Highland Biodiversity Partnership leaflet 'Rhododendron ponticum - an invasive species'
For more information on Rhododendron and the Species Action Framework visit the SNH webpage
For regular updates on invasives issues in Highland, follow the Scottish Invasives blog
Managing and Controlling R. ponticum :
For best practice advice to help you plan and implement an effective control programme, download the FC Managing and Controlling Invasive Rhododendron Practice Guide which also offers technical guidance on the following control techniques:
- Applying chemical treatments to cut stumps and foliar regrowth
- Hand-pulling seedlings
- Foliar spraying
- Mechanical flailing
- Manual cutting
- Stem injection treatment
Find out more about the manual 'Lever and Mulch' removal technique on the Skye and Lochalsh Environment Forum website
Phytophthora and Rhododendron ponticum
R. ponticum is a host plant for the Phytophthora pathogen linked to Sudden Oak Death disease. It has now also infected Japanese larch in the UK which has in turn become a host species.
For the latest news on the current situation in the UK, visit the FC Plant Health pages.
FCS recently held a seminar on Phytophthora ramorum infection of Japanese larch. Speakers explained the current situation in the UK, the science of the disease, the relevant plant health legislation, biosecurity requirements, and the current situation in Scotland.the science of the disease, the relevant plant health legislation, biosecurity requirements, and the current situation in Scotland. View the seminar presentations here
Highland Rhododendron ponticum Control Strategy 2011 - 2013
This Strategy sets out a robust framework for identifying the priorities that govern control work for the benefit of owners, agents and government officers preparing and assessing grant proposals for rhododendron clearance.
Prioritisation criteria has been developed to identify geographic zones where the actual cost of treating privately owned sites will be approved within the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Download the Strategy and the Priority Treatment Zones map
Funding :
Rhododendron removal is supported by the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) through the Rural Development Contracts. For more information on the SRDP process visit the SRDP webpages which are regularly updated. Further guidance on Forestry options within SRDP-RP can be found on the FCS Rural Development Contracts pages.
More detailed information on eligible control methods and payment rates can be found on the Control of Invasive Non-Native Species page.
December 2010: Further information on recent modifications to the SRDP-RP are summarised in the FCS Briefing Note - Rural Priorities (Issue 1 - December 2010). This outlines changes to the Woodland Improvement Grant options and the eligibility of sites for actual costs.
May 2011: As of May 2011, there is an ongoing approval process in place for Rural Priorities applications through HIG09 which benefit SSSIs and Natura sites. Further details are in the Whats New SRDP page and FCS Briefing Note - Rural Priorities (Issue 4)
June 2011: Standard costs have been revised and increased. Full details are included in the Control of Non-Native Species pages
FCS produce regular Rural Priority Briefing Notes. These provide more detail on recent and on-going changes to the SRDP-RP.
Be Plant Wise!
R. ponticum is one of several speices which threaten our native flora and fauna. Cromarty Firth Fisheries Trust have produced a comphrensive guide to Invasive Non Native Species and their control which will be of interest to gardeners and land managers throughout Highland. The pack can be downloaded here and is best-viewed on Internet Explorer
