Woodland / Peatland applicant / Agent
Both tree planting and peatland restoration have the potential for individuals to make positive impacts on Shetland’s carbon footprint. However, it is important to ensure that such schemes are in the right location and do not have unintended consequences on other aspects of our environment.
Trees must be planted sufficiently far from archaeological remains so that their roots will not destroy archaeological remains as the trees grow.
Peatlands have an exceptional potential to preserve information from the past as, being waterlogged, peatlands provide exceptionally good conditions for preserving organic remains. They contain an invaluable and irreplaceable record of past human activity, vegetation, climate, and landscape, as well as potentially concealing archaeology which existed before the peat grew.
In both cases crofters, landowners and agents are encouraged to contact our Archaeology service early in the process. We can offer you free pre-application advice, including information as to whether or not you will require to carry out further archaeological work or take any archaeological mitigation into account.
If further archaeological work is required, we will support you/ your contract archaeologist as required.