Why Tay Reedbeds?
A chance introduction led to an very interesting conversation about the RSPB Tay Reedbeds in Scotland. Many thanks for the following fascinating information on the balance being created in managing these beds for both the wildlife and to produce thatching reed. Don’t forget to watch the wonderful videos at the end.
Tay Reedbeds Background
The Reedbeds are located on the north bank of the river Tay, between Perth and Dundee. Thought to have been established in the 16th century in a bid to protect the riverbank from erosion, the reedbed now stretches about 11miles along the river and covers over 410ha. RSPB Scotland manages about two thirds of the beds.
It is an internationally important habitat for a range of wildlife and the RSPB’s focus is on managing the reedbed habitat for some reed specialists – Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers and Water Rails.
Managing the Tay Reedbeds
The current management is a balance of creating good ecological conditions for wildlife while also retaining the cultural and historical heritage of the site. The RSPB aims to create a structural diversity in some of the compartments, rolling or flailing blocks on rotation, with other areas cut as single wale, solely for thatch production. It is Scotland’s only commercial site for thatch production and the largest producer in the UK?
Cutting the Tay Reedbeds
The reed is cut for the RSPB by AMW Arboreal Ltd using a Softrak with a cutter-binder attachment. This low ground pressure machine has a platform on the back with a cradle that allows 80 bunches to be stacked to create bales which are then transported to a central storage area. The cut blocks are around 0.5ha, creating open areas within the reedbed adjacent to older reed, this provides suitable nesting habitat close to new growth which is ideal for birds foraging for food. Currently, we cut up to 12 hectares for thatch production.
Preparing the Reed for Thatching
The reed is then transported 25 miles south to a shed near Kinross, which is next to the M90. Here each bunch is cleaned and re-baled. A purpose built ‘reed cleaner’ is used to remove broken stems and leaves and re-ties the bunches, which are then baled again when 80 bunches have been reached. These bales are about 8ft by 4ft.
Quality and Quantity
The stalk length can be variable depending on growing season, but bunches are approx. 2m long and 60cm in circumference, which should cover 1 square foot of roof. Depending on yield, we can currently produce between 8,000 to 12,000 bunches a year. There is scope to produce more, but this will depend on demand.
Tay Reed Clients
The bales are then ready to be sold. We tend to sell these directly to thatchers or homeowners. We cannot deliver thatch but can recommend hauliers who we have worked with before.
A recent large order came from The Scottish Crannog Centre for their Iron Age village reconstruction, soon to be followed by three full-sized Crannogs being constructed over the water of Loch Tay.
Scot An Sgeulaciche from Highland Thatching has this to say “The Reed from RSPB Tay is top quality, Scottish grown reed. I’ve used it on a number of properties and it is indistinguishable in quality from reed grown elsewhere in Britain. When a property is a reed thatch, it’s my first choice as a Scottish thatcher because the local supply keeps the carbon footprint as low as possible on what is already a sustainable building material. The same can not be said for suppliers of imported reed in the UK. As a relatively small operation, RSPB Tay has a level of personal service and flexibility that I find really helpful, especially if I can put in my order in the right part of the season and have the reed cut and baled to order. They also have some amount of storage, which can often act as a supply-chain buffer on out-of-season jobs. It’s also a nice bonus that using Tay reed directly enhances biodiversity, protected habitats and species in a nationally important site thanks to the RSPB’s long term management programme.”
