'That’s an awful lot of reed…'
28 tonnes (28,000 kg) of reed was recently delivered to our soon to be new home at Dalerb. The reed made its short journey from the RSPB Scotland Tay Reedbed site, located near Errol, Perthshire. Reed has been harvested from the reedbeds since the 18th century until 2005 when RSPB Scotland became involved in the management of the beds. The management of the site involves the cutting of the reed so that there are different ages growing at the same time, creating a varied habitat for the bird species that live there.
Reed is a traditional material used in the thatching of roofs. The angle the reed it laid allows the water to run off and away from the building. We will be using the reed in the same way, as thatching material for our Iron Age village and Crannog, and the thatching skills will be taught to us so that we can maintain the roofs correctly.
Our aim at the Scottish Crannog Centre is to embrace sustainable practice and is highlighted with our use of reed. We are using a local, renewable resource that with correct management benefits the local ecosystem. We are embracing the new skills that are needed to create our new village and ensure that once constructed we can maintain them into the future.
You can find out more about the Tay reedbeds and all the good work happening at RSPB here.
Edd
