A BORDERS environmental charity has launched a best practice guide on how to protect salmon in the River Tweed.

The new guidance comes after Atlantic Salmon were moved to the 'near threatened' category of the IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of threatened species.

The guide, titled The Practitioners’ Guide to Riparian Woodland Creation, created by the Tweed Forum for The Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust, offers advice on riverside planting which is one of the most effective tools for protecting fish from the effects of climate change and habitat degradation.

Planting the right trees at the right riverside locations can offer a range of benefits to the salmon population in the Tweed.

Trees can provide shade which helps keep the waters cool - which in turn aids the survival of Atlantic Salmon - increases biodiversity, reduces soil erosion, slows flood waters and enhances the local landscape.

Luke Comins, Tweed Forum CEO, said: “This new, user-friendly guide aims to provide the practical advice that landowners and organisations need to create riparian woodlands at the scale required to restore our riverside environments and deliver multiple benefits.

"Our burns, streams and rivers are the arteries of life running through our landscape, but they are in a fragile state.

"We hope that this new publication will provide a valuable roadmap to help with the delivery a network of thriving riverbank woodlands and healthy river ecosystems right across the country.”

The guide is aimed at farmers, landowners, land managers and conservation bodies to help meet the scale of planting needed to make a difference to the salmon population.

With Tweed Forum's two decades of tree planting and catchment management experience, the guide is for experienced and inexperienced people.

The guide features advice on access to funding, including green financing through the Woodland Carbon Code, as well as advice on tree species selection, fencing, protections, and maintenance.

There is also guidance on possible constraints, and resources on mapping, land capability, protected species, and working withing Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Areas of Conservation.

Although the guide is Scotland-specific in its references to legislation and delivery mechanisms, it can be used as a valuable tool to those working to establish riparian woodlands around the UK.

The Practitioners’ Guide to Riparian Woodland Creation, as well as other information on the Tweed Forum's work, can be found on the Tweed Forum website.