An ambitious initiative in the middle section of the River Dee catchment is nearing completion.  The Cattie Restoration Project is located on Ballogie Estate near Aboyne, where a suite of restoration measures were initiated in summer 2023 to help regenerate the Cattie Burn. This watercourse is an important spawning tributary, but has suffered from historic man-made modifications, contributing to the degradation of the habitat for Atlantic salmon and wider biodiversity.

The core component of this project was the rejuvenation of a 540m stretch of artificially straightened burn, by creating a new channel measuring almost 700m, meandering across the floodplain. After detailed survey and design during 2023, all required permissions were obtained, and groundworks completed in September 2024. The new channel was lined with substrate from the old channel bed and equipped with 20 large wood structures to add extra habitat and kick-start natural restoration processes.

Complementing the channel renaturalisation, the following additional habitat enhancement works have been completed to date (October 2024):

• Two manmade weirs, which were partial barriers to fish, have been removed to aid migration of adult fish upstream to spawning grounds and smolts heading downstream on their journey to the open sea
•  A further 11 large wood structures, comprising whole tree trunks with root plates, have been installed, enhancing instream habitat, spawning opportunities for salmon, and providing improved environments for juvenile fish to thrive before they start their challenging journey out to sea
•  24 smaller log structures have been hand-built along sections of burn to add instream morphological diversity and cover for juvenile and adult fish
•  A patch of invasive non-native Japanese knotweed has been successfully eradicated thanks to the efforts of Ballogie Estate staff

 More restoration works are in the pipeline for autumn/winter 2024:

• A widened water margin buffer or ‘river restoration zone’ will be created, allowing the watercourse room to develop a sinuous naturalised course
•  Wetland restoration at 3 key floodplain sites with a variety of offline shallow open pools ideal for a range of local wildlife
•  500 native broadleaved trees in biodegradable shelters will be planted along the banks by our team of volunteers to help diversify and expand existing wooded cover
•  Hundreds of locally sourced willow pegs will be planted at the remeander channel site

 
This project would not have been possible without funding support from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot, as well as the enthusiasm and cooperation of landowners, Ballogie Estate, and their staff.

We look forward to charting the recovery of the burn and will keep you posted here.