Potential of bracken biofuel examined in Blair Atholl

A feasibility study is examining the potential of harvesting bracken and using it to make a bioethanol fuel.

A demonstration of the machinery needed to harvest the plant, usually regarded as a nuisance by landowners, was held near Blair Atholl last week,

Scottish Land & Estates, a body representing estate owners and farmers, helped to organise the event in the Cairngorms National Park.

The study is looking at the possibility of establishing a biofuel plant.

The business Oakland Biofuels is involved in the research.

If the project goes ahead, 70 jobs could be created, with half of the posts involved in harvesting bracken and the rest in the operation of the fuel processing plant.

Douglas MacAdam, of Scottish Land & Estates, told BBC Alba: "Bracken is a bit of a scourge.

"It is a problem across Scotland and we have got to find ways of controlling it."

He said rather than destroying bracken by spraying it, it could be cut and processed.