The push-me, pull-you of forest devolution in Scotland.

The 'push down' of power through the process of devolution and decentralisation and the 'pull down' of power through action on the ground are reaching an exciting stage in Scotland, especially in relation to the national forest estate. This is happening within a political context of devolution in the United Kingdom, with the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and control of Scotland's forest estate passing to the Scottish Executive (government in Scotland). This paper outlines both the political 'push down' and the people's 'pull down' of power and tells the story of the people's movement to get access to land and natural