Forestry and woodlands

A bid to nominate Affric and Loch Ness as Scotland’s third national park has been launched, with organisers saying the area’s globally important natural and cultural heritage deserves protection and celebration. 

The partnership behind the proposal says the area of the Scottish Highlands is one of the world’s most beautiful places, and national park status would benefit current and future generations.

Protecting and enhancing nature and improving animal welfare are the key aims of proposed changes to deer management legislation.

It is estimated there are around 1 million wild deer in Scotland, up from around 500,000 in 1990. This extremely high population means that management is required to protect and restore important habitats, particularly woodland and peatland.

This year NatureScot commissioned a repeat of a 2017 survey that looked at tree regeneration over 1,025 hectares of land at Inshriach, near Aviemore.

The survey focused on open areas next to the existing established woodlands, as the aim was to see if the woodland is expanding. It covered land stretching right up to an altitude of 900 metres.

A remote ancient woodland – home to Scotland’s oldest wild Scots pine, which is at least 565-years-old – has been saved from being lost forever and given a chance of regeneration thanks to Trees for Life, as part of the charity’s vast Affric Highlands rewilding initiative. 

A new glasshouse that’s almost as big as two football pitches and capable of producing up to 19 million trees a year for planting out into the forests of the future, will soon be built at a nursery in Scotland.

Forestry & Land Scotland’s (FLS) Newton Nursery is set for a major modernisation in 2024 that will see the nursery provide more trees to support Scotland’s ambitious tree planting targets while also providing FLS with greater self-sufficiency.

A new report commissioned by the Scottish Wildlife Trust highlights the transformative potential of nature-based solutions for Scottish farms and crofts. Nature-based solutions can aid farmers and land managers in mitigating climate change impacts by improving soil health, water retention, and resilience to wildfires, floods and heatwaves.