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Centuries of overgrazing by sheep and deer have left most of Scotland stripped of the once-common, tough, waist-high \u2018wee trees\u2019 such as dwarf birch and downy willow \u2013 known as \u2018montane\u2019 species because they can grow near mountain summits, despite harsh conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a major expansion of action to reverse the loss of these unique woodlands \u2013 home to wildlife such as golden eagle, ring ouzel and mountain hare \u2013 Trees for Life is establishing a 700-acre mountaintop woodland of 100,000 trees at its Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston near Loch Ness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The site \u2013 Carn na Caorach, meaning \u2018sheep cairn\u2019 \u2013 lies at 450-600 metres above sea level on Dundreggan\u2019s northeastern edge, with sweeping views over Glenmoriston and Glen Affric. It is thought to have been an important place for grazing livestock for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMontane woodlands are a vital part of Scotland\u2019s precious Caledonian Forest, but are often restored over only small areas if at all. To bring these special \u2018wee trees\u2019 back from the brink, and create habitats for the wildlife that depends on them, we need something bigger \u2013 and that\u2019s what we\u2019re setting out to achieve at Carn na Caorach,\u201d said Doug Gilbert, Trees for Life\u2019s Dundreggan Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This month Trees for Life has erected its largest-ever exclosure \u2013 a fence designed to protect young trees by keeping grazing animals out \u2013 at the site, supported by funding from the Scottish Natural Heritage Biodiversity Challenge Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conservation charity\u2019s volunteers will begin the first phase of planting next spring \u2013 with trees including downy willow and dwarf birch on the higher ground, and Scots pine and juniper on the lower slopes. Further planting will continue over the next few years, and self-seeded saplings will also be able to thrive in the grazing-free exclosure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initiative will also see the return of plants including wood cranesbill, globeflower and alpine sowthistle, in turn supporting mammals, birds, and pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will benefit people too, with the new forest helping to tackle climate change by locking away carbon dioxide, and reduce flooding by improving the soil\u2019s capacity to retain water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because such high woodlands take longer to establish than those in sheltered locations, the project is long-term. It will take 50 to 100 years before the forest is fully established, if grazing levels are kept low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ambitious project follows Trees for Life\u2019s successful planting this year of 10,000 trees at another area of Dundreggan called Beinn Bhan, which lies at over 500 metres above sea level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seed from montane trees \u2013 for growing saplings in Trees for Life\u2019s specialised tree nursery at Dundreggan \u2013 often needs to be collected from precipitous mountain ledges and crags, sometimes by qualified climbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trees for Life is dedicated to rewilding the Scottish Highlands, and its volunteers have established nearly two million native trees at 44 sites, to benefit wildlife, people and communities. To support the charity\u2019s fundraising appeal to help create the Carn na Caorach woodland, see www.treesforlife.org.uk\/appeal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A groundbreaking bid to help save Scotland\u2019s almost-vanished mountaintop forests and their wildlife is being launched by Trees for Life, with the creation in the Highlands of what is thought will be the country\u2019s largest planted area of rare high-altitude woodland. Centuries of overgrazing by sheep and deer have left most of Scotland stripped of the once-common, tough, waist-high \u2018wee trees\u2019 such as dwarf birch and downy willow \u2013 known as \u2018montane\u2019 species because they can grow near mountain summits, despite harsh conditions. In a major expansion of action to reverse the loss of these unique woodlands \u2013 home to…<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine","category-conservation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20372"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20377,"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20372\/revisions\/20377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}