{"id":9426,"date":"2013-09-07T18:39:48","date_gmt":"2013-09-07T18:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/?p=9426"},"modified":"2013-09-07T18:39:48","modified_gmt":"2013-09-07T18:39:48","slug":"national-tree-for-scotland-consultation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkhighlands.co.uk\/news\/national-tree-for-scotland-consultation\/","title":{"rendered":"National Tree for Scotland consultation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"foreest\"<\/a>The Scottish Government has announced that it will ask the public to make the final decision on choosing a national tree for Scotland.<\/p>\n

Rory Syme from the Woodland Trust Scotland said: \u201cAn official national tree would be a fantastic legacy of the Year of Natural Scotland, providing recognition of the role that native trees have in shaping the nation\u2019s landscape and identity.<\/p>\n

“Scots pine will undoubtedly be a favourite, but many other species, such as rowan and aspen, have a rich heritage of their own and could be considered candidates.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlex Hamilton deserves a great deal of credit for getting his campaign to this stage. We will be encouraging as many people as possible to take part in the consultation to help demonstrate the public appetite for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alan Watson Featherstone from charity Trees for Life explained why his organisation is backing the Scots Pine: \u201cThe Scots pine is one of the world\u2019s most beautiful trees, a powerful symbol of Scotland and a keystone species of the Caledonian Forest, which in turn is one of the country\u2019s greatest\u00a0national\u00a0treasures.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeclaring this remarkable and important species as our\u00a0national\u00a0tree\u00a0in 2013, the year of Natural Scotland, would send a much-needed signal of support for Scotland\u2019s beleaguered forests, and would boost the development of a uniquely Scottish\u00a0national identity. The Scots pine\u2019s natural range in the UK distinguishes Scotland from the rest of the country.<\/div>\n
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“Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is the largest and longest-lived\u00a0tree\u00a0in the Caledonian Forest, and forms a \u2018backbone\u2019 in the forest ecosystem on which many other species depend.<\/div>\n
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“The\u00a0tree\u00a0provides a home for special wildlife, including red squirrels, capercaillie, crossbills and crested tits. It offers ideal nesting sites for ospreys, shelter for deer and pine martens, and shade for twinflower, one-flowered wintergreen and blaeberries. The richly textured bark of a pine is a fantastic habitat for lichens, mosses and insects.”<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Over 70 countries around the world, from Canada to Denmark to South Africa, have\u00a0National\u00a0Trees that provide important symbols for their\u00a0national\u00a0identities.<\/div>\n
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The bid to address Scotland\u2019s current lack of an official\u00a0tree\u00a0was begun by campaigner and Trees for Life supporter Alex Hamilton.<\/div>\n
A poll by the Woodland Trust Scotland conducted earlier this year found two thirds of people backed Scots pine for the status national tree, with rowan in second place.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Scottish Government has announced that it will ask the public to make the final decision on choosing a national tree for Scotland. Rory Syme from the Woodland Trust Scotland said: \u201cAn official national tree would be a fantastic legacy of the Year of Natural Scotland, providing recognition of the role that native trees have in shaping the nation\u2019s landscape and identity. “Scots pine will undoubtedly be a favourite, but many other species, such as rowan and aspen, have a rich heritage of their own and could be considered candidates. \u201cAlex Hamilton deserves a great deal of credit for getting…<\/span> <\/p>\n

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