Monday, 16 May 2022
Sitka spruce. It’s the most common productive tree in Britain. But why has this native of the pacific coast of North America become so widespread in NW Europe? In this article we look at where Sitka comes from, why it has been so widely adopted and what the future holds for it. Origins and statistics Sitka spruce is named after the community of Sitka in southeast Alaska. Its natu...
Friday, 13 May 2022
Tweed Valley Osprey Project Co-ordinator, Di Bennett, brings us the latest update from the nest. Things seem to be progressing nicely at the Tweed Valley main nest site. We are happy to report there have not been any dramas so far this season. Mrs O and PW3 have three eggs in the nest and the long process of incubation is taking place. PW3 was very late back compared to Mrs O and she had t...
Monday, 09 May 2022
Tweed Valley Osprey Project Co-ordinator, Di Bennett, brings us the latest update from the nest. The 2022 Tweed Valley osprey season has finally begun. The Glentress Forest Wild Watch room is now open to the public and the main nest camera is streaming live images to the screen. Volunteers are back on duty and have started their shifts to monitor the action on camera, ready to zoom in a...
Tuesday, 03 May 2022
Scotland has a rich tapestry of stories, from natural history to ancient ruins, fierce battles to mysterious folklore. Such tales can be found scattered across our land and we’re excited to share some of them with you during the Year of Stories.
Wednesday, 20 April 2022
A riparian zone is the area of land along a river or burn. We plant native broadleaf trees along these zones to help with climate change and biodiversity, creating robust wildlife corridors that are not felled for timber. These important areas are fundamental for a range of projects boosting resilience in our forests. Some of their benefits include: Shade: broadleaf trees offer just the right ...
Friday, 08 April 2022
We have a range of all-abilities trails that generally have a uniform surface, are wider, and are marked with easy-to-follow signage. Our all-abilities trails are wide, generally have a uniform surface, and are marked with clear, easy to follow signage. Some destinations provide toilet facilities and Blue badge holders can park for free in any of our car parks. Learn more about our all-...
Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Scotland’s forests are facing new threats from pests, diseases and a changing climate. In this article, we discuss what we’re doing to prepare our forests for an uncertain future. It’s difficult to prepare for a health threat when you don’t know what form the threat will take in the future. But that's what forest planners are trying to do right now. We don’t know which tree disease...
Monday, 28 March 2022
The breadth of work we undertake at Forestry and Land Scotland is immense. From planting and felling trees to habitat restoration, recreation facilities and a whole lot more. A recent trip to Loch Trool in Dumfries and Galloway shows the variety of our work, all in one view. 1. Natural regeneration Our job is to plant and grow trees. However, why plant when we can let natu...
Tuesday, 01 March 2022
Recently we delved into the process of collecting seeds to grow our trees. With 25 million trees planted in our forests every year, we need a lot of seeds. But what happens once we’ve got them? How do our seeds become forests? And how long does it take? It sounds strange, but unlike seeds for your garden, we don’t initially plant seeds where we want the tree to grow. Sowing seeds dire...
Monday, 28 February 2022
A lochan is Scottish Gaelic for a small loch, and they are incredible spots to reconnect with nature and stretch your legs. Here is a list of some of our favourite lochans across Scotland waiting for you to explore. Uath Lochans A forest of pools and great views. This one is a bit off the beaten track but well worth the narrow winding road, as it's one of the prettiest woodland...
Monday, 14 February 2022
In 2020 the Scottish Government declared a Climate Emergency. Over the last several years, there’s barely a day goes by when the state of the climate and environment is not in the news. And we all know that trees are a large part of the solution to our over-heating planet. So why on earth would we cut any down? In this article we’ll look at some of the reasons we fell trees, and show wh...
Thursday, 03 February 2022
Every year we aim to plant around 25 million trees throughout Scotland. That’s five for every person in the country. And that’s just us, Forestry and Land Scotland. It doesn’t include the millions planted by other land owners. And it doesn’t take into account trees planted across England, Wales and Northern Ireland either. The point here is that every year, the UK plants an astonishing num...
Monday, 20 December 2021
Please note: The following blog and information are correct as of 15 December 2021. For the latest information on forest and trail openings, please see our forest destination pages. Glentress is home to over 45 miles of walking and biking trails, not to mention the many miles of forest roads. Along with many forests in the east and south of Scotland, it was badly affe...
Friday, 17 December 2021
The UK is known for turbulent weather. Coming into winter, we expect to see higher winds, heavier rain and snow too. However, Storm Arwen was a considerable step above the usual bad weather. With extreme winds and some heavy snow battering the country, it caused large scale damage and several fatalities. Whilst the impact on utilities and services in some parts of the country was substantial, it h...