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 nature...
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...
Wednesday, 17 November 2021
This partner-run project is thought to be the first of its kind in Scotland. Through a series of environmental restoration tasks, the project's goal is to restore the Black Water of Dee to be more favourable for salmon and trout. Infographic text Black Water of Dee Restoration Project. The lower secton of the Black Water of Dee river in Galloway runs from below the Hydro-Electric dam at C...
Monday, 11 October 2021
Autumn in Scotland is truly spectacular as our forests and land start to glow a vibrant orange and yellow, making it a great time to visit our beautiful woodlands. Below are some of our favourite autumn walks that are sure to capture your imagination. Lace up your boots, grab a warm hat and head out exploring! Faskally Faskally is in the heart of Perthshire, which is always a fantastic place t...
Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Lichen are important organisms for tackling climate change and increasing biodiversity. However, recent monitoring work had shown some older coastal woodlands have taken over lichen habitat. We can help fix this with modern conservation efforts as we continue to find better ways for nature and forestry to exist together. Planting in Culbin began in the 1920s to stabilise dunes. This created habit...
Wednesday, 22 September 2021
With autumn on the horizon and the weather turning, it's the perfect time to remember all the amazing scenes that arrive in the latter part of the year: glorious colours, crisp & frosty mornings, a crunch underfoot and the comfort of a beanie hat! Here's a collection of autumn articles to get you inspired for the season ahead. Awesome autumn leaves Why do leaves change colour? And why red...
Thursday, 16 September 2021
Ospreys are one of Scotland’s greatest wildlife revival stories. Considered extinct as a breeding bird in the British Isles in 1916, there are now about 250 pairs across the country. Around August and September is when they begin the long flight south to warmer climes for winter. For newly fledged ospreys, this is the start of a treacherous journey. Raising chicks During the Scot...
Tuesday, 14 September 2021
The news is not very promising this week, unfortunately, because one of the two satellite tracked osprey juveniles, Talla, has not relayed any updated signal since 1 September. The last time Talla was tracked, was near Portimao in Portugal, flying strongly towards the south coast. It could be that she flew out to sea and has been lost, or could have made it to Africa and is in a remote area where ...