Our climate stories 2024
As we reflect on what climate week means to us, we thought we’d take a look at some of the amazing projects our teams have been working on over the past year.
Whether it’s trying to save threatened native plants, mitigate flooding or improving our nursery so we can grow more trees for Scotland, our teams have been busy working to improve biodiversity and fight the impacts of climate change.
Here are just a few of their stories.
Collecting cones from our Caledonian pinewoods
The Caledonian Forest is home to some of our most iconic species, including Scotland’s national tree – the Scots pine.
Tree diseases, browsing by deer, and a changing climate are all threatening our Caledonian pinewoods’ ability to regenerate and expand naturally.
That’s why we’re collecting seed as a safeguard to preserving the genetic base of these forests and working to build our own seed store at Newton to help future-proof the national forest estate.
Learn more about Caledonian pinewoods here
Strategic felling on the River Feshie helping to fight flooding
We’re using a natural solution to tackle the issues caused by frequent flooding and help protect rare species and designated habitats where two Strathspey rivers meet.
For many years we’ve been working with our Cairngorms Connect partners, Cairngorms National Park Authority, and NatureScot to try and find a nature-based solution to this problem.
Last summer we removed a large area of trees around the river, allowing it to flow over flood defences and onto our land.
We hope the newly created open space, alongside the regeneration of native species, will help slow the Feshie when in full flow to let suspended gravel deposit safely and water disperse more widely.
Learn more about the felling here
The 'Last Ent of Affric' is no longer alone
An ancient elm tree that has stood alone in Glen Affric for hundreds of years is now guardian over a new generation of its species.
As part of the Scottish Plant Recovery project’s fight against Dutch elm disease, the area by this iconic tree was chosen as the new home for 35 young elm trees in hopes of saving the species.
The project involves cultivating disease resistant seedlings and then planting them at suitable sites. It is hoped there will be cross pollination between the seedlings – and maybe even with the mature wych elm itself – to help in the recovery of one of Scotland’s most majestic native trees.
Learn more about the 'Last Ent of Affric' here
New technology coming to Newton Nursery
We’ll soon have a glasshouse the size of two football pitches that can grow up to 19 million trees a year!
This exciting addition will not only significantly increase our ability to grow trees, it will also allow our nursery teams to have more control over the growing environment making the seedlings less vulnerable to damage, competition and browsing.
Energy use in the new building will be offset by solar panels and we are installing a bore hole to supply the water used to irrigate the seeds. Early trials show that this approach could improve our germination rates by almost 60%, making it a more efficient way to grow saplings for Scotland’s ambitious tree planting targets.
Elsewhere at Newton we’re continuing to use Tape4Trees – a planting system which allows us to plant up to 1 million trees a day. With this we’re also looking at how we can save water by installing underground irrigation systems to support saplings.
Just as you can now start your car or turn off the light using your phone, this system is all controlled remotely via an app. We can also use sensors in the soil to tell us what the trees need and how much to give them.
Learn more about Newton Nursery here
How lasers, drones and real-time tracking are improving forestry
With over 1 million deer in Scotland, a number that has doubled in the past 30 years, deer impact our forests and land in many ways. They eat younger trees, strip the bark off older trees, over-graze in precious areas like ancient woodlands and compact the soil.
Managing this problem is absolutely essential for us to deliver on our climate emergency action plan, meet biodiversity targets and conserve native woodland like the Caledonian pinewood at Glen Affric. It allows us to successfully establish new forests and minimise the impact deer have on the yield and quality of the sustainable timber we produce.
We’re working to find a way of making this easier for our rangers through the Scottish Government’s flagship CivTech programme.