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Funding Hope For Conservation Of Iconic Scottish Glen

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Sep 262014

Hopes of protecting and restoring a magnificent Highland glen and its rare wildlife – including golden eagles, red squirrels and Scottish wildcats – have received a major boost after conservation charity Trees for Life was named as finalist for a major European funding project, with the winner to be chosen after an online public vote. With thanks to Richard Bunting.

The charity’s Glen Affric Landscape Project is in the running to secure almost £20,000 in the European Outdoor Conservation Association’s ‘Outdoor’ funding scheme, with online voting taking place over two weeks until Monday 6 October. Trees for Life can be supported via www.treesforlife.org.uk/voteTFL.

The Trees for Life project will also create opportunities for outdoor activity and hill walking groups, local people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to take part in practical action to help reverse the loss of native woodlands and rare wildlife in the Highlands.

Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Executive Director commented:

“We are asking people to vote for us and help make the most of this opportunity to protect one of Scotland’s finest wilderness forests. Glen Affric has been described as the most beautiful glen in Scotland, and this is a golden opportunity to help conserve its wildlife and wild places, and to reverse centuries of forest loss”

The Caledonian Forest at Glen Affric supports over 1,000 animal species. The pinewoods in the glen’s eastern reaches represent the largest surviving core area of native pinewood which continues to benefit from conservation management. But there is still much work to do to encourage this native woodland to expand westwards and this project will make a big contribution to achieving this.

Working in partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, which manages the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, Trees for Life aims to enhance and extend the iconic glen’s native Caledonian pinewood and conserve its rare forest-dependent wildlife through a range of activities, including the planting of 20,000 trees as well as endangered plants. Non-native trees and plants will be removed and habitats restored.

Key to this will be hands-on forest restoration training and volunteering opportunities for hundreds of people through forest skills courses, volunteer restoration days and conservation weeks.

Guided walks and leaflets will allow hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts to learn more about the Caledonian Forest and how to help conserve Scotland’s threatened habitats and species.

The project also aims to boost the local and Highland economy through a growth in visitors for nature-based tourism, hill walking and outdoor and adventure pursuits. It will lay the foundations for a longer-term initiative to create a forest habitat corridor from Loch Affric to Scotland’s west coast – leaving a lasting legacy of an expanded forest landscape and increased wildlife, transforming the experiences of outdoor users in the Highlands for future generations.

The Caledonian Forest supports a unique range of species. Once covering much of the Scottish Highlands, centuries of deforestation have reduced the forest to a fraction of its former range. Many forest remnants consist of old and dying trees, with grazing pressure by red deer preventing the growth of young trees. The remaining forests, such as in Glen Affric, are amongst our most fragile and endangered habitats.

Trees for Life is a leading conservation volunteering charity that has planted more than one million trees at dozens of sites in the Highlands. It has pledged to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018, and this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The charity was kindly nominated for the European Outdoor Conservation Association funding award by Northshots Photography.

For more details about how to vote, please see www.treesforlife.org.uk/voteTFL or call 0845 458 3505.

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New Forest Legacy To Commonwealth Games

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Jun 102014

With thanks to Richard Bunting.

A new Commonwealth Forest near Loch Ness has been established as a lasting and green legacy to this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, in an initiative being launched by conservation charity Trees for Life during Legacy Week (9-13 June).

Trees for Life has planted 6,500 trees in the new forest at its Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston – one for every athlete competing in the Games, with Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Moray MSP Richard Lochhead planting the 6,500th tree.

The award-winning charity aims to expand the new forest with the support of spectators who attend the Commonwealth Games. Donors from across the Commonwealth will be asked to plant a tree to support their national team, and track which nation is doing the most to support the Commonwealth Forest.

The project will boost the international profile of Scotland’s spectacular landscapes and wildlife, and also allow visitors to the Games to reduce the impact of their carbon footprint.

The initiative received a ringing endorsement from the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Moray MSP Richard Lochhead, who praised efforts to expand the ancient Caledonian Forest in the Highlands.

Richard Lochhead MSP said:

“The Caledonian Forest offers visitors some of our most majestic landscapes. I would encourage visitors who are coming to the Commonwealth Games to go further north and explore these woodlands and many other parts of Scotland’s stunning natural environment.

“It is excellent news that this project is helping to expand these woodlands and importantly creating a lasting legacy from the Games that generations of people will enjoy.”

Trees for Life’s Executive Director, Alan Watson Featherstone, said:

“The Commonwealth Games are a huge opportunity for the whole of Scotland. The Commonwealth Forest initiative will stand tall over the Highland landscape for centuries to come, providing a vital habitat for many endangered species of native wildlife. This will be a wonderful legacy to leave in the wake of Scotland’s year of sport.

“During the Games, many thousands of visitors will be travelling to Scotland. Whether by air, rail, or car, this will have a hugely significant carbon impact. We want to offer Games-goers from across the world the chance to mitigate the impact of their carbon emissions, by contributing to a unique and lasting green Games legacy in the wild heart of the Scottish Highlands.

“It takes just a few seconds to donate, and from £5 per tree this is a cheap, easy way to help make these a truly green Commonwealth Games.”

With less than 50 days to go before Glasgow 2014, Legacy Week is celebrating initiatives that will deliver lasting benefits from Scotland’s hosting of the Games. The ambition is to promote Scotland as a frontrunner in delivering nationwide benefits from hosting a major sporting event.

People can donate to the Commonwealth Forest by visiting treesforlife.org.uk/CoFo or texting COFO14 £5 to 70070. One tree costs £5.

Games-goers will be encouraged to use Trees for life’s online ‘carbon calculator’ to work out how many trees to plant to mitigate their carbon impact.

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25 Years Of Action Celebrated at ‘Lost World’ Estate

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May 302014

With thanks to Richard Bunting.

A quarter century of pioneering conservation action was marked by Trees for Life on Sunday 25 May 2014.
A celebration open day was held at the award-winning charity’s Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston, Inverness-shire.

Dozens of supporters and local people gathered at the acclaimed biodiversity hotspot near Loch Ness for a day of activities, and to celebrate Trees for Life’s first 25 years of restoring the ancient but endangered Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands.

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, planted the final tree of Trees for Life’s ‘Celebrate’ project, through which volunteers have planted 6,500 trees, one for each athlete at the Commonwealth Games.

Special guest BBC presenter, writer and Trees for Life Patron Vanessa Collingridge planted the charity’s 25th anniversary tree. Drew Hendry, Leader of Highland Council, planted a tree to commemorate the dedication of the charity’s thousands of volunteers.

Cyclist Tim Judge arrived from London by bike, after cycling 600 miles in six days. The gruelling journey was part of Tim’s challenge of cycling 5,000 miles on his bike Issy to raise £1 per mile for Trees for Life.

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said:

“These magnificent Caledonian woodlands, which to many people are synonymous with Scotland, are one of our most highly prized natural assets, and conserving and expanding these beautiful woodlands is vitally important for the integrity of our landscape and the vitality of our biodiversity.

“Trees for Life has played an important part in that conservation effort and 25 years of restoration is certainly something to celebrate, especially in this Year of Homecoming that focuses on Natural Scotland.

“I would also like to think that planting a tree for every Commonwealth Games athlete will encourage some of them – and the many thousands of visitors who will be joining us – to take the time to experience Scotland’s woodlands for themselves.”

Drew Hendry, Leader of Highland Council, said:

“I was delighted to plant one of the commemorative trees at Dundreggan Conservation Estate. Trees For Life’s work at this flagship project on natural regeneration and biodiversity aligns very well with the Highland Biodiversity Action Plan, and with Highland Council’s long-term commitment of achieving a carbon neutral Inverness in a low carbon Highlands by 2025 – our Carbon CLEVER Highlands initiative.”

Trees for Life’s Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone said:

“During the past 25 years, thousands of volunteers and many generous donors have helped us to breathe new life into Scotland’s equivalent of a rainforest. More than a million trees have been planted or regenerated, more than 10,000 acres of new forest created, and hundreds of lives transformed through the benefits of time spent carrying out positive conservation action in green places.

“I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this remarkable achievement, and everyone who will help us in the future as we expand and extend our innovative work to restore the world-class wildlife and landscapes of the Highlands.”

The celebration day included guided walks to explore ancient woodlands and spot wildlife, opportunities to meet and feed wild boar and learn about their role in restoring the forest, and children’s activities including animal tracking, pond dipping and games.

A new Trees for Life exhibition ‘From Caledonia to the Commonwealth’, a stunning photographic exploration of ancient forests across the Commonwealth, was officially launched by Vanessa Collingridge. The exhibition is part of the charity’s ‘Celebrate’ project, funded with support from the National Lottery funded Celebrate programme.

Dundreggan is Trees for Life’s flagship project. The 10,000-acre estate has been described as a Highlands “lost world”, with more than 3,000 species identified so far – including 10 species never recorded in the UK before.

With the Caledonian Forest being one of the UK’s most endangered habitats and with many of its rare species in danger of extinction, Trees for Life aims to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration, by 2018. People can help by becoming a member, carrying out conservation action, sponsoring trees for special occasions or sponsoring an acre of native forest. See www.treesforlife.org.uk.

Tim Judge can be supported in his cycle challenge at www.justgiving.com/GingerBittersOnABike. Tim’s progress can be followed at www.strava.com/athletes/gingerbittersonabike.

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Unique Community Purchase For Highlands Project

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May 232014

With thanks to Richard Bunting.

Plans for a major new pinewood restoration project in the Scottish Highlands have been given the go-ahead, after Forestry Commission Scotland agreed to sell 1,086 hectares of woodland at Glen Mallie and South Loch Arkaig in Lochaber to a Highland community group which is working in partnership with the conservation charity Trees for Life.

This marks a major milestone in efforts to restore the ecologically important but rare native Caledonian Pinewood habitat.

The Achnacarry, Bunarkaig and Clunes (ABC) Group and Trees for Life now have 18 months to raise £500,000 to buy the land, following which they will begin a process of native woodland restoration and of restoring the links between the local community and the wild and remote country on the south side of Loch Arkaig.

This is believed to be the first time that a conservation charity has partnered with a community group to purchase surplus Forestry Commission land under the National Forest Land Scheme. The scheme, administered by Forestry Commission Scotland, gives communities and non-governmental organisations the opportunity to acquire state-owned forest land which has been declared ‘surplus’ by the Forestry Commission.

Gary Servant of the ABC Group said:

“This is a great opportunity for the local community to secure real benefits in terms of sustainable rural development, to support local land-based jobs and livelihoods whilst at the same time helping to protect, restore and expand these important remnants of native Caledonian Pine Forest.”

Trees for Life’s Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone said:

“We are delighted that Forestry Commission Scotland has approved the bid to purchase this native pinewood site, which is rich in biodiversity and historical importance. We now have a unique opportunity to take a significant step forwards in achieving our vision of a renewed Caledonian Forest in the West Highlands, while bringing real social and environmental benefits to the remote rural Lochaber community. Our challenge now is to raise the funds required to make this vision a reality.”

He added:

“This exciting project offers a unique opportunity to pioneer an innovative partnership between a conservation charity and a local community group, which could be a valuable model for efforts elsewhere in the Highlands to achieve native woodland restoration on a significant scale whilst at the same time securing substantial rural development benefits for local people.”

The Glen Mallie and South Loch Arkaig forests contain iconic native pinewood remnants that were damaged by fire during Commando Training in the Second World War, and were subsequently acquired by the Forestry Commission and underplanted with commercial conifers in the 1970s.

The long-term aim of Trees for Life and the ABC Group is to restore the native pinewoods and other natural habitats of the area to the benefit of both people and biodiversity.

The forests were declared ‘surplus’ by Forestry Commission Scotland in September 2013 as part of its national repositioning strategy. The ABC Group formally applied to purchase the land in February 2014, after completing a draft business plan, with support from the National Lottery ‘Investing in Ideas’ fund, and conducting a postal ballot of local residents.

Trees for Life was invited to become a key project partner due to its expertise in native pinewood restoration and in actively promoting practical action for woodland conservation. Forestry Commission Scotland then held a 28-day open consultation, for the public to comment on any aspect of the proposal. An independent panel of experts made a detailed evaluation of the project and has now recommended its approval.

Award-winning Trees for Life already owns and manages a significant area of woodland, having purchased the 10,000-acre Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston near Loch Ness in 2008.

Today only a fraction of the former native Caledonian Pinewood habitat survives in the form of around 80 pinewood remnants in the north and west of Scotland, but Trees for Life has planted more than a million trees and has created 10,000 acres of new forest.

The charity aims to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018, creating expanded habitats for Scotland’s remarkable and rare wildlife, including species that are in danger of extinction.

Throughout this year, Trees for Life is celebrating 25 years of pioneering conservation action. People can support the charity by becoming a member, carrying out conservation action, sponsoring trees for special occasions or sponsoring an acre of native forest. See www.treesforlife.org.uk or call 0845 458 3505.

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‘Lost World’ Open Day Celebrates 25 Years Of Conservation Action

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May 162014

With thanks to Richard Bunting.

Moray-based conservation charity, Trees for Life, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special celebration open day at its acclaimed Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston, to the west of Loch Ness, Inverness-shire on Sunday 25 May 2014, from 10.30 am – 5.00 pm.

Members of the public are warmly invited to attend the free event and to join BBC presenter, and Trees for Life Patron, Vanessa Collingridge for a day of activities at this renowned biodiversity hotspot, as the award-winning charity marks a quarter century of restoring the ancient but endangered Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands.

An exciting programme of entertainment includes guided walks to explore ancient woodlands and spot wildlife, opportunities to meet and feed wild boar and learn about their role in restoring the forest, and children’s activities including animal tracking, pond dipping and games. There will be talks on conservation, a barbeque and all-day refreshments.

A new Trees for Life exhibition ‘From Caledonia to the Commonwealth’ – a stunning photographic exploration of ancient forests from countries across the Commonwealth – will be exclusively launched. The exhibition has been made possible by support from the National Lottery funded Celebrate programme.

Trees for Life’s Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone said:

“Everyone is invited to join us for a great day out to celebrate our 25th birthday and the world-class wildlife and landscapes of the Highlands.”

The 10,000-acre Dundreggan estate is Trees for Life’s flagship project. It has been described as a Highlands “lost world”, with more than 3,000 species identified there so far – including 10 species never recorded in the UK before.

Over the past 25 years, Trees for Life has planted more than a million trees and created 10,000 acres of new forest. The charity aims to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018, creating expanded habitats for Scotland’s spectacular and rare wildlife.

For details about the celebration open day, see www.treesforlife.org.uk/celebrationday/index.html or call 0845 458 3505. Dundreggan is located approximately one hour southwest of Inverness, on the A887.

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Planting Scotland’s Wee Trees

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Dec 132013

With thanks to Richard Bunting.

A group of hardy volunteers braved the cold and ventured to Coire Sneachdta, in Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, to take part in conservation charity Trees for Life’s ‘wee trees’ planting day on 27 November.
This project was made possible thanks to a grant through the CSV Action Earth scheme, which supports volunteers across Scotland in making a positive difference to their local environment.

As part of this year’s CSV Action Earth campaign, Scottish Natural Heritage has supported more than 170 projects – including Trees for Life – with grants aimed at groups helping and encouraging volunteering through practical environment projects.

Project Coordinator for Trees for Life, Mick Drury, said:

“We were pleased to welcome so many people along on the tree planting day, to help us plant 150 dwarf birch and 300 willow cuttings. It really was all about the volunteers, from those who grew and nurtured the seedlings in the nursery, to those who dug deep and planted the trees themselves.

“Thanks to CSV Action Earth and Scottish Natural Heritage, we’ve been able to buy the tools needed to carry out this vital project, which will shape the future of Scotland’s mountain woodland. We were delighted to team up once again with Forestry Commission Scotland, which manages the site, to deliver this project with a great result.”

To find out more about how to get involved with the work of Trees for Life, visit www.treesforlife.org.uk or call 0845 458 3505.

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TV Vote Success For Caledonian Forest Training Project

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Dec 062013

With thanks to Richard Bunting.

On 29th November, the conservation charity Trees for Life celebrated the announcement that it has won £50,000 of Lottery funding for a pioneering project to help restore Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forest and protect its rare wildlife from extinction.

The conservation charity’s plan to create a new volunteer training programme at its Dundreggan Conservation Estate near Loch Ness, which will benefit hundreds of disadvantaged people from the Inverness region, was successful in the recent finals of the People’s Millions public vote.

Speaking after the announcement last Friday Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Executive Director, said:

“This is fantastic news for our work to save the Caledonian Forest and its unique wildlife and for the hundreds of people every year who will be able to join our training programme – transforming their own lives as they help to restore the forest.

“I would like to thank every single person who voted for us in the People’s Millions yesterday.”

The Trees for Life training project is about people and places. In particular, it will benefit people from diverse backgrounds and those with limited access to healthy outdoor activities and training opportunities.

Disadvantaged people – including those on low incomes or who are unemployed from the rural region around Inverness and from deprived urban areas in Inverness – will be able to learn about threatened habitats and species and gain health benefits from volunteering in green places.

Activities will include planting trees and wild flowers, collecting seeds for propagating rare species, and growing trees and plants in a tree nursery. The project will be accessible for older people and those with limited mobility, or affected by mental health issues, and accredited training for leading volunteer groups will also be on offer.

The People’s Millions, in which the public decide which local community projects will receive Lottery funding, is a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV and voting took place all day on 29th November with the results being broadcast by STV North in the evening.

Dundreggan, which is in Glen Moriston, Inverness-shire, has been described as a Highlands ‘lost world’ and, so far, almost 70 priority species for conservation, including several species never recorded in the UK before, have been discovered there.

The award-winning Trees for Life charity has planted more than one million trees at dozens of sites in the Highlands and has pledged to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018.

For further details, please visit www.treesforlife.org.uk or call 0845 458 3505.

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Televised Vote For Pioneering Conservation Project

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Nov 252013

With thanks to Richard Bunting.

Trees for Life is urging people to help it win £50,000 of Lottery funding in a televised public vote on Thursday 28 November, to help restore Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forest and protect its rare wildlife from extinction, while benefitting hundreds of disadvantaged people.

The conservation charity is a finalist in the People’s Millions – a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV, in which the public decide which local community projects will receive Lottery funding – for its plan to establish a pioneering volunteer training programme at its Dundreggan Conservation Estate near Loch Ness.

“We are asking people to vote for us on 28 November. Our People’s Millions project is about people and places. It’s about saving the UK’s equivalent of a rainforest and all its species from being lost forever, for our children and grandchildren to enjoy – and it’s about helping to improve the lives of hundreds of people every year,” said Trees for Life’s Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone.

Success in the vote will allow Trees for Life to offer training in forest restoration to people from diverse backgrounds and those with limited access to healthy outdoor activities and training opportunities.

Disadvantaged people – including those on low incomes or who are unemployed – will be able learn about threatened habitats and species, and to gain health benefits from volunteering in green places.

Activities will include planting trees and wild flowers, collecting seeds for propagating rare species, and growing trees and plants in a tree nursery. The project will be accessible for older people and those with limited mobility or affected by mental health issues. Accredited training for leading volunteer groups will also be on offer.

The People’s Millions vote will be by phone all day on 28 November, from 9am to midnight, with a STV North programme broadcast that evening. The telephone number to call will be announced on the day, including on www.treesforlife.org.uk. Up to 10 calls can be made from each phone, at a cost of 11p from a landline.

Dundreggan in Glen Moriston, Inverness-shire, has been described as a Highlands “lost world”. So far almost 70 priority species for conservation, including several species never recorded in the UK before, have been discovered there.

Trees for Life has planted more than one million trees at dozens of sites in the Highlands. It has pledged to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018.

The People’s Millions is a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV. For more details, visit www.treesforlife.org.uk/peoplesmillions or call 0845 458 3505.

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Double Boost For Conservation Charity Trees For Life

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Nov 012013

With thanks to Becky Priestley, Marketing & Communications Officer.

Alan Watson Featherstone (centre) after his receipt of the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Nature’ Award at the RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards in Edinburgh on 30th October.

Trees for Life received a double boost on Wednesday 30 October, when the conservation charity was announced as a finalist for the People’s Millions televised vote to win up to £50,000 of Lottery funding, and its founder won the Outstanding Contribution to Nature category at the RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Awards 2013.

The People’s Millions is a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV, in which the public decide which local community projects will each receive up to £50,000 of Lottery funding.

Trees for Life has been chosen as a finalist for its plan to establish its acclaimed Dundreggan Conservation Estate – a 10,000-acre forest regeneration site and biodiversity hotspot to the west of Loch Ness – as a leading conservation volunteer training centre.

The public vote will take place by phone all day on 27 November, and STV North will broadcast a televised feature that evening.

Trees for Life’s project aims to specifically benefit people from diverse backgrounds – including disadvantaged people such as those on low incomes or who are unemployed. Many such people currently have limited access to healthy outdoor activities and training opportunities.

Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Executive Director, said:-

“We are urging people to vote for us in the People’s Millions vote on 27 November. Success would be a huge boost to our work to save the ancient CaledonianForest, which is both internationally important and the UK’s equivalent of a rainforest.

“This remarkable woodland is still in decline, with many of its rare and unique species at risk of extinction. The stakes are high and we are the last generation with the opportunity to save this natural treasure.

“Our People’s Millions project is about people as much as places. It will fund specialised training for volunteers to enable them to make an enhanced, positive contribution to the return of Scotland’s native forests, and will also provide accredited training for leading volunteer groups.”

The Trees for Life project will encourage volunteers, who otherwise might not get the chance to do so, to learn about threatened habitats and species, and benefit from time spent in green places and from activities that are good for mental and physical health.

Trees for Life Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone in the native woodland at Dundreggan Conservation Estate

A range of activities will ensure that the project is accessible for older people and those with limited mobility, and those affected by mental health issues or other challenges.

People taking part in the project will also transform their natural environment.

They will be able to help carry out vital restoration work – such as planting trees and wild flowers, collecting seeds and roots for propagating rare species, growing trees and plants in our tree nursery, removing non-native species and carrying out biodiversity surveys.

For more details about Trees for Life and the People’s Millions vote on 27 November, please see www.treesforlife.org.uk/peoplesmillions or call 0845 458 3505

Meanwhile, Alan Watson Featherstone – who founded Trees for Life, one of Scotland’s leading conservation charities, in 1986 – won the Outstanding Contribution to Nature category at the RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Awards 2013. The accolade was announced at a special ceremony held at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh on 30 October.

The awards recognise and celebrate excellence, innovation and outstanding achievement in Scottish nature conservation. The Outstanding Contribution to Nature award is made to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the conservation of nature in Scotland or overseas.

Alan’s wide-ranging, long-term work to change humanity’s impact on Nature and the planet has also helped to provide inspiration for ecological restoration projects in the Scottish borders, on Dartmoor in England, and on the island of Tierra del Fuego in the far south of Chile.

Trees for Life’s previous awards include UK Conservation Project of the Year, the Millennium Marque, Top 10 Conservation Holidays worldwide and the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Environment Award.

Trees for Life has so far planted more than one million trees at dozens of locations in the Highlands, and has created 10,000 acres of new forest. It has pledged to establish one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018.

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New Certificates Scheme Boosts Highlands Million Trees Bid

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Oct 212013

A Trees for Life volunteer plants a native tree in the Caledonian Forest

Scotland’s leading conservation volunteering charity Trees for Life has launched a new range of tree certificates through which people can celebrate special occasions or remember loved ones by helping to restore Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forest.

Trees for Life will plant a dedicated native tree in the wild heart of the Scottish Highlands on behalf of each recipient of the new certificates – creating a forest that will benefit unique wildlife including red squirrels and pine martens, and which will be enjoyed by future generations for centuries to come.

“Having a tree or grove planted – and helping to ensure the return of one of Britain’s most remarkable areas of wild beauty – is a positive and thoughtful way to celebrate a birth or wedding, or to remember a loved one,” said Alan Watson Featherstone, Executive Director of Trees for Life.

“Every tree planted is a statement of care and concern for our planet, and will help us to breathe new life into the CaledonianForest. It shows that something can be done to tackle global problems such as deforestation, biodiversity loss and climate change.”

The climate and wildlife-friendly certificates include a choice of five designs – celebrations, in memory, births, weddings and general purpose – and personalised messages. The certificates are accompanied by information on the planting of the tree or trees, including directions for visiting. People dedicating two or more trees will receive an illustrated guide to the forest’s many fascinating species.

Although the Caledonian Forest once covered much of the Highlands, centuries of overgrazing and timber production have left this vital habitat – which supports species that are found nowhere else in the UK – in danger of being lost forever, with only small and isolated fragments of the original forest surviving.

However, Trees for Life has so far planted more than a million trees and has created 10,000 acres of new forest through the support of volunteers from all over the world. The award-winning charity’s Million More Trees campaign aims to establish a further million trees by planting and natural regeneration by 2018.

Each tree certificate costs £15 for the planting and dedication of one tree, with further trees costing £5 each. For details, see www.treesforlife.org.uk or call 0845 458 3505.

Trees for Life’s new general celebration certificate

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