All our projects

Scotland

Trees for All is working on restoring forest in the Corrimony nature reserve in Scotland. We’re doing so in collaboration with our partners Sylva Nova and the RSPB.

Status: Current project

Reforestation in the Corrimony nature reserve

When you think of the Scottish Highlands, you’ll probably picture a vast, bare landscape. Yet this region was once covered in forests.

In the Corrimony reserve, our partners RSPB and Sylva Nova have been working for some years now on restoring parts of the forest landscape. Unfortunately, much of their work was destroyed by a fire in 2023.

The good news is that new shoots are growing back from the burnt trees and starting to develop into saplings! Our aim is to accelerate this natural regeneration by planting 39,200 trees.

So step by step we’re restoring the forest landscape in a unique reserve, as well as restoring the habitat of unusual birds, like the golden eagle – the national bird of Scotland. Your support is enabling us to do so!

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You will be kept informed about your trees with Track & Trees.
You will receive an invitation to plant your own trees during a tree planting day.
You will (optionally) receive a mailbox tree. We get trees from you, you get a tree from us!

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Reforestation in Scotland: an outline of our activities

A fire in 2023 reduced much of the Corrimony reserve to ashes. Fortunately, it seems that nature is strong and resilient, as under the burnt trees there are already new shoots appearing, from which young saplings are starting to grow!

We want to accelerate this process of natural regeneration by planting new species of tree by hand. They are all species that occur naturally in the Scottish Highlands – or have grown there for many years – such as hazel, aspen, bird cherry, juniper, alder, holly, birch, hawthorn, blackthorn, oak, eared willow, goat willow and grey willow.

These species have the benefit of attracting plants and wildlife that are also indigenous to the region. They include species of bird that are unique to the area, some of which are protected: the black grouse, the Scottish crossbill, the crested tit and the iconic golden eagle (the national bird of Scotland).

*Under the burnt trees, new shoots are appearing, from which saplings are growing.*

*One of the young birch saplings planted by our partners along with volunteers*. It’s still very small!

*A birch around 2 to 3 years old in an area further on. This is what our planting will look like in a few years’ time.*

Bosbescherming tegen reeën en branden

Planting trees is step one on the path to restoring the forest, but it’s just as important to protect the newly planted trees. After all, we want as many saplings as possible to grow into mature trees. One big threat is formed by roe deer, which occur in large numbers in Scotland.

To keep the animals out, the RSPB has repaired several fences in the project area. The existing fenced-off enclosures were largely destroyed by the fire, so the trees that survived were eaten by the roe deer anyway. The RSPB has also erected extra fencing around adjacent areas of forest, so that seeds from these forests can spread and germinate unhindered throughout the area.

Finally, fire prevention is an important part of this project. So the RSPB has bought a special lightweight car, which makes it easy for the team to drive throughout the area and spot any fires in good time.

The reserve just after the fire and the repaired enclosures.

The planting location

We’re planting the trees in the Corrimony nature reserve, in the northern part of Scotland. The reserve is situated in the middle of the Scottish Highlands, about 15 kilometres west of the famous Loch Ness. It’s a beautiful moorland and woodland area – a real paradise for bird-loverss.

Our partners

We’re working on this project with Sylva Nova and the Royal Society of Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Sylva Nova is a forest management consultancy that works on the sustainable management, restoration and expansion of European forests. Sylva Nova’s expertise focuses on sustainable forest management, reforestation and the restoration of forest landscapes, as well as engineering, consultancy and research.

De RSPB is a charity for the conservation of birds and nature in the United Kingdom. Besides protecting species of bird, the RSPB works on nature conservation and the protection and restoration of habitats. Education and scientific research form an important basis for this work. In total, the RSPB manages more than 180 natural areas in the United Kingdom, including the Corrimony nature reserve.