THOUSANDS of years ago, huge swathes of southern Scotland were covered in pristine woodland teeming with wildlife and full of native tree species.
Today the crucial habitat, vital for many of our most precious species of birds and animals, has been reduced to a minuscule 1 per cent of the country.
Yesterday, a huge project began to double the size of the largest area of ancient woodland in
southern Scotland.
The first of 62,000 native tree saplings were planted, in a scheme that aims to eventually add 670 acres of woodland to the Wood of Cree in Dumfries and Galloway.
Oak, ash, downy birch, wych-elm, hazel and aspen will be planted and will provide homes for rare species such as the red squirrel and black grouse, which do not currently have large areas of habitat where they can live.
The ambitious plan will take ten years to complete and is the latest project to be carried out by the Scottish Forest Alliance – a group funded with £10 million from oil giant BP that aims to bring back areas of forest across Scotland.
The new woodland is being planted on Barclye Farm, a 966-acre hill farm owned by RSPB Scotland.
All the tree species that will be planted already grow in the forest, to make sure it resembles the historic woodland that once covered the region as closely as possible.
Many of the trees to be planted have been grown from seeds taken from the existing forest.
Paul Collin, senior site manager for RSPB's Galloway Reserves, said: "It has been good to get the first trees in the ground. It has been five years in the planning.
"It's a fantastic project. It will double the size of the Wood of Cree and create really significant native woodland in the Cree Valley."
The Wood of Cree is one of the best places in Scotland to see willow tit and at this time of year the ground is carpeted with bluebells.
Wood warblers, grasshopper warblers, redstart and pied flycatchers can be spotted among the trees.
Neil Groves, assistant warden for RSPB's Galloway reserves, said: "This will help to enhance a place of exceptional beauty, and expand the patchwork of mature woodland, open glades, mossy hollows, craggy nooks and knolls leading down to the River Cree."
As well as extending the Wood of Cree, the work will help in a longer-term plan to create a network of woodland, meadows and glades stretching more than 11 miles from Glentrool to Newton Stewart.
Lynne Staples-Scott, corporate responsibility manager at BP, said: "We are delighted to help with extending the Wood of Cree, and hope that it becomes an even more cherished resource at a local and national level for generations to come."
The Scottish Forest Alliance is made up of RSPB Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland, Woodland Trust Scotland and BP, and has already carried out smaller projects around the country to plant woodland.
Thousands of years of deforestation have left Scotland with only 1 per cent of land with native woods. During the past 60 years, 40 per cent of upland woods have disappeared.
The Scottish Forest Alliance thinks action needs to be taken to reverse the loss of this ancient habitat, which has been destroyed by road building, quarrying, conifer plantations, and sheep and deer grazing.
Fences are being put up to keep grazing livestock out of the newly planted areas of woodland.
The full article contains 580 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
