‘I Love Pine’ campaign launched for Valentine’s Day

Press Release 1st February 2007

This Valentine’s Day, a new campaign by award-winning conservation charity Trees for Life will give people the chance to have a specially-dedicated Scots pine or grove of pines planted in Scotland’s Caledonian Forest on behalf of a loved one.

In a twist on last year’s ‘I Love PIN’ campaign for credit and debit cards, this year a host of celebrities are backing the ‘I Love Pine’ campaign, which from 1 February until Valentine’s Day is highlighting the importance of the Scots pine, the keystone tree in the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands.

Journalist, presenter and writer Muriel Gray, author Kenny Taylor, and author, broadcaster and mountaineer Cameron McNeish are among the well-known Scots who will explain why they love pine on the website, /ilovepine/.

The site will also feature a daily competition for people to explain why they love pines, with prizes including watercolour prints and a beautiful wood sculpture of a tree. There will be campaign updates, guides to visiting pinewood remnants, information about the tree and the species that depend on it, as well as an opportunity for people to receive seeds and grow their own Scots pine.

Trees for Life patron Muriel Gray said: “The Scots pine is one of the most beautiful trees in the world and mature pines are so visually stunning they almost become iconic objects. Our pines are the very essence of Scotland’s wild land; tough, resilient, and yet timelessly beautiful. I don’t just love pines - I utterly adore them. Let’s keep planting and nourishing them.”

Trees for Life's Founder and Executive Director, Alan Watson Featherstone said: “Every single tree planted shows that simple actions make a real and positive difference to the planet. What better way to mark Valentine’s Day than by expressing love for the Highlands in this way?”

“The Caledonian Forest is Scotland’s equivalent of a rainforest – an ancient and remarkable woodland that needs our help. Forest restoration is one answer to the global threat of climate change, and a renewed forest will also provide a vital habitat for birds, insects and plants, and will be enjoyed by people for decades and centuries to come.”

Every tree purchased will boost Trees for Life’s 100,000 Trees Appeal, an ambitious project to plant 100,000 trees during 2007, as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Billion Tree Campaign.

The Scots pine is found throughout Europe and northern Asia, but the Caledonian Forest’s native pinewoods are unique due to the absence of other conifers growing alongside the tree. Species that depend on the Scots pine include the red squirrel, capercaillie, Scottish crossbill, wood ants, twinflower and pine marten. These and others will all be featured during the campaign.

To join Trees for Life, to dedicate a tree or grove to a loved one, or to join a volunteer Work Week planting trees, visit /ilovepine or call 01309 691292.

Notes to editors

1. Trees for Life is a pioneering charity in ecological restoration. It aims to restore the Caledonian Forest to an area of 1,500 square kilometres in the Highlands west of Inverness. Today only 1% of the original Caledonian Forest remains.
2. Since planting its first trees in 1991 in Glen Affric, Trees for Life has planted over half a million trees. It has won several awards for its conservation work, including UK Conservation Project of the Year in 1991.
3. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched the Billion Tree Campaign, to involve people and organisations around the world in planting a billion trees in 2007, to help address the issue of climate change.

See: http://www.unep.org/Billiontreecampaign

 

 

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Published: 1 February 2007
Last updated: 26 January 2010