Caledonia Wild! Spring 2007
 Trees for Life magazine, Caledonia Wild!, Spring 2007 |
- Back to our Roots
- Spring forward
- The Snowy Corrie
- Benula
- Attadale
- Mountain Woodland
- Change in the air
- Nursery News
- Return of the Wolf *
- Working with Volunteers - The Forester's Perspective
- The Forest Frontline
- Deforestation *
- Dundreggan News *
- Mythology and Folklore of the Eagle *
- An Update on the Earth Restoration Service
- Restoring the forest one tree at a time
- Let the planting commence
- I Love Pine
- Groves: the ideal gift
- New T-shirts *
- Staff Corner
- Be Carbon Conscious (see Ways to reduce your carbon footprint *)
- New Companies * come on board
- Sponsored walks on September 30th: Advance Notice
- New Life Members
- Thanks and appreciation
- Wish List
- Here's our revised Wish List
- An Appreciation of Rain *
- Species Profile: Wild boar *
* Links to articles in other parts of this web site, rather than on this page.
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Back to our Roots
 Planting a Scots pine in Glen Cannich in early March. The Liatrie Wood is visible in the distance, behind the rainbow. |
 These two young women, who work in a tree nursery in Madagascar, were amongst those planting pines for us in March. |
In early March, Adam and I led a group of 31 international students on the Findhorn Foundation's Ecovillage Training Programme on a two day trip to the Caledonian Forest. After an introductory walk to Coille Ruigh in Glen Affric on the first day, we headed up into Glen Cannich on the second morning, to plant Scots pines there in the northernmost part of the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve. That area is known as the Liatrie Gap, because it was left as open space when the Forestry Commission planted commercial plantations on either side of it in the 1970s. The plantations were subsequently felled, as part of the Commission's programme to restore the area to native forest, but there was no evidence of any natural regeneration in the Liatrie Gap, and I had suggested planting trees there some years previously. Now, I was delighted to be able to help put the suggestion into practice.
Just as we were getting out of our minibuses at the site, an intense squall blew down the glen, bringing fierce winds and black clouds. Almost immediately, we were lashed by horizontally-blown hailstones and bitter cold, and we had to turn our backs to the west, in order to withstand the elemental barrage. Some of the students were from tropical countries such as Burma, Madagascar and Brazil, and had never seen snow before, so they got a full on experience of the Highlands' wild weather!
It was an auspicious day, though, as were going to plant the first of the 100,000 trees we've pledged to the United Nations Environment Programme's Billion Tree Campaign this year. As though to reflect this, the squall soon passed and a beautiful rainbow appeared, directly above the old pinewood remnant by the Liatrie Burn, on the north side of the glen. As I took in the beauty of the moment, I remembered that it was there, in the Liatrie Wood, that we had carried out Trees for Life's first practical work back in 1989, when we protected Scots pine seedlings with plastic tubes, prior to the area being fenced. Looking across the glen now and seeing the healthy young pines flourishing there, I was struck by the significance of going back to the roots of our project for the launch of our major planting commitment in 2007.
 Carrying tubes to protect young pines at the Liatrie Wood in 1989. |
As we worked throughout the morning, other squalls (and rainbows) came and went, and I realised that we were going back to our roots on another level too. That is the primal contact with the wild elements, which is lacking in so many of our modern day urban-based lives, that separate us from the immediacy of Nature. No one complained about the weather that day, and in fact its extreme variability made a positive addition to everybody's experience.
By lunch time we had planted our target of 1,070 trees for the day and everyone's spirits were soaring with the satisfaction of what we had achieved. On the deepest level, that was not simply just the planting of those Scots pines, but rather it was a return to the roots of sustainable human living on the planet - giving life back to the Earth that nourishes us.
Alan Watson Featherstone
The Snowy Corrie
 Helicopter delivering the fencing materials to the Snowy Corrie site in February 2006. Photo by Adam Powell. |
Great news!! After frustration and delays, this project, on the Forestry Commission for Scotland's (FCS) Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, is now back on track. In the Spring 2006 Caledonia Wild! I was enthusing that fencing materials for this job were being flown in and shortly thereafter the fence was being erected ... only to be called to a halt half way round the new exclosure. The reason for putting the brakes on was that the site lies within the Strathglass Complex Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a European designation intended to protect areas where there are priority habitats. Because of this, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) were obliged to check out the situation and their permission was required as the proposed new woodland that would develop would mean the loss of some wet heath: the aforementioned priority habitat. It is somewhat ironic that another priority habitat is Caledonian pine forest!
When you compare the extent of heath to forest you would imagine that we could afford to sacrifice a little of the vast extent of the former for the sake of a gain in the far more species-rich and much diminished latter. However, SNH have their job to do and this, of necessity, has to take in the wider perspective of other projects of a similar nature which might be taking place in the area and what the cumulative effect may be on changing habitats. There were also some concerns that a small patch of herb-rich grassland could be lost by being outcompeted by recovering vegetation if browsing animals were excluded.
In February this year I made a site visit with representatives from FCS and SNH and after much discussion and to-ing and fro-ing across the site we came up with a plan that suited everyone. By excluding the herb-rich grassland, the overall area of the site was reduced by about 25%, thus minimising the impact on wet heath habitat and satisfying two of the major concerns.
Pleased to have reached a successful conclusion to our deliberations, we trudged down the hill and scrambled over the section of fence already installed and were met by some curious signs. A deer carcass had been flushed down a spate water course and had then apparently been stripped of its flesh by something; it was not old enough to have just rotted away. Close by there were tell-tale scratchings in the grass and moss and it was not long before we spotted a hole excavated at the base of a boulder: we would need to install a badger gate in this new fence! It always amazes me that this enterprising creature can survive in such harsh and seemingly impoverished conditions. I think of it as a woodland animal but I have seen setts 13 kilometres (8 miles) further west in Glen Affric at a similar elevation of about 300 metres (1,000 feet) and its diet in these situations includes scavenging carrion, hunting for earthworms, beetles, frogs and even frog spawn.
Given that you, our supporters, generously gave a total of over £5,000 in response to our appeal for this project in May 2004, I must thank you once again not only for helping to cover project costs but for your patience in bearing with us through this lengthy birthing process. I hope to include photographs of the finished fence in the next edition of Caledonia Wild!
Adam Powell
Pages about the Snowy Corrie on this site
- The Snowy Corrie in Caledonia Wild! Spring 2007: fenceline agreed after delays and negotiations
- Caledonia Wild! Spring 2006; 'Spring, Season of Uncertainty and Promise
- Pondering the future in Caledonia Wild! Winter 2004
- Progress on the Snowy Corrie Appeal (Summer 2004)
- Snowy Corrie Forest Restoration Appeal (Spring 2004)
- Bird Hill in Caledonia Wild! Winter 2003
An Update on the Earth Restoration Service
 Andreas Kornevall |
The Earth Restoration Service (ERS) grew out of the Restore the Earth! Conference that Trees for Life co-organised at Findhorn in 2002. Here, Andreas Kornevall, the Director of Operations at ERS, gives an update on this inspiring project.
The vision to Restore the Earth is alive and well! People are giving us so much support and backing, it is very inspiring. When humanity has developed every last piece of the world, there will be a time, such as now, when we have to turn around and start the age of restoration. We can no longer seek yet more land and more resources, as there's so little left - we have to take care of what we have.
For example, where I live, the last endemic brown bear in the Pyrenees was shot dead by a hunter three years ago. The loss was heartbreaking to those living here. These mountains will never again witness the Pyrenean bear, that walked upon their rugged windy slopes for millions of years. If the moral case for protecting the wild cannot be won by itself, then it is clear we also need to argue the economic case - the bear's value would be astronomical, worth millions alive to the community, not dead. The same applies to ecosystems when they have an ecological integrity and diversity. Because ecosystems are not quantified like manufactured capital, they are largely ignored and their services, such as waste treatment, soil formation, water supply and food production, are taken for granted.
Therefore, ERS is currently researching the economic vision for protecting and restoring our ecosystems. The Earth is our real bank and it has limited natural capital - we have overspent and borrowed far beyond our means. The aim of this research is to enhance human wellbeing and offer a vision of an economy that benefits the biosphere by creating job incentives through restoration programmes. As an example, when we restore coral reefs, we also directly benefit the fish stock for the local community.
Here are the following practical programmes ERS is currently involved in:
- In Malawi, the programme aims to grow 4 million trees per year through community nurseries in order to both restore the environment and provide a sustainable source of wood for local people.
- In Ecuador, the programme's goal is for school children to plant tree seedlings appropriate for the local ecosystem in the wild, to benefit the local community and wildlife.
- In Tibet, the programme is part of the effort to replant Tibet's virgin forests (which have suffered extensive degradation in recent years), working with local communities to both restore tree cover and nurture wildlife.
- In the Sahel, West Africa, through a programme called NewTree, waste land is fenced by village populations in order to protect naturally-growing trees from domestic animals. After 5 years they are already seeing results and a forest with high biodiversity is being developed.
- In India we are partnering with Food for Life, who are dedicated to the poorest of the poor - we are sponsoring 400 trees and a greenhouse in their local school and for environmental education.
 Cloud forest in Ecuador |
ERS is also running a School Tree Nursery programme that aims to bring together environmental education and practical ecological restoration worldwide. Saplings are raised by children, and then planted by them in environmentally-degraded sites in their local area. Schools have enrolled in Sussex, Devon, Wales, inner city London, Ecuador and India. We are always looking for more schools - if you know of anyone that could be interested in this scheme, please e-mail me.
We are also organising a lunch event at the House of Lords on the 30th of November, to make the case for a 'future possible', where we hope to gain support for a UN Resolution declaring the next hundred years 'the Century of Restoring the Earth'. With the US spending $30 billion on the war in Iraq every month, the money would be better spent in restoring the Iraqi rivers and planting a fruit tree for every household!
Well as Alan has said, 'Restoring the Earth is a dream', and dreams give nourishment and will, in the right time, metamorphose into reality. For more information, please see our re-vamped web site.
Andreas Kornevall
I Love Pine
It was in at the deep end for me in January, for as soon as I'd joined the team we launched our first ever Valentine's Day campaign. This was a special initiative to promote the importance, beauty and life of the Scots pine, the keystone tree species in the Caledonian Forest.
In the run up to Valentine's Day, there were daily updates on our web site with interesting facts about Scots pines and the species that depend on them, and quotes from well-known people. We established a special Pine Image Gallery, full of evocative photographs of Scots pines, and ran a daily competition, in which we invited you to tell us why you love pines. We gave away some lovely prizes: the daily winners received a beautiful watercolour print of a Scots pine in Glen Affric by Joan Fairhurst. The lucky overall winner, Albert Peace from Yorkshire, won a gorgeous wooden sculpture of a tree by Scottish artist Ron Parker. Congratulations, Albert! Here is his winning quote:
'Whilst a single Scots pine silhouetted against the sky, is a glorious and uplifting sight. Walking in a forest of pine is a treat for all the senses. The soft needle carpet under foot, the unmistakable aroma, the lichen covered bark. With its subdued sound quality, it is like entering another world, a gentle, timeless world, evoking memories of a steadier pace of life, a life more in tune with nature. Inspiring, calming, vital and yet restful, one emerges reluctantly but restored.'
Kerrigan Bell
Staff Corner
 Helen Bennett. Photo by Ghulam Yar. |
Staff Corner is a new feature, where we say a big thank you to the wonderful people that make Trees for Life a reality. We start with Helen Bennett, our Webmistress, the often-unsung hero and absent member of the team. Helen lives with her partner and stepdaughter in Lancaster. Having been on a few Conservation Holidays, Helen kindly volunteered to help with the web site when the Dundreggan appeal was launched in 2005. Her role has grown enormously since then, and she remains patient and supportive at all times. Helen says,
'Trees for Life is a fantastic project and I'm very happy to be a part of something that makes such a real, positive difference. I do enjoy the creative bits of the work. Some of the grove requests are very moving, and it's satisfying to know that I've been able to provide a bit of support in bad times and in good ones.'
So, thank you Helen for all the work you do for us!
Kerrigan Bell
See Caledonia Wild! magazines, for excerpts from other editions.
First published: Spring 2007. First published online, December 2007.
Last updated: 25 August 2010