Tree planting - Central Scotland, UK
An opportunity to support the restoration of the Scottish landscapes through planting predominantly native tree species and enabling the creation of thriving species-rich habitats for generations to come.
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Project information
Scottish forests
The project area sits in the central belt of Scotland. The 155 ha project is one part of a complex mosaic landscape of peatlands, conifer plantations and degraded grasslands. Through holistic restoration of the project area, the aim is to transform a degraded, marginal land into a thriving landscape with active ecosystem services and to provide a haven for biodiversity. This will be achieved through diverse tree planting, restoring the peatland around the site, pond creation and bringing back the degraded meadows into life around the project area. Banking on their in-house team of ecologists, foresters and peatland managers and liaising with local experts and people, the project is centred on nature restoration, matching the right species to the right places, where they will contribute most to the environment which will enable long term benefits for the entire Leadloch landscape and its local communities.
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Intervention
Tree Planting
Location
United Kingdom
Sustainable Goals
Project performance
The Earthly rating
The Earthly rating is the industry-first holistic project assessment. Earthly researchers analyse 106 data points, aggregating information across the three vital pillars of carbon, biodiversity and people. Projects in Earthly's marketplace all exceed a minimum score of 5/10.
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Project impact
Local impact
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Project area: planning process
The UK only has seen a massive decline in its natural biodiversity in the last 50 years, placing it as one of the most nature depleted nations on earth (Nature Positive 2030). 70% of ancient woodlands in the UK have been lost since records began. Today native woodland only covers 4% of the total land area of Scotland (NatureScot). Only 40% of the existing woodland in the UK is managed sustainably (WWF). If the world continues to release carbon and damage habitat at its current pace, a tenth of plant and animal species are at risk of extinction by the end of the century (WWF).
Based on the planting map, it is clear that the project not only will plant trees to restore woodland, but also will repair the hydrology of the surrounding peatland, allowing its restoration, in the project area, and restore wild habitats for pollinators and other insects to come back to the ecosystem, paving the way for the holistic restoration of the area.
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Good for earth
The Leadloch site consists of degraded peatland, improved grassland, fenland and conifer shelter belts. Vegetation, bird and mammal surveys have been conducted on the project site, recording over 135 plant species and 31 bird species to date, for example. These ecological studies were conducted in order to ensure that no key habitats and species were adversely affected by the new woodland planting. This work informed where and what tree planting was best in order to be in keeping with the area. Approximately 40% of the area at Leadloch is planted with mixed native broadleaf and native Scots Pine, with a small component (3%) Norway spruce planted due to its site suitability along with it’s contribution to carbon sequestration and benefits for red squirrels.
Past intensive agricultural activities have impacted the biodiversity matrix of the site and seen a decline of all wildlife that populated the area, including pollinating insects. The project developers will be carrying out ongoing baselining over the next 12 months, including eDNA analysis of soils and ponds (when created), bat transects and pollinator transects, whilst trail cameras have already been set up to help record mammals. It is expected that bringing back floral diversity in the estate will accelerate the ecosystem recovery of the area and help establish it as a wildlife hotspot in Central Scotland.
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Positive for people
The project is employing local (central Scotland) contractors to carry out all forestry, peatland and biodiversity-related work on the site when their own locally-based FFC staff cannot do it. The project has been initiated following in-depth due diligence on community consultation, grievance mechanisms and collecting stakeholder feedback. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code will be exercised throughout the woodland, and self-closing gates for recreational access will be provided to allow people easy informal path routes. The project is also liaising with local research institutions such as the University of Stirling to provide research and training opportunities for young ecologists and eager students, encouraging young people to be interested in a connected to nature.
How we assess for quality
The Earthly scoring process
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Project gallery
Project pictures
Photo credits: Future Forest Company and Lindsay MacKinlay
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