The University of West of England and the Woodland Creation & Ecological Network (WrEN) were keen to test the hypothesis that relative levels of avian species richness within woodlands can be measured by extracting and identifying DNA filtered from the air. This project sought to test whether an emerging method of extracting DNA from the […]
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This scoping study by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh was conducted to explore the development of a project to find and propagate mature elm ‘survivors’ from areas severely impacted by Dutch elm disease. Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by two related fungi which are spread by bark beetles and it has devastated all elm […]
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The aim of the Native Woodland Discussion Group and Forest Policy Group’s Natural Climate Solutions awareness programme, was to clarify and collate the current state of knowledge and key messages around native woodlands, carbon sequestration and storage. Outcomes The Native Woodlands and Carbon: an Emerging Picture report highlights gaps in our knowledge and some of […]
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The grant supported Plantlife, in partnership with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, to commission and produce a website and impactful short film to secure support for Scotland’s rainforest Scotland’s rainforest is one of our most precious habitats but few people knew it existed and fewer still know how globally significant it is. The film was […]
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The objectives for this partnership between Rick Worrell and Falkland Stewardship Trust, was to collect scion material from wild apple trees in western Scotland, produce grafted plants, and establish 2 small seed stands from these. The trees were previously verified to be wild apple by DNA analysis at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE). Outcomes Scion […]
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The Caledonian Pinewood Recovery Project commissioned this film as part of their work for the ‘Pinewoods – A realistic future’ workshop held in March 2020. The film interviews a range of different people involved with pinewoods and was used as an introduction to the different perspectives involved in managing pinewoods. It was hoped that the […]
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A grant was awarded to Sarah H. Watts at University of Stirling to support her PhD project researching montane scrub restoration in Scotland. The 6-year study intends to aid the development of conservation management techniques, increase the resilience of the habitat and expand the treeline. The research examines how environmental factors, habitat type, and mycorrhizal […]
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Folowing on from their research into aspen flowering behaviours in 2018, we funded Coille Alba‘s project which sought to establish two new aspen seed stands in partnership with two tree nurseries: Trees for Life’s Dundreggan and the National Trust Scotland at Inverewe Gaardens. Due to the sporadic production of aspen seeds, obtaining local-origin planting material […]
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A grant was awarded to University of Stirling’s Biological and Environmental Sciences Department to research the biodiversity impacts of upland native woodland creation. The aim was to quantify the diversity and activity of mammalian predators using new native woodlands. The objectives included understanding how mammal behaviour changed depending on woodland maturity, edge characteristics and proximity […]
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While woodland creation and restoration are generally believed to enhance biodiversity, the slow rates of habitat succession and delayed species responses have led to a scarcity of empirical studies evaluating the long-term benefits of these activities.
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