This project will trial a novel, low-cost method for establishing native woodland directly from seed in grazed farmland or croft land — without fencing — by rapidly creating a protective thorny scrub layer as the first stage of succession.

The potential innovation would lie in establishing this thorny “nurse” layer quickly from seed, with a particular focus on gorse to act as a living barrier against livestock and browsing animals. Once established, this scrub protects and shelters slower-growing keystone trees such as oak and hazel — species which are otherwise extremely difficult to establish in the middle of pasture without nearby parent trees or animal dispersers such as jays. By creating thorn cover from the outset, they will mimic the natural conditions that allow oaks and hazels to take root and survive in open grazed landscapes, as the saying “the thorn is the mother of the oak” suggests.

The trial will specifically target thistle-dominant areas of pasture. Thistles already provide some natural deterrent to grazing, so these patches offer a promising starting point. Within each trial plot, they will create an initial disturbance by rotavating patches around the existing thistles to expose bare soil, giving the sown species the best chance of germination.

If successful, this project could provide a scalable and replicable model for integrating native woodland regeneration into livestock based,grazed farmland and croftland at minimal cost.

Note: The applicant flagged up a potential conflict of interest when submitting their application, as their partner is a trustee on the board of Future Woodlands Scotland. This trustee is not a member of the grant assessment panel and did not attend the trustee meeting where awards were made. The panel, including an external assessor, were satisfied that there was significant value and learning to be had from the work.