Mapping Scotland’s Forgotten Woodlands: The Woodland Place-Name Project
Two years ago, NatureScot in partnership with Forestry and Land Scotland, received one of our Research and Innovation Grants (RIGs) to investigate historical place names and uncover Scotland’s “forgotten woodlands”.
We spoke with Robyn Ireland, Nature Scot’s Gaelic Officer, to learn more about the impact of Future Woodlands Scotland’s funding, community feedback, and future plans.
What has the funding meant for the project?
“Future Woodlands Scotland’s support has been invaluable,” says Robyn. “Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to get the project off the ground. The grant allowed us to map woodland-related place names across Scotland, revealing areas that were once densely wooded but are now open land. The application process was straightforward, and the FWS team has been incredibly supportive and encouraging throughout.”
Why it matters
“Place names offer a window into our culture, heritage and natural world,” explains Robyn. “Along with other datasets and field surveys, they help us better understand the landscape’s history, ecology and how it has changed over time.”
How it works
The digital map, developed by NatureScot, provides public access to over 15,700 woodland-related place names. These include names from Gaelic, Scots, English, Old Norse and British, categorised by woodland terms and species references.
Why we funded this research
“Trustees thought that this project would be of interest to a wide range of professionals as well as the public, due to the cultural and historic perspectives it could afford. Increasingly, our biocultural heritage is becoming more valued and can be utilised to leverage support and investment for places that need it. The project was complimentary to our own work in uncovering the extent of ghost woodlands in Scotland and prioritising special sites to support.”
Ailsa Watson, Operations and Finance Manager, Future Woodlands Scotland
Community feedback
“We’ve been thrilled with the level of interest from communities across Scotland and even from Europe,” says Robyn. “It’s exciting to see how the project is inspiring people to reflect on their local landscapes’ past and consider their future potential. This interest underscores the project’s success in fostering discussions about local heritage and restoration opportunities.
“We’ve also received valuable input from organisations like the Woodland Trust, Trees For Life, and Bòrd na Gàidhlig, to improve our search terms and expand the project’s impact.”
Looking ahead
“Since launching, we’ve collected more woodland-related place names and stories from the public, and plan to update our dataset early next year. “We’ll also focus on ground-truthing efforts to reflect the current state of these historical sites.”
Highlighting our Glen Mallie Pinewood Restoration Project
One key example of a forgotten woodland is the Glen Mallie Pinewood Restoration Project, mapped as ‘An Giubhsach’ (meaning ‘pine’). The area, classified as a ‘ghost woodland’, faces critical decline with less than 20% tree canopy cover.
In 2023, our Programme Team at Future Woodlands Scotland found that there was natural regeneration present. With support from FWS and Scottish Forestry, a 250 hectare area will be fenced to protect the regenerating trees and recover this native Caledonian pinewood and enhance ongoing restoration efforts by the Woodland Trust and Arkaig Community Woodland.
The recognition of Glen Mallie in the recent NatureScot release highlights the significance of both the research and our restoration efforts and the impact of collaboration.
Glen Mallie is just one of six ghost woodland regeneration sites that we have funded since 2021.
For more details on the Story Map, read NatureScot’s ull release.
The next application deadline for RIG funding is 26 February 2025.
Find out more about how we are recovering Scotland’s Ghost Woodlands.