Endangered trees planted in county Location is being kept a secret

A glen of monkey puzzle trees has been planted in the Tay Forest Park in Perthshire as part of a global conservation effort - but its exact location is being kept a closely-guarded secret.

The distinctive trees are part of the Perthshire Conifer Conservation Programme (PCCP) – a partnership project between the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) and various Perthshire landowners, including Forest Enterprise Scotland.

The 40 young monkey puzzles have all been grown from seeds collected in Chile several years ago and were raised in the nurseries at RBGE.

This new glen of trees is the latest to be planted in Perthshire to contribute to the conservation of conifers from around the world, which are threatened with extinction in their native habitats.

But due to fears that they could be targeted by tree-rustlers, the exact location of the glen is being kept under wraps. Doug Howieson, Forest District Manager for Forest Enterprise Scotland in Tayside, explained: “Very sadly some thieves targeted young Serbian spruce trees planted on Kinnoull Hill near Perth before Christmas, and they struck again earlier this spring.

“Monkey puzzle trees are still very popular in gardens and expensive to buy, so we want to keep the exact whereabouts of this new grove confidential until they are well established.”

Tom Christian, project officer for PCCP, added: “Since 2008, the Perthshire Conifer Conservation Programme has planted hundreds of trees representing dozens of threatened species in designed landscapes and forests across Perthshire.

“Scotland has a long history of growing trees from all around the world here, so we know what will and won’t grow here as well as where and how we can make significant contributions to global tree conservation, like the ‘ex-situ’ work like we’re doing with these monkey puzzle tees.”