Appeal aims to help red squirrels return to Morvern

TREES for Life has launched an appeal to raise £22,000 to ensure a better future for red squirrels in the Highlands, writes Euan Carr.

The Reds Return appeal will enable the reintroduction of red squirrels in up to eight woodlands in the north-west Highlands, where new populations will be able to flourish, safe from competition and disease transmitted from grey squirrels.

This will help the natural expansion of the region’s pine forests, due to red squirrels inadvertently planting new trees by forgetting where they have buried their winter stores of nuts and seeds. It will allow more people to see red squirrels in the wild.

Trees for Life is a charity which is working to restore Scotland’s Caledonian forest.

Steve Micklewright, Trees for Life’s chief executive, said: ‘Although one of our best-loved wild animals, red squirrels are sadly missing from suitable woodlands across the Highlands. They cannot reach these isolated havens on their own because they avoid crossing large open spaces.

‘Every donation will help reintroduce red squirrels ideal forest habitats.

‘Returning them to forests safe from grey squirrels will help conserve this charismatic species forever.’ us to

For the past three years, the conservation charity has been transporting red squirrels from their strongholds in Inverness-shire and Moray to isolated fragments of suitable forest at Shieldaig in Wester Ross, the Coulin Estate near Kinlochewe, Plockton, Inverewe, the Reraig peninsular, Attadale and Letterewe.

The new red squirrel release sites have yet to be confirmed, but Trees for Life plans to focus on the Morvern peninsular and north of the Dornoch Firth, which will extend the species’ current range.

Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK in 1870 and now number more than three million, compared to an estimated 120,000 red squirrels in Scotland.