Volunteers isolate in ‘lost world’ to save young trees

Six people from Trees for Life have been voluntarily isolating themselves at the charity’s flagship Dundreggan rewilding estate in Glenmoriston since March 23 to save more than 100,000 native young trees from being lost due to the coronavirus crisis lockdown.

The trees, including Scots pine, rowan, juniper, hazel, holly, oak and rare mountain species including dwarf birch and woolly willow, have been grown from seed in Dundreggan’s specialised nursery and were due for planting on the hills this spring.

Dozens of volunteers help to propagate and grow more than 60,000 trees a year at the nursery, from seed collected across the estate. These trees are then

Patrick Fenner, Louise Cameron and Emma Beckinsale tend the young trees at Dundreggan.

planted out at Dundreggan and other Highland sites to restore Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forest and its unique wildlife.

‘We were all set for another busy season of preparing thousands of young native trees for planting on the hills by our volunteers when the coronavirus crisis forced the postponement of this spring’s tree planting. This means tens of thousands of young trees have not left our nursery as planned,’ said Doug Gilbert, Trees for Life’s Dundreggan manager. ‘But nature isn’t in lockdown. All these precious trees have been coming into leaf and we need to take care of them, especially in the dry weather we’ve been having. Without regular watering, they would die. We also needed to start sowing new seed now to ensure a supply of trees for future planting seasons.’

So Doug and colleagues Abbey Goff, Emma Beckinsale and Patrick Fenner and trainees Catriona Bullivant and Louise Cameron opted to voluntarily isolate themselves at Dundreggan rather than at their homes when the national lockdown was announced.

Doug and his colleagues aren’t leaving Dundreggan except for a few essential reasons, such as collecting prescriptions. Food is arriving at the rewilding estate via supermarket deliveries.

Doug added: ‘The Redburn Cafe has started takeaways so they are an occasional treat. No-one has visited us for weeks now, except for delivery drivers and the postie. We’re here in isolation for the longhaul if needs be – together with a growing forest for the future.’

Trees for Life plans to open the world’s first rewilding centre at Dundreggan in 2022. This is expected to welcome more than 50,000 visitors annually, allowing people to explore the wild landscapes, discover Gaelic culture and learn about the region’s unique wildlife including golden eagles, pine martens and red squirrels.

As well as being an internationally important forest restoration site, Dundreggan is a biodiversity hotspot that is home to more than 4,000 plant and animal species. Discoveries include several species never recorded in the UK before or previously feared extinct in Scotland.

Trees for Life volunteers have established nearly two million native trees at dozens of sites, encouraging wildlife to flourish and helping communities to thrive. See www.treesforlife. org.uk.