◆ More than four million trees will be planted in Glen Dye in Aberdeenshire as corporate investors move in, writes Heritage Correspondent Alison Campsie

Aformer prime minister’s shooting estate in Aberdeenshire is set to become Scotland’s largest carbon offsetting scheme – and possibly the largest in the UK – following its purchase by an investment fund headed by insurance giant Aviva insurance.

Glen Dye sits south of Banchory and was held for several generations by the family of Liberal prime minister William Gladstone, whose great-great grandson and family still own part of the original estate and run a collection of luxe holiday cabinsandcottages.

Following its sale to an individual based in Scotland – which features the popular hill of Clachnaben in the east and Mount Battock to the west – the land was then bought up by an investment fund created by Edinburgh-based Par Equity and Aviva.

Now, around four million trees will be planted across 3,000 acres, with around a third set aside for commercial forestry.

Peatland spanning some 1,800 acres will also be restored, with its conditions described as “some of the worst you will see” given damage caused over centuries by overgrazing and some burning.

Scottish Woodland, which is managing the scheme on behalf of Aviva and

Par Equity, is expected to apply for public money set aside by the Scottish Governmenttosupportwoodland creation.

Neil Crookston, director north for Scottish Woodlands, said: "It is a very detailed scheme and we are looking at the whole landscape here. I don't see it as a forestry project, I see it as a landscape project. It's exciting looking across the glen and knowing what should go there, what should go here.”

The arrival of Aviva in the Scottish countryside reflects the country’s changing land use and the appeal of the country’s estates to corporate investors seeking large swathes of land to off-set their company’s own carbon emissions.

Glen Dye's shift from a high-society grouse moor to natural capital scheme also comes amid the Scottish Government’s ambitious – and unmet – tree planting targets to help it meet its own net-zero 2045 ambitions.

For walkers in Glen Dye, the experience will alter as routes through open moorland will cut through forestry in the future, with a length of the track to the summit of Clachnaben to be flanked by trees.

Mr Crookston said: ”There will be change for the visitor as the woodland will signal a change from the open environment. But if you are standing at the top of Clachnaben and are looking out, you will still see right across Aberdeenshire.

"From a distance, there won’t be a dramatic change in the landform. It's not a very enclosed woodland and you have these pieces of cultural history through the glen that allow us to interpret the landscape."

Among them is a solitary old Scots Pine that sits by the Water of Dye with views beyond to Clachnaben.

Mr Crookston said: “Our proposal is to keep any tree planting away from the tree and to retain the view to the summit, linking the past within the future design.”

Meanwhile, an agreement over the use of Charr Bothy has been extended with the Mountain Bothies Association.

The scheme at Glen Dye comes amid concerns by land reform campaigners about the impact of natural capital schemes on rising land values in Scotland and the exclusion of local communities from opportunities presented by carbon markets.

The UK Woodland Carbon Code register verifies how much carbon each natural capital scheme will pull from the atmosphere. Every tonne generates a carbon credit that can be used to offset an organisation's emissions, as in the case of Aviva, or sold on a voluntary market. Each carbon credit is worth around £25 at present.

Scottish Woodlands estimated Glen Dye has the potential to remove 1.4 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere, including around 468,000 tonnes by 2040.

Research by Aberdeen-based James Hutton Institute found, even if national tree planting targets are met, it will account

Clockwise form main: An old Scots Pine with a view of Clachnaben in the background; The prominent peak of Clachnaben stands over Glen Dye in Aberdeenshire where four million trees will soon be planted and 1,800 hectares of peatland restored; Former Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone only for around 10 per cent of Scotland's emissions and only 1 per cent of the UK'S emissions.

Feughside Community Council was unavailable for comment on the Glen Dye scheme, but Mr Crookston said the community was “generally supportive" of developments.

Mr Crookston said: “There are certain elements in the community, more traditional parts of the community, who are concerned about the loss of grouse shooting. For those who know Glen Dye through traditional sports, it is a big change. We can’t offer them grouse shooting, but we should remember that grouse shooting had long ceased on most of the land involved before it was bought.”

Glen Dye Rifle Club and North of Scotland Gun Dog Association continue using the land to some degree. Peatland restoration courses in conjunction with Nature Scot have begun.

We can see why land matters across many areas of life. It matters at a community level in unlocking housing, business development, services and resilience, and it matters to our national economy with more than half the country’s net wealth held in land and property.

Land is central to Scotland’s ambitious goals on climate and nature action, and to a just transition as we achieve them.

The Scottish Land Commission (SLC) works to stimulate and inform fresh thinking in how land is owned and used. We advise government and parliament on law and policy changes, and we support ongoing culture change and responsible land ownership in practice.

Since establishment in 2017, we have published a wide programme of research and recommendations to make more of Scotland’s land. Many times we have looked outwards to international experience to learn from what others do and adapt this learning for Scotland.

Our international research tells us that it is common across countries in Europe and beyond for governments to set some public interest parameters on land ownership.