Tonic for the juniper
Spirited return for tree that faced wipeout
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Britain’s gin lovers can breathe a sigh of relief – and pour themselves a celebratory glass.
For the juniper tree, whose berries give the spirit its distinct flavour, is making a comeback after it was feared the species would be wiped out.
the conifer, one of the first to colonise Britain after the last ice age, was facing extinction within 50 years – and had been lost completely in some counties.
But a replanting project launched ten years ago has seen the plant flourish in 13 nurseries set up throughout the country.
Plantlife, the charity behind the rescue mission, says numerous seedlings have grown into healthy ‘teenagers’ at two to three feet tall, some now bursting with berries.
in 2015, Plantlife scotland launched a campaign to safeguard the future of the tree, whose decline north of the Border had been caused by ageing plants, unsuitable grazing and a rising rabbit population.
it comes as the Daily Mail is calling on readers to make Britain by planting thousands of trees.
Our Be a tree angel Christmas campaign will be launched on saturday in the run-up to the start of national tree Week next Monday.
Plantlife said the juniper, one of only three conifers native to Britain – along with the scots pine and yew – is now thriving in nurseries in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, sussex, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
southern counties of England had seen 60-70 per cent losses in juniper plants because of heavy grazing by livestock and small animals.
to ensure the juniper’s survival, Plantlife created ‘scrapes’ of bare ground to provide the right conditions for seedlings to grow.
it said its efforts to save the species will also benefit other wildlife, as these scrapes will provide a home for wildflowers including orchids, kidney vetch, oxeye daisies and cowslips.
Dr trevor Dines, of the charity, said the difficult conditions necesgreener sary for germination mean young plants are not able to grow and replace ageing trees.
He added: ‘the battle begins at birth. Juniper seeds require two winters before they even germinate and seedlings then require very specific conditions to grow.
‘if they survive childhood, it takes another ten years or more before these “teenagers” mature and begin producing those lovely gin-flavoured berries.’
scottish estates can obtain expert advice and funding from the charity to help their efforts to save the plant.