Scotland’s woodlands on the brink of ecological catastrophe, warns report
Demands for government action as study finds less than one-tenth of native forests are in good condition, Emily Beament reports
SCOTLAND’S woodlands are approaching crisis point in the face of a “barrage” of threats with the globally important temperate rainforests at particular risk, a major report warns.
Just 7 per cent of the country’s native woodland is in a good ecological condition, a report into the state of the UK’S woods and trees by the Woodland Trust has concluded.
It shows that five major threats are compounding to result in impacts that could spell disaster for wildlife including plants, birds, butterflies and insects
Scotland’s rare and dwindling rainforests are singled out as being especially at risk, suffering from all five of the main threats to UK woods and trees.
Only 30,000 hectares of rainforests remain and less than one-third is in satisfactory condition.
Native woods and trees can help curb carbon emissions and reverse declines in wildlife, but failing to address the problems they face will undermine efforts to tackle both the climate and nature crises, the charity warned.
The major threats include poor woodland condition, climate change, direct loss and resulting fragmentation pests, diseases and pollution, and the slow rate of woodland expansion.
Scotland’s rainforests are made up of the native oak, ash, birch, pine and hazel woodlands found on the west coast. High levels of rainfall and relatively mild, year-round temperatures provide just the right conditions for some of the world’s rarest bryophytes and lichens.
It is the sheer abundance and diversity of species found in Scotland’s rainforest that make it internationally important.
Woodland Trust Scotland public affairs manager Arina Russell said: “Native woodland must be a major part of woodland expansion, to help nature recover. We need more native woodland connecting and expanding existing woods and replacing lost trees outside woods.”
Woodland Trust Scotland has now produced a manifesto for the forthcoming elections to the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Russell added: “Woods and trees offer solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing our society. Good stewardship of the nation’s native woodlands will reap huge rewards. But the needs of our woods and trees must be in the minds of the next Government.”
According to the report, woods and trees face a barrage of threats including imported diseases, invasive plants and direct loss of woodland to development, while what remains is fragmented.
Most woodlands in the UK exceed harmful levels on nitrogen pollution, changing the natural make-up of the habitat by damaging delicate lichens and helping grass outcompete wildflowers.
Climate change is also shifting the pattern of the seasons, so spring is happening around 8.4 days earlier, hitting wildlife such as blue tits which can find their breeding cycles now mismatch their food supply for chicks.
Woodlands and trees are valuable to people as well as wildlife, providing carbon storage and flood protection, as well as boosting health and wellbeing.
But not nearly enough is being done to create resilient native woodlands, protect and restore existing woods and put individual trees back in the landscape, the trust’s study warned.
In light of the report’s findings, the conservation charity called for efforts to quadruple woodland creation, restore ancient woods, remove invasive species such as rhododendron at a landscape scale and tackle air pollution.
Abi Bunker, director of conservation and external affairs at the Woodland Trust said: “The warning signs in this report are loud and clear. If we don’t tackle the threats facing our woods and trees, we will severely damage the UK’S ability to address the climate and nature crises.
“Our wildlife havens are suffering, and we are storing up problems for future generations.
“We take them for granted because of their longevity, they are resilient and they have been resilient over millennia, some of them, and hundreds of years, but there’s only so much they can cope with.
“They are approaching crisis point, and we need – even if just for our own survival as a human race – to take note and do something about it now.”
Woods and trees offer solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing our society