Extensive planting underway for half a million trees on Scottish university land to make 'haven for nature'

Work to get more than half a million trees in the ground to absorb one million tonnes of carbon and create “a haven for nature” on university land is underway.

The extensive planting project will take place across land in Stirlingshire and the Pentland Hills Regional Park owned by the University of Edinburgh.

The 570,000 saplings being planted are what the university has described as “a nature-based solution to tackle climate change.”

The extensive tree planting is taking place across the University of Edinburgh’s land in Stirlingshire and the Pentland Hills Regional Park. | Andrew Perry/University of Edinburgh

It said in working with a range of partners and landowners across Scotland, approximately 5,600 hectares of land – of which 4,800 hectares is owned by partners – will be regenerated as part of a large-scale project to “combat climate change and yield significant benefits for local habitats by expanding forests and restoring peatlands.”

Around half of the 431-hectare site on Dumyat Hill, near Stirling, and almost a third of a 26-hectare site at Rullion Green, south of Edinburgh, is being planted on.

The university claims the planting scheme will see more than one million tonnes of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere over the course of the project.

Recent studies from other Scottish institutions, including the University of Stirling and the James Hutton Institute, have shown that tree planting, especially in certain ecosystems like heather moorland, might not always lead to net carbon sequestration, as soil carbon losses can outweigh the carbon stored in the trees, particularly in the first few decades. In one Scottish study over a period of 39 years, planting native trees on heather moorlands, with large soil carbon stores found no evidence of net carbon sequestration.

The University said the two sites are part of a large-scale project to combat climate change and yield significant benefits for local habitats by expanding forests and restoring peatlands in Scotland. | Andrew Perry/University of Edinburgh

In the University of Edinburgh’s planting proposals, which were approved by Scottish Forestry, the project’s foresters, ecologists and consultants designed woodland and habitats “to fit with local landscapes and existing habitats.”

At both sites, areas not used for tree planting will remain as open habitats, preserving viewpoints across the local area and keeping public access to popular walking routes, the university said.

Project leaders said they hope the land will also serve as “a valuable educational resource for researchers and students, as well as visitors and schools in the local communities.”

They said carbon and biodiversity monitoring will be carried out throughout the project to ensure each site “meets its objectives to capture carbon and benefit nature.”

Next month, hundreds of native trees will also be planted at Dumyat by community volunteers as part of the project for a “plant recovery” initiative led by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

The project involves collecting and propagating native plant species to improve their survival prospects once planted in habitats across Scotland.

David Bruce, forest peat and rural land manager at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This is a hugely important milestone for our project and we are looking forward to watching these valuable green spaces become havens for nature.

“While we’re just at the beginning of this project, our efforts will ensure that the benefits of our woodlands last for centuries.”

Dr Aline Finger, Scottish plant recovery project lead at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “Many of Scotland’s plant species are at risk of extinction from biodiversity loss and climate change, but the Scottish Plant Recovery project provides real hope for recovery.

“At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, we are working to improve the survival prospects of 10 native plants, by nurturing and then propagating each species until we have a large, invigorated and genetically diverse population, ready to be returned to habitats across Scotland.

“Our partnership with the University of Edinburgh is a vital next stage in the project. Four hundred young wych elm and crab apple saplings are now ready to be planted, and the University’s land will provide safe new sites to give these important native species the chance to survive.”