Scotland on the trail of world's lonesome pines

RARE trees from all over the world are to be planted in the wild in Scotland to make sure specimens are left if the species become extinct in their native countries.

Among trees to be grown in Perthshire as part of the project is the coast redwood, a giant species from California that grows to be the tallest in the world.

A redwood forest of about 150 trees will be planted on land owned by Forestry Commission Scotland in Perthshire later this year, in a secret location to protect them from being stolen by the public.

Other trees from as far away as Japan, Chile and Serbia, all among the world's most threatened conifers, will also be planted.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, behind the iCONic project, has collected seeds from trees all over the world, which have been germinated and are currently being nurtured ready to be transferred to the wild.

They include the distinctive Chilean pine, also known as the monkey puzzle tree, which is under severe threat in its native country.

The species already has a link with Scotland. Perthshire plant hunter Archibald Menzies first brought monkey puzzles to Europe in 1795.

Also among the species involved is the Stinking Yew, a tree from Florida named after the strongly pungent resinous odour when the leaves and cones are crushed.

Only between 500 and 4,000 of the trees are believed to remain in the wild, after the species was attacked by a fungal disease.

Similarly, just a few thousand Serbian spruce remain in a tiny pocket of land in the Drina River valley, Serbia. Like the other species in the iCONic project, this pencil-shaped conifer is classed as endangered.

Some of the trees, such as the coast redwoods, will be grown in plantations. In other cases, just one or two of the trees will be put in the ground, either in forests, on estates, or in school grounds.

Already a Chilean plum yew, a species at risk due to intensive logging, has been planted by children at Craigclowan Preparatory School in Perth.

Tom Christian, project officer, said even just one tree could save a species from extinction, because a cutting or grafting could be taken to propagate a new specimen.

"Preserving a species in its native range is always the preferred option but it's not always possible," he said. "The British Isles has this extraordinary history going back 300 to 400 years of bringing new discoveries to Scotland."

He said Perthshire, known as "big tree country", was particularly suited to such a project because it has very good soil and rainfall levels.

About 5,000 trees will be planted in Perthshire over the ten-year life span of the project.

There can be concerns about bringing non-native species into the UK.

However, Mr Christian does not think it will be a problem with the trees involved in the project.

"They can be monitored very easily and they have been grown in the Botanics for a long time, so we know all about them.

"Also, most of them won't produce seeds in the wild here."