Scotland

Trees for Life – Scotland

 

In the Highlands of Scotland there is a community group busy at work helping to restore the scenic Caledonian Forest. The Caledonian Forest once covered over 1.5 million hectares of the Scottish Highlands. Today just 1% of the forest remains, and species such as the beaver, wild boar and lynx have gone. The surviving remnants of the forest are ageing and fragmented, struggling to regenerate because of overgrazing caused by deer. The organisation ‘Trees for Life’ are calling for the assistance of Australian volunteers to ensure the survival of this ancient and remarkable woodland. It's Scotland's equivalent of the Daintree rainforest and it urgently needs our help!

 

During week one volunteers will be based in Glen Moriston, the southern boundary of the Trees For Life target area, it has a band of mixed woodland winding its way along the course of the beautiful River Moriston, with patches of native woodland and plantations on the hillsides. The work will be in Forestry Commission Scotland's Inverwick Forest and on nearby estates. The forest is important for black grouse, a rare and declining species, and improving the habitat is a focus for our work. We will be planting trees, removing redundant deer fencing and felling non-native trees to benefit the grouse. Accommodation for this week is at the Invermoriston Holiday chalets.

 

The chalets have well equipped kitchens and bathrooms with showers. The wooded site is attractively positioned above the River Moriston, near the village of Invermoriston, which has a shop, hotel and café, with local woodland, riverside and loch side walks. Sleeping accommodation is in twin bedrooms.

 

The second week at Corrimony, we are helping restore Caledonian Forest to an area of moorland and former conifer plantation. The reserve offers the chance to see many rare birds, such as black grouse, golden eagle and merlin. There's also a spectacular wooded gorge, complete with a beautiful waterfall. We will be planting trees on the reserve, getting involved in wetland restoration as well as felling non-native trees. Accommodation will be at Plodda Lodge.

 

Plodda Lodge is a magnificent house in a quiet secluded area surrounded by trees, and was built in the 1850s as a laundry for the Guisachan Estate. The lodge is the Tree’s For Life field lodge and plant nursery. Its remote location in the forest means that it is ideally suited for use as a field base for increasing practical work in the area, and the house will play an important role in the future development of this project.

 

Program Dates: Saturday 30th August – Saturday 13th September (14 Nights/15Days) Wednesday is a free day for volunteers, to undertake own recreational activities and sightseeing.

Arrival Location: Inverness Backpackers

Departure Location: Inverness

 

Program Price: $1,850 Inclusive of:

• One night accommodation on arrival at backpackers in Inverness

• 14 nights shared accommodation in Chalet and Lodge
• All meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner each day
• All transportation
• CVA wide brimmed hat & gardening gloves
• 12 months membership to Trees for Life Scotland, and Conservation Volunteers

Program price does not include: International airfares, visas, recreational activities, optional extras, especially on Wednesdays which is a free day for volunteers.

 

* All photos courtesy of Trees for Life

 

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