When you look closely, it’s amazing what you’ll find in the forest. Doug Gilbert, Dundreggan Operations Manager, explores the forest floor in search of wood ants. A keystone species in the forest – wood ants play a major role in nature throughout the world, and Scotland is no exception. … read more

• 9th May 2018, by Doug Gilbert, Dundreggan Operations Manager

Our new Caledonian Forest Research Centre at Dundreggan, funded with the help of donations and grants, will come into operation later this year. It provides a much-needed opportunity to improve our seed preparation facilities. To help ensure we have the right equipment, our nursery team recently took part in a week-long training course at Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst to learn from the global experts in seed storage. … read more

• 22nd Mar 2018, by Emma Beckinsale. Image - the Kew Millennium Seed Bank

Birch, alder, aspen, black thorn, rowen, downy birch, downy willow, wooly willow, Scots pine, bird cherry, tea-leaved willow, juniper, oak, hazel… These are just a few of the different species of local flora that I was introduced to during my time at Trees for Life. … read more

• 2nd Jun 2017, by Mireille C. Crocco

Having traversed the hillside back and forth, in and out of the woodland, we returned to the parachute base camp ... read more

• 1st Jun 2017, by Alan Watson Featherstone

"It was a real pleasure to be running the first conservation week of the Spring season with my fellow Volunteer Team Leader, and Trees for Life legend, Joan Fairhurst." … read more

• 12th Apr 2017, by John Hodgson

This year Trees for Life joined forces with The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, to work on The UK National Tree Seed Project. With ever-increasing threats to our native species, Kew is hoping that this project will safeguard trees and shrubs throughout the UK. We have agreed to collect from a variety of species in the northwest highlands of Scotland … read more

• 8th Dec 2015, by Emma Beckinsale

The unnaturally high numbers of red deer found across much of Scotland is one of the major conservation issues faced by those working to restore native woodlands. However, the culling of deer is seen by some as cruel. Here we explain why lower numbers of deer are better both for our forests and for the deer themselves … read more

• 24th Sep 2015, by Doug Gilbert. Photos: Laurie Campbell