Mountain Woodland Restoration Project 2011-2016

Following the success of the Action for Mountain Woodland Project, the Heritage Lottery Fund is supporting further work across several sites in Scotland. Our Dundreggan Estate, with its nationally important population of dwarf birch, will again be a partner in the scheme. Work with a range of people, from schools and community groups to land managers, will focus on raising awareness of the missing treeline across our hills. There will also be action to grow on trees and help restore mountain woodland in the project areas. Keep an eye on the MWRP news at www.mountainwoodlands.org

Action for Mountain Woodland Project 2009/2010

The Dundreggan Estate has now joined the lottery funded Action for Mountain Woodland project. This is running until November 2010 on a range of sites across Scotland with partners including the Forestry Commission, SNH and RSPB. The aim is to raise awareness of the ‘wee trees’ of the montane scrub habitat, undertake further surveys and do some useful practical work to protect and enhance sites where treeline woodland is found. See the website for more details www.mountainwoodlands.org

• Schools work. We will be working with local schools in Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit. The children and youth will be developing creative projects based on dwarf birch, raising trees from seed and then planting them out up on the hill.
• Interpretation. We hope to use dwarf birch as a motif around which to base our interpretive materials, perhaps including some carving of panel frames and seating using the distinctive rounded leaf shape
• Survey. Further survey work is being undertaken to map the extent and condition of montane scrub species above Glen Moriston and to identify possible areas for future habitat networks.
• Fencing. Another small exclosure will be erected on the high ground on the estate, to allow the vegetation to recover from browsing and to allow experimental work to aid tree regeneration.

Pages about montane scrub on this site

• Scientists crack genetic code of dwarf birch from Highlands forest restoration site – Press release November 2012
• Trees for Life - Return of the Wee Trees Appeal 2012
• Above the Tree Line by Tim Clifford
• Dwarf Birch information resource
• Dwarf birch species profile
• Help us to map the distribution of dwarf birch in Scotland
• Mountain Forest restoration project appeal
• Montane Scrub project update, Caledonia Wild! August 2008
• Dwarf birch survey in Glen Moriston - Summer 2008
• Dwarf birch surveys on Dundreggan
• Montane Scrub Project, Caledonia Wild! November 2008
• We're in the Action for Montane Woodland project
• Montane Scrub Survey in Glen Moriston 2009