Squirrel in Aspen

We mainly associate Red Squirrels with pinewoods, but they spend a lot of time in broadleaves too. Squirrels harvest fruits and nuts in autumn to store for the winter, and hazel nuts are a favourite. Here's a squirrel in an aspen tree in Speyside.

PAWS

PAWS, or "Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites" are a priority for Scottish Native Woods. Around 30% of our native woodlands were planted up with North American conifers at a time when Britain's forestry was driven by strategic requirements. Now that we have a better understanding of the value of native woodland, many of these PAWS are being restored. Here's a solitary oak tree that is just surviving in among the conifers. I came across it while discussing PAWS restoration on a tour with partners from the Woodland Trust and the Forestry Commission.

An old oak tree

This is one of a number of veteran trees that a wee group of us had a look at recently. We were looking for ways of identifying trees which had been pollarded in the past, and testing a scoring system that would allow people to estimate the likelihood that a tree had been modified by man. This oak tree scored highly, but what actually happened to it in past centuries will remain a bit of a mystery. Peter Quelch's scoring system will help surveyors and foresters: he introduces it at the annual Native Woodland Discussion Group History Workshop.

An old oak tree

This is an Atlantic Oak Tree: in the clean air & mild, but damp environment of the west coast the bark is hidden by a mass of other plants that co-exist with the oak tree. Argyll & Lochaber's woods form Scotland's own rainforest, temperate, rather than tropical, and some of these lower plants are extremely rare.

Aspen Root Collection from Ancient Woodlands on Deeside

Aspen (Populus tremula) is a key native species, currently occurring at low levels within Scotland's native woodlands. Aspen supports some unusual and specialist flora and fauna including a number of species with critically low UK populations in need of emergency “first aid”.

Expansion occurs most commonly through the growth of suckers from the roots of the parent tree in areas with good light conditions and where the suckers are protected from the hungry mouths of deer, rabbits and livestock.

Future large scale expansion in aspen relies on the identification and propagation of suitable local provenance planting material based on a wide genetic mix.

In spring 2008, 1 to 1.5 metre sections of aspen root approx. 1" diameter were collected seven trees in three ancient woodlands on Deeside by clearing the surface vegetation to locate the tree roots and cutting suitable sections with secateurs. After collection the surface vegetation was replaced to regrow.

To prevent then drying out the root sections were put in a large plastic bag for transportation back to the tree nursery in Kingussie were suckers from these root sections will be propagated to create a new generation of aspen trees.

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