Montane woodland is a virtually extinct habitat in Scotland. Of the 5.1% of native forests in the Scottish Highlands, only a mere 4% exists above altitudes of 400 metres. Although important restoration schemes are working to restore Caledonian pine forest, temperate rainforests and montane willow scrub, a missing piece of the landscape is largely, if not completely neglected - mountain birch woodland. In what should be a transitional zone between lower and higher mountain woodlands, high-altitude adapted species like mountain birch have all but disappeared, leaving a gap in this ecological niche. This Mountain Birch Project (MBP), led by Reforesting Scotland, aims to progress efforts to reinstate mountain birch woodland in Scotland. It will involve locating remaining fragments, mapping their distribution and seed collection and propagation, as well as the establishment of a seed orchard.
Find out more about this project here: https://www.mossy.earth/projects/the-...