SCOTLAND’S Caledonian pinewoods are on a “knife-edge” and face the threat of being the last generation in a line stretching back to the last ice age, an environmental charity has warned.
In the first study in more than 60 years examining the health of the trees, Scotland’s national tree, the Scots pine, was found to be in serious decline at a quarter of the more than 1200 half-acre plots analysed.
High deer numbers, spread of non-native conifers, lack of long-term management, and emerging impacts of climate breakdown are major threats to the pinewoods’ survival, the four-year study carried out by rewilding charity Trees for Life found.
