Cairngorms National Park Launches Initiative to Save Endangered Native Tree Species
Friday 8 November, 2024 – The Cairngorms National Park has announced a new partnership with Trees for Life and the Cairngorms Aspen Group to save and restore one of Scotland’s most important yet endangered native tree species. The initiative aims to map, expand, and connect aspen populations in the park, which are essential but now rare features of the Caledonian forest.
Aspen provides a crucial habitat for a wide range of rare fungi, lichens, mosses, and moths. However, it has largely disappeared from Scotland’s landscapes due to deforestation. Experts believe that aspen has been impacted more by deforestation than any other native tree in Scotland.
The new Cairngorms Aspen Network brings together experts, enthusiasts, and land managers to take action in identifying and restoring aspen-rich habitats in order to boost wildlife and threatened species. Additionally, the network aims to raise awareness about the importance of aspen in the park.
The Network states that a healthy and functional aspen network will help build resilience against climate change and biodiversity loss.
Niamh Byrne, Aspen Project Officer at rewilding charity Trees for Life, explains, “The new aspen network will offer much-needed hope for tackling the nature and climate emergencies by developing a restored, better-connected, and healthier aspen network. By working together, we can improve the future of our aspen woodlands and the life they bring with them.”
Aspen has been particularly impacted by deforestation and overgrazing, as it rarely flowers or sets seeds in Scotland for reasons that remain unclear. This means that once it is lost from an area, aspen is unlikely to return on its own.
In the Highlands, where grazing animals are present, aspen primarily regenerates on rocky slopes or cliffs. These small, fragmented stands are geographically isolated and unable to provide a proper habitat for the many species that depend on them.
The fragmentation of native woodlands also reduces aspen’s chances of reproduction, and new growth by suckers from a parent plant is often grazed before it can flourish.
With its shimmering foliage in summer and stunning golden yellow leaves in autumn, aspen is an essential species for many reasons. It grows quickly and dies young, efficiently locking away carbon. Aspen’s high rate of leaf fall and production of deadwood enriches soils, creating optimal conditions for other plants and trees.
In Scotland, over 60 insect species feed on aspen foliage. The rare dark-bordered beauty moth feeds on young aspen shoots, and the endangered aspen hoverfly prefers aspen deadwood. The tree is also highly valued by beavers.
Sarah Henshall, Head of Conservation for the Cairngorms National Park Authority, recognizes the importance of aspen in the park, stating, “Aspen is a priority species in Cairngorms National Park and a hugely important resource for rare and threatened wildlife. Aspen also makes a significant contribution towards healthy and resilient nature networks in the National Park.”
The project’s first stage, led by Trees for Life, involves mapping the location, condition, and health of existing aspen populations in the Cairngorms National Park, as well as key plants and animals that depend on the tree. This mapping will help identify key sites and management priorities, including growing and planting plans for creating a thriving new network of aspen. It will also create a blueprint for an effective approach to aspen conservation that could be replicated throughout Scotland.
As the project progresses, there will be opportunities for local volunteers to get involved, including gaining hands-on rewilding experience and receiving training for carrying out aspen surveys.
Trees for Life has been working to restore aspen to the Highlands since 1991, including growing and planting thousands of young aspen trees annually. In recent years, Trees for Life has successfully encouraged aspens to produce seed under controlled conditions at its Dundreggan rewilding estate in Glenmoriston, producing new generations of aspen to support woodland restoration projects across the Highlands.
The Cairngorms Aspen Network Project is funded by a grant from the Cairngorms National Park Authority. For more information, please visit treesforlife.org.uk/cairngorms-aspen-network.
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