London, UK – A striking painting by renowned artist Dan Llywelyn Hall will be unveiled to the public at the Society of Antiquaries’ summer exhibition in London on July 25. The painting, which depicts Scotland’s oldest wild Scots pine, the Glen Loyne Pine, aims to raise awareness about the dwindling population of Caledonian pinewoods in the Highlands.
The proceeds from the sale of the painting and limited edition prints will be donated to Trees for Life, an organization dedicated to restoring the unique Caledonian pinewoods and preventing their extinction.
The exhibition marks the 800th anniversary of the issuing of the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest in 1225. The Charter, considered to be the UK’s first environmental legislation, consolidated the forest-related rules established by the Magna Carta.
The Caledonian pinewoods, known for being home to iconic Scottish wildlife such as red squirrels, golden eagles, capercaillie, and wildcats, now cover less than 2% of their original area. With only 84 officially recognized remnants scattered across the Highlands, the survival of these pinewoods is at risk.
Some of the remaining remnants consist of ancient trees, called Granny pines, that are hundreds of years old but are not being replaced by younger trees. The painting of the 567-year-old Glen Loyne Pine by Dan Llywelyn Hall serves as a stark reminder of this situation.
Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life, expressed concern, saying, “Dan’s atmospheric painting of the Glen Loyne Pine – standing alone in the dramatic Highland landscape – shows the desperate plight of many of our native pinewoods. His brushstrokes convey the situation more powerfully than words ever could.”
Micklewright also called for urgent landscape-scale restoration and rewilding, backed by the Scottish Government, to save, expand, and connect these precious woodlands before it’s too late.
The Caledonian pinewoods once covered 1.5 million hectares of the Highlands but were eventually cleared for timber or grazing land. Overgrazing by deer, who feed on young pine saplings, is now the main reason for the continued decline of these woodlands.
A recent analysis by Trees for Life revealed that high deer populations are the main barrier to the pinewoods’ recovery, and without urgent intervention, many remnants will be lost.
In response to this crisis, 25 organizations, including Trees for Life and Woodland Trust Scotland, have formed the Caledonian Pinewood Partnership to boost restoration efforts.
Dan Llywelyn Hall, a painter known for his vivid landscapes and portraits, including a portrait of Her Majesty The Queen in 2013, expressed his hopes for the newly formed partnership. “We must ensure that a new generation of Scots pine can grow that can bear witness to the events of the next 500 years,” he said. Hall also called for a new charter for Scotland’s pinewoods, inspired by the Charter of the Forest, where the harmony between nature and human needs is paramount.
The ‘Magna Carta 1225: 800th Anniversary Exhibition’ at the Society of Antiquaries will run until September 19 and will feature three other paintings commissioned by Dan Llywelyn Hall, all depicting ancient forests or specific trees that were alive when the Charter of the Forest was drawn up in 1217.
After the exhibition, the paintings will be sold to raise funds for Trees for Life, the Society of Antiquaries Library and Collection, and other beneficiaries.
Many of the remaining Caledonian pinewoods are located in ancient forests, which were once reserved for the monarch and aristocracy for hunting. The Charter of the Forest re-established the rights of people to gather firewood, graze common land, and gather the fruits of the forest in England and Wales.
The Glen Loyne Pine, dated to at least 1458 by St Andrews Tree-Ring Laboratory, is believed to be even older. It is located in a remote ancient woodland of about 57 pines, all several centuries old, scattered through Glen Lloyne in the northwest Highlands.
Trees for Life is committed to rewilding the Highlands, including restoring the Caledonian forest. To learn more about their work, visit treesforlife.org.uk.
Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Trees for Life, on Wednesday 23 July, 2025. For more information subscribe and follow https://pressat.co.uk/
A striking painting by renowned artist Dan Llywelyn Hall is set to be unveiled to the public at the Society of Antiquaries’ summer exhibition in London on July 25. The painting, depicting Scotland’s oldest wild Scots pine, the Glen Loyne Pine, aims to raise awareness about the dwindling population of Caledonian pinewoods in the Highlands.
The proceeds from the