Planting trees amid chaos of war

In the Tree Garden of Kilravock Castle is what looks like a giant octopus, says Steven McKenzie, a reporter for the BBC News website.

Called a layering beech, its limbs snake out from a sturdy trunk and bend to the ground where they have taken root before twisting skywards.
More than 300-years-old, it is classed as “extremely [...]

Bleeding cankers continues to take its toll

The avenue of 43 horse chestnut trees at Barrington Court, near Ilminster, in Somerset is being cut down and replaced with a variety of oak, the Telegraph reports.
The National Trust decided the trees had do go for safety reasons, following an infection of bleeding canker that causes the trees to lose bark and branches and [...]

Plant diseases threaten woodlands

Some of the finest gardens and woodlands in Britain are under threat from two closely related and aggressive fungus-like plant diseases, the BBC News website reports.

UK Environment Minister Jane Kennedy said they were attacking “pristine” locations and could potentially damage the landscape and the tourism industry.
The government has allocated £25m in a bid to eradicate [...]

Douglas fir is ‘tallest tree in UK’

A Douglas fir in Argyll has been named the UK’s tallest tree by a team of experts, the BBC News website reports.
At 63.79m (209ft) the Stronardon Douglas fir near Dunans Castle beat the grand fir at Blair Castle, Perthshire, to the title by more than a metre.
Arborists from Sparsholt College, Hampshire, have been gathering official [...]

Battle on to save Scotland’s red squirrels

More than £1m is to be spent over the next three years on saving Scotland’s red squirrels and protecting routes into their northern strongholds, the BBC News website reports.
The number or reds has been in decline since the arrival of the grey squirrel from North America in the 19th Century.
Greys compete with reds for food [...]

Scottish scheme ‘planting 1,149 trees a day’

A conservation partnership has planted the equivalent of 1,149 trees each day for the past eight years.
In a press release, the Scottish Forest Alliance (SFA) said that more than 3.3 million trees had been planted or had been allowed to naturally regenerate, as its decade-long project enetered its ninth year.
The The SFA is described as [...]

Six key Scottish species get woodland aid

A programme has been launched to help six key species flourish in woodlands across Scotland, reports the BBC’s Giancarlo Rinaldi.
Forestry Commission Scotland’s new biodiversity plan aims to create “stronger, more adaptable ecosystems”.
It identifies the capercaillie, black grouse, red squirrel, pearl-bordered fritillary, chequered skipper butterfly and juniper as important species.
Scottish Environment Minister Mike Russell launched the [...]