Students sought for rainforest research projects
Scotland’s rainforest is an incredibly biodiverse habitat, but it faces many threats, and high-quality research is urgently needed to help restoration projects. If you’re a Masters student currently working towards an MSc or an MRes, then you can be a part of this important, and potentially ground-breaking work.
Skipinnish oak up for Tree of the Year
The Skipinnish oak is a real survivor: and now it needs your vote as a finalist in the Woodland Trusts's Tree of the Year competition!
The goat willow: champion tree of the wetlands
All rainforest trees thrive in the rain, but willows are one of the few trees that tolerate very wet soils. They're also incredibly important for wildlife, from pollinators in spring, to the lichens that cling to their bark.
Searching for bird cherry
Scotland's rainforest has been influenced by people for hundreds of years, and one of the results we see today is that certain trees are 'missing' from these rich woodlands. But steps are underway to track down these trees, and help them survive for the future.
The beautiful birch
Birch is a much under-appreciated tree, but it’s an important species in Scotland's rainforest, where it supports loads of wildlife. You’ll find it in folklore and linked to place names, and its spread throughout the Highlands today has a fascinating connection… to cotton spinning.
Benmore Botanic Garden’s new moss trail
Benmore Botanic Garden has created a moss trail – lens provided – to highlight these wonderfully diverse and important native plants.
The rainforest fab four
Meet the ‘fab four’: migrant birds that travel to the UK from Africa each spring to nest in our rainforest woodlands, where they sing their hearts out.
Rainforest restoration projects bring jobs and investment to rural communities
A range of projects working to restore Scotland’s threatened temperate rainforest are set to bring economic benefits to some of the country’s most rural communities.
Looking for lost rainforest in Kintyre
The Kintyre Rainforest Alliance is a local community group that has recently launched with the aim of finding and restoring areas of temperate rainforest. This February, they received a visit from ASR representatives who provided the new group with advice, and helped uncover some surprising wildlife.
Discover the secret glow
You’ve probably heard of bioluminescence. But have you heard of biofluorescence? Discover this incredible phenomenon first hand in March, through a series of after-dark walks in Scotland’s rainforest.
Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards
Entries are now open for Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards, which strive to reward and showcase the best of Scotland’s forests and woods.
The perfect time of year to search for Scotland’s overlooked wildlife
The colder months are the perfect time to explore Scotland’s rainforest. We’ve picked some top sites for you to visit this winter.
Painting Scotland’s rainforest
An exhibition celebrating Scotland’s rainforest is currently on display at Resipole Studios Fine Art Gallery, Loch Sunart. The exhibition features the work of Inverness-shire based artists Jonathan Shearer and Michelle Knight, who were inspired by time spent immersed in the temperate rainforests of Sunart and Morvern.
The State of Nature and Scotland’s rainforest
The loss of our wildlife often seems to play second fiddle to the climate crisis. But the latest State of Nature (Scotland) report shows the scale of the problem right on our doorstep, and in particular, the problems faced by the wildlife of Scotland’s rainforest.
Scotland The New Wild
A new wildlife series started on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer this week. Scotland the New Wild was shot in hundreds of locations all over the country, including in Scotland’s rainforest.
Couldoran set to become Scotland’s first Rainforest Centre
A groundbreaking new Rainforest Centre will see Couldoran House at Glen Shieldaig transformed into a hub for research, education and local activities.
Illustrating the rainforest
We set an illustrator the task of showing off the incredible diversity and beauty of Scotland’s rainforest through the seasons. Here’s how she tackled it.
Top five historical uses for the rainforest
These days, we know how important Scotland’s rainforest is for its biodiversity. But in the past, the rainforest was a rich resource for remote communities, and some of the ways it was used might surprise you.
The unique rainforest of Ben Shieldaig
Ben Shieldaig, in the north west Highlands, is an unusual area of Scotland’s rainforest as the woodland here is made up of both Scots pine and birch trees. But in it, you’ll find an extraordinary 212 species of mosses and liverworts, which is about about a fifth of the entire British total.
The threat of rhododendron in Scotland’s rainforest
Rhododendron ponticum is the most invasive plant in Scotland’s rainforest. It chokes the woodland ecosystem, pushing out specialised wildlife and preventing regeneration. In this guest blog, NTS Project Officer Rob Dewar discusses issues and solutions.