Northwest Mull Rainforest Collaboration
Home to around 3000 people, the Isle of Mull forms part of the Inner Hebrides and is located off the west coast of Scotland. It is a dramatic island landscape shaped by its people, ancient volcanic forces and Atlantic weather systems. It offers a rich mosaic of habitats, including some good examples of Scotland’s rainforest.
Of particular importance is the area around NW Mull, Loch Na Keal, Lagganulva and the island of Ulva itself. Here, epiphyte-rich oak- and hazel-dominated woodlands persist around the island’s sheltered western coasts, where mild temperatures, high rainfall, and clean ocean air create ideal growing conditions.
A group of local landowners, farmers, and a local community group in partnership with Woodland Trust Scotland, are working together to restore, conserve and expand this precious habitat. Overgrazing by red deer is putting significant pressure on the woodlands and with minimal pressure from invasive species we have an excellent chance of improving the habitat through collaboration and accessing resources to support the work.
Project Aims
Develop a working partnership between local stakeholders including Lagganulva Farm, Oskamull Farm, Killiechronan Estate, North West Mull Community Woodlands Company, Ulva Farm, Torloisk Farm and local residents.
Work with local land and deer managers to reduce herbivore impacts.
Establish a strategic deer exclusion fence from Torloisk to Killiechronnan.
Work with local farmers to develop rainforest sensitive agroforestry practices and manage native breed cattle using GPS technology to benefit the coastal woodland.
Restore 210 ha of degraded designated coastal oakwood at Lagganulva,
Support local Mull based tree nurseries to collect seed and grow local provenance tree stock.
Determine viability and development of local deer processing facilities.
Manage grazing pressure within the woodland and maintain low deer numbers within the project area.
Deliver annual thermal drone herbivore surveys to inform management decisions.
Survey the key areas and manage habitat mosaic and open ground for slender burnet moth.
Expand the rainforest by facilitating natural regeneration of oak, hazel, juniper, aspen, ash, rowan and elm.
Identify and remove a limited amount of Rhododendron ponticum, creating a RP free buffer zone for NW Mull.
The project seeks to add value by using native breed cattle to selectively graze the woodlands using GPS collars to maintain the open structure required for the rare lichens, mosses and liverworts to thrive.
Project partners
Woodland Trust Scotland, Lagganulva Farm, Oskamull Farm, Killiechronan Estate, North West Mull Community Woodlands Company, Ulva Farm, and Torloisk Farm.
