Wildland Cairngorms wins Nature of Scotland Award

Confor proudly sponsored the Forest and Woodland Award for the second year and congratulates the winner

RSPB Scotland’s Nature of Scotland Awards, co-sponsored by NatureScot, has been running for 10 years, celebrating the people and projects across the country making a difference for nature and the environment. The Awards consist of categories from Food & Farming to Youth & Education, and Forestry and Woodland, championing community groups, businesses and individuals working in conservation at any scale.

The Forest and Woodland Award

With trees covering 19% of Scotland, these habitats are vital for recreation, economy, tourism, and the air we breathe. Confor proudly sponsored this category for the second year running. The award celebrates our sustainable forestry and woodland champions.

This year, the Nature of Scotland Awards were delighted to recognise Wildland Cairngorms as the winners of the Forest and Woodland Award, for their native forest restoration at landscape-scale project in Glen Feshie. Fittingly, each winner is presented with a trophy made from native Scots pine, sustainably sourced from RSPB Scotland’s Abernethy nature reserve and designed by Bryony Knox.

Stuart Goodall, Confor chief executive, said: “Congratulations to Wildland Cairngorms as worthy winners of this year’s highly competitive Forest and Woodland Award. In this year of COP26 it’s been great to see so many high-quality projects being put forward that showcase forestry and nature working together in harmony.”

Other shortlisted projects

Other projects shortlisted for the Forest and Woodland category this year included Bowshiel Farm; a brilliant example of how ancient woodland can be restored and managed sustainably, whilst also producing timber, charcoal, foraged foods and sequester carbon. And Barrhill Woods, a community who have taken on management of a beautiful woodland in south-west Scotland and are developing it to its fullest potential. They have created an outdoor classroom and red squirrel hide, begun native planting and developed a wood-lot management plan. All-ability access to the woods has been improved. Natural regeneration Glen Feshie. Cairngorms National Park.Scotland

CATEGORY WINNER: WILDLAND CAIRNGORMS

Owner Anders Holsch Povlsen purchased Glen Feshie in 2006, and within a year had commenced the ambitious and spectacular native woodland recovery project, with a 200-year vision to expand the forest to its former natural splendour; to let nature heal, grow and thrive. The subsequent transformation of Glen Feshie from a heavily grazed pinewood remnant to a seemingly unstoppable march of young pine, birch, alder, bird cherry, juniper, willow and rowan is exciting and inspiring. Wildland has grown beyond Glen Feshie, now encompassing Killiehuntly and Glentromie, totalling 32,000ha of contiguous forest, moorland and high-blanket bog all amidst a controlled deer population, without deer fencing. Since 2007, Wildland Limited have achieved 2279ha of natural regeneration of native woodland. In areas remote from seed sources, they have planted six million trees covering 1000ha.

The vision addresses the twin crises of biodiversity loss and the climate emergency. It repairs and extends existing high-value habitats, sequesters carbon, and establishes robustness against climate change – all within the catchment of the River Spey. Management is already reducing soil erosion, catchment runoff, and flood-risk; it improves water quality and cools rivers, benefitting migratory fish. It is delivering nature-based solutions at a vast scale. Across moorlands formerly burnt for grouse management or grazed by deer, trees are rapidly regenerating. No capercaillie had been seen in Glen Feshie since 2000, until two males were seen in 2007. In 2021, 11 lekking males were counted. The recovery of birds of prey has also been remarkable, notably golden eagles and hen harriers. Wildland Limited is major partner in the Cairngorms Connect partnership, encompassing some 60,000 hectares of the Cairngorm massif of which Wildland Limited covers over 50%.

Anders Holch Povlsen, Owner of Wildland Limited said: “I am delighted that the work of the Wildland Team to restore woodlands at Glen Feshie, and in the wider Wildland Cairngorms estates, has been so generously recognised by this Nature of Scotland Forest and Woodland Award. With the opportunity to manage land also comes great responsibility. Our restoration aim at Wildland, is to leave a genuinely valued legacy of a better place for the wildlife, the landscape and people of the Scottish Highlands. To achieve this, has taken huge dedication: from long and thoughtful deliberation at the outset, to the relentless effort of our deer managers, and to the quiet expertise of our advisers, this has been a great team achievement.”