Why We Are Bringing Back the Lost Aspen Forests of Scotland

Project gets underway with the planting of 505 trees along the River Alladale.  

2,195 trees are planted along the Carron and Oykel rivers. A further 100 naturally regenerating aspen are protected from deer browse using thorny shrubs. 

700 aspen are planted to enrich existing woodlands around Renfrewshire

1,240 aspen are planted along Glen Clunie and South Tirryside to enrich existing woodland sites around Renfrewshire.

2,000 aspen are planted to enrich a woodland planted 20 years ago and replace the lost ash trees that have suffered Dieback.

Providing support for Eadha Enterprises in micropropagation and nursery expansion. The former takes aspen clones and stimulates different growth phases of root and shoot development of saplings. For the latter, we've funded materials and contractors required to expand Eadha Enterprise's current nursery footprint.

Aspen planting at two woodland sites in Ayrshire. This includes the planting of 810 at North Hourat and 2,000 aspen at Comraich involving a group of young people being trained in outdoor skills and other volunteers as part of a local government scheme. At Locherwood Community Woodland, 100 bramble cuttings were planted around some of the previously planted aspen to help with deer deterrent.

500 Aspen trees planted at Brodoclea near Dalry, a native woodland managed by the Future Forest Company. With Mossy Earth's support, Eadha expanded its Aspen nursery by 400m2 and continued Aspen clone production at a new specialist lab in Yorkshire.

Beginning in Spring 2021, we are launching an ambitious project to plant and protect 10,000 aspen trees over the next 5 years. We are planting open areas with trees grown in nurseries and trialling different techniques to protect naturally regenerating aspen from deer browsing e.g. planting thorny shrubs. 

We will focus our efforts in riparian areas where aspen play an important role in stabilising the river bank, creating shade and providing nutrients in the form of leaf fall. In doing so, we will help sequester carbon, create important woodland habitat and improve the health of Scotland's rivers. 

Restoration area for assisted natural regeneration

A collection of photos from our Restoring Aspen project

Learn More About the Context Behind this Project

Aspen is considered to be a keystone species because of its ecological importance for other species. It provides vital habitat for a number of invertebrates, including aspen hoverfly (Hammerschmidtia ferruginea), an endangered species in the UK, as well as a diversity of lichen and bryophytes. Aspen is an important source of food for wildlife like, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), and provides important nesting sites for several species of hole nesting birds, including various species of woodpeckers. In Europe, aspen stands have been shown to be used by capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), another endangered species in Britain and of great conservation concern. 

Historical management of Scotland’s woodlands for timber meant that non-useful trees, like aspen, were removed. This, coupled with the fact that aspen is one of the most palatable trees to deer and other herbivores, has reduced aspen in Scotland to small isolated fragments.  High densities of deer are now limiting the regeneration and return of aspen to the Scottish landscape. Aspen also rarely produces seeds in Scotland, reproducing mainly by new shoots, called ramets or suckers, growing directly from the root systems of mature trees. As a result, once aspen is removed from a site, it is very slow to colonise. 

Learn more background to this project in the video below

Bringing Back the Lost Aspen Forests of Scotland

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We are restoring Eurasian aspen (Populus tremula) to the Scottish Highlands in partnership with Alladale Wilderness Reserve. Learn why aspen is important to protect.

Restoration of Eurasian aspen trees

Returning a Keystone Tree to the Scottish Highlands

Eurasian aspen (Populus tremula) is a keystone species that is largely missing from Scottish woodlands today. In Europe, its often found alongside birch, rowan, willow, and alder in the broadleaf component of northern coniferous forests. Together, they can occupy around 15-20% of the forest. In Scotland, aspen mostly exists as small, isolated fragments often consisting of single relict trees. To restore the natural diversity of the native pinewoods and return aspen to the landscape, we are embarking on a long-term project to plant and support the natural regeneration of aspen trees in Scotland.

Through our partnership with Eadha Enterprise in Scotland, we supported the planting of 500 Aspen trees earlier this year at Brodoclea near Dalry. This native woodland, managed by the Future Forest Company (FFC), is home to an award-winning, novel approach to agroforestry using Mangalitsa "woolly" pigs as a proxy for wild boar. As these pigs forage they cultivate the soil, help control bracken and encourage the natural regeneration of wildflowers and trees while also increasing soil carbon. 

Our trees were strategically planted to create a corridor for species like the locally rare Olive Moth. The moth was recorded onsite by FFC’s ecologist last year - only the second known record in Ayrshire! Its caterpillars feed on Aspen and other poplars, so these new trees can help extend its range.

With our support, Eadha also expanded their Aspen nursery by 400m2 and continued Aspen clone production at a new specialist lab in Yorkshire called Plantlet Culture. They’re selecting trees from across almost every UK seed zone, with the first batch expected to be ready for the 2027/28 planting season.

The fieldwork we supported in 2026 to restore Aspen in Scotland

Aspen Fieldwork Season

Planting Aspen Supports Rare Moth