Temperate Rainforest Restoration

A Mosaic of Special Habitats

Nestled in the Loch Arkaig Pine Forest, Aird Nòis is a 20.5 ha area owned and managed by Arkaig Community Forest. This relatively small area comprises a rich array of habitats: temperate rainforest of Caledonian pinewood and ancient riparian alder-birch woodland, alongside peatlands that all blend together on the margins of Loch Arkaig. Year-round rainfall, mild temperatures and clean air provide the right climatic conditions for rainforest associated wildlife and plants to thrive.

Crossbills, wild boar, blaeberry, juniper, osprey, pine martens, white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, wood ants, bats, red squirrels, lichens (such as yellow specklebelly and black-eyed Susan), and oceanic bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) are among the organisms that are found here.

Keen to learn more about Scotland’s rainforest? Head to Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest. Read on to find out more about this project.

A Brief History of Hardships

A series of events and disturbances have left their mark on the land throughout its history. During World War 2, a devastating fire broke out in the forest while British Commandos and Allied Special Forces were training with live ammunition. Following the war, the demand for timber soared, which led to the planting of non-native tree species in the forest. Today, these trees have reached maturity and are now heaping pressure on the native species. The native habitats found onsite, including ancient Caledonian pinewood, have to compete for light under the dense shade of sitka spruce (Picea stichensis) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta). These monoculture plantations have done little for biodiversity in the forest, demonstrated by their depleted understory layer. Whereas life is more evident around the Caledonian pinewoods, which harbours important species like the wood ant. What's more, non-native plantations don’t have the genetic complexity and robustness of native species that have evolved in their environment over time. Added to this, one of the non-native species on site, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), has been found to be diseased with a fungal infection that can impact other pine species, such as Scots pine. The fungal needle blight (Dothistroma septosporum) causes defoliation, or in rare cases, death.

Other key ecological stresses in the area have come from historic felling of trees and  overbrowsing by herbivores. At Aird Nòis this has been by red deer (Cervus elaphus), and to a lesser extent roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). In the absence of large carnivores (which are extinct in Scotland), animals such as deer hold back the natural regeneration of native forests by browsing tree saplings and understory species. 

Faced with these threats, the aim is to not only prevent the loss of the rare temperate rainforest habitats including the ancient Caledonian pinewoods of Aird Nòis, but to also remove the barriers blocking natural recovery towards a dynamic, functioning ecosystem as part of the wider landscape.

Led by the Community

This project has been developed by the local community at Arkaig Community Forest and will be led by them going forward. In tandem with assisted natural regeneration, the community plan to undertake enrichment planting of species that aren’t as well represented onsite, such as juniper. With the community front and centre, we are delighted to be supporting them to restore these unique and threatened habitats. 

How long will it take the forest to begin naturally regenerating?

We expect to find natural regeneration within the first two years of the project if low browsing pressure can be achieved and maintained through management, but some species such as Scots pine can take a long time to regenerate in this area of Scotland. This is thought to be due to the waterlogged conditions of the region, meaning that Scots pine trees can take around 30 years to grow to a height at which they are less vulnerable to browsing by herbivores.

In addition to monitoring through annual HIA surveys, we will be mapping Aird Nòis before the project commences, and then annually using a drone and creating orthophotomosaics using software from our partners at Pix4D. 

Project Funding

We would like to thank our members who are funding the entirety of this project’s budget, which covers the cost of contracting Munro Harvesting and Simon Dakin of Blue Green Forestry.

With this support, in time, we hope to witness the non-native species retreat and the treasured native habitats reclaim the forest.