Study could help recreate ancient woods

Plantation forests of native Scots pine could be transformed into wild woodland with help from a University study. Researchers from the University and the Forestry Commission studied remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forests in the Scottish Highlands. They hoped to build a clearer picture of how wild pine forests grow. Scientists used computer models to work out how best to manage the transformation of even-aged, planted pine forests into wild woodland, with trees of a more natural variety of ages and sizes. They found that frequent, limited thinning of a pine plantation will transform it into a wild forest twice as quickly as simply letting it grow wild. Forest diversity. This research will be a valuable aid to plantation owners who want to help their forests develop the characteristics of Caledonian pine wildwood for the landscape and biological diversity benefits that this can provide.