How We're Bringing Back Scotland's Lost Rainforest

We’ve decided to cut down 100s of trees to save a very special habitat... 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
🌳 To support our work you can become a member here: mossy.earth
MOSSY EARTH MEMBERSHIP
===============================
The rewilding membership that restores nature across a wide range of ecosystems.
🌲 Support a diversity of ecosystems
🐺 Rewild habitats to bring back biodiversity
🦫 Fund neglected species & ecosystems
Learn more and become a member here: mossy.earth
💪 OUR PARTNERS IN THIS VIDEO
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ARKAIG Community Forest: arkaig.org/
⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
00:00 Intro
1:10 Our Project Area
2:40 The Skipinnish Oak
4:15 Why we are cutting down a forest
6:02 A Temperate Rainforest
8:06 Mapping the site
🔎 ABOUT THIS PROJECT
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Scotland possesses some of the richest examples in Europe of a rare biome - temperate rainforest. Despite this, there are only thought to be around 30,000 hectares of woodland that have rainforest biodiversity left within the rainforest zone, an area that stretches along the west coast and is characterised by its wet climate. The zone currently holds approximately 93,000 hectares of semi-natural woodland that could potentially harbour this diversity. Ancient or old growth woodlands are the best places to start protecting, expanding and managing this declining habitat.
Find out more about this project here: www.mossy.earth/projects/temp...
Photographs of Simon and Tarzan taken by Liam (ACF) and John Macpherson / WTML.

[@MossyEarth]

If you want to support this project and contribute to a growing diversity of rewilding projects, please head to www.mossy.earth/ to become a member! - Cheers, Isla

[@Wengoku]

what if i dont have money :(

[@MossyEarth]

Hi Wengoku! Watching this video, subscribing to the channel, sharing our videos and commenting are a great way to support us 100% free! - Cheers, Duarte

[@craig9299]

How are you able to keep up with all these projects ? Are you keeping up with them ?

[@MossyEarth]

Hello! Good question. We delve into this in our latest Q&A that you can watch on the Mossy Earth Field Notes Channel. Cheers, Isla.

[@joannecarroll5504]

Isla, I'll sign up if you guys can teach him to treat the local language & culture with respect & get him to say 'loch' properly from now on. Disrespect costs.

[@PaulCoxC]

Temperate rainforests have got to be one of my favourite ecosystems, I would love to see more return in the UK. That massive oak is incredible.

[@MossyEarth]

They are such beautiful and rich places! Cheers, Isla.

[@jollyjokress3852]

I like to think that the great poets and story tellers of the UK were inspired by the beautiful landscape.

[@erockstoenescu6171]

Have you ever been to the pacific north west? Specifically here in Humboldt county California or Washington state? It’s truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been and I’ve visited the jungles and Mayan ruins in the Yucatán as well as Grand Canyon

[@pronumeral1446]

@@MossyEarth In Australia we are blessed to still have temperate rainforest in pockets along the southeast mainland coast, and large sections in western Tasmania. It's a magical environment and must be protected.

[@indieh9]

I agree. I visited Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park and it was magical. So lovely

[@vicw9223]

Rewilding gives me hope when it's so easy to fall into despair about the environment. So grateful for all you do.

[@MossyEarth]

It gives us hope too! Thank you :) Cheers, Isla.

[@jackcavendish8900]

DESPAAIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[@averyspottswood9255]

I literally come to this channel when I can’t take the world

[@AlleyIsDriving]

​@@averyspottswood9255💯

[@sandraleung7218]

This video wells up my eyes. After finishing my Ecology degree in the Edinburgh University, my friends and I had a short trip in the Highlands. During a Loch Ness tour, we kayaked and dropped by the eastern bank, then ventured along a creek. And there it was - a patch of temperate rainforest so lush, so exuberant in all shades of green. Peat-tainted water racing through the meandering stream. Lichens carpeted the boulders, mosses cushioned the floor. Branches and epiphytes dripping crystalline droplets that were collected from the waterfall’s mist. Every breath drawn in was moist but crisp. Never have my gaze fallen upon something so ecologically ethereal. What a fairyland. It stole my heart. Apologies for my monologue 🥺 I’m just so grateful that Mossy Earth and many good folks are restoring this important Scottish heritage. Keep up with your good work! Love from Hong Kong xx

[@user-il8rx5xl8c]

You sure you didn't major in literature? Beautiful comment.

[@davidberesford7009]

Don't apologise for waxing poetic. The world needs poets.

[@filiphartwich]

This is such a beautiful story, Sandra. And the atmosphere is real, considering, Welsh rainforests inspired the first fairy tales! Temperate rainforests are just magic❤

[@gabitil16]

Here in Brazil we have a similar problem, people deforest natural forests and plant eucalyptus, a plant that requires a lot of water, killing everything around it and growing very quickly, and can even destroy natural springs. I get sad walking through my state Minas Gerais, which was supposed to be divided by two ecosystems, the Cerrado (A Tropical Savanna) and the Mata Atlantica (A Tropical Forest). But everything is open to pasture or covered in eucalyptus trees. Regions with immense biodiversity reduced to almost nothing.

[@MossyEarth]

I can empathize with that feeling. I hope that your state starts to see some restoration projects pop up soon! All the best, Isla.

[@Vaeldarg]

Considering those ranchers are the same people who burn down the rainforest, and sometimes go so far as to murder tribal natives, reducing the biodiversity to almost nothing might've been intentional.

[@bluemonstrosity259]

Your country's got a boatload of issues

[@TKUA11]

Maybe you can bring some pandas there to eat all the eucalyptus, and replant what’s left. Pandas are another useless species

[@soil-play]

I live in the midwestern United States in an area that was once oak savanah and is now endless miles of corn and bean fields. There are still some scattered oaks in windbreaks or fencelines but 99% of this habitat has been destroyed 😢

[@brendansweeney7468]

Ireland has a similar issue with Sikta spruce plantations. Luckily, Hometree ie in Ireland are working on a similar project. I hope more of these spring up throughout both countries.

[@MossyEarth]

Great to hear. I need to visit Ireland at some point, I've heard they have some beautiful rainforest fragments too! Cheers, Isla.

[@andrewk2338]

Ireland also has a problem, just like in England, environmental hypocrisy really screams to me when I see such comments when people fight with non-native plant species, when around the northern deserts created by man due to excessive grazing of livestock. It is not customary to raise the topic of the private sector of farms growing lawn grass or the use of chemicals, because this is a matter of personal money. Even in this project, look at the tops of the mountains, they are all without forest, but for the authors of the project it is better to destroy the forest of non-native species than to plant empty areas with native species and use non-native species as pioneer plants, progressively freeing up space for native species and increasing the amount of organic matter in the soil. I think this is a story from American films and destroy aliens and give each other medals. And by the way, I really love oaks, but they grow very slowly, and precisely in order to speed up the growth of oaks, I would plant oaks with Honey locust (thornless form), which is a non-local tree species :)

[@julialungan4722]

​@@andrewk2338the authors, as you call them, already implement a project to plant native trees on those man-made deserts. They even mentioned that video in this one too. If you bothered to research before coming to conclusions, you would have known. Also, how is it hypoctisy? Do you think its better to implement this project when the invasives have spread even more? Implementing both projects (planting native trees in deserted erias, and replacing non natives with natives in existing forests) is the best thing to do, and they are doing exactly that

[@kattkatt744]

@@andrewk2338 If it is carbon capture you are after, you should not care about trees, but wetlands. Wetlands like marsh capture seven times as much carbon as forests and they are even more endangered than forests because of humans drying them out for farmland, housing and forests.

[@michaeld.3931]

@@andrewk2338 I'm not sure that your assessment is fair. Mossy Earth spends plenty of time and money planting native trees in deforested areas. As for using the PNW conifers as pioneer species to increase soil organic matter, this simply wouldn't work as a precursor to Caledonian forest. PNW conifers add very little organic matter to the soil compared with deciduous trees, grasses, and herbaceous plants, and they are too tall and shade tolerant to be naturally overtopped by Scottish flora, so the process seen in this video would still be necessary at some point. Simply fencing in an area and planting alder and poplar would be more effective. While I disagree with all out aggression towards all nonnative plant species, mass plantations of conifers should be removed in almost all cases. If these conifers were simply naturalized and occurred at a modest density within the environment, such as Norway Spruce does in the Eastern United States, then I would agree with your perspective.

[@RythmicRaindrops]

Man that native habitat looks so majestic. So sad to see where it has been strangled too. Glad you are putting effort into recovering the ecosystem

[@MossyEarth]

We really appreciate the support! Thank you, Isla.

[@JKMeZmA]

This makes me so happy as a Scot! Been so sad not seeing more National efforts to rewild and rebuild these habitats, but so good to see you lovely folks getting after it! Woohoo!

[@MossyEarth]

Fingers crossed projects like this one will encourage more folk to do more! Thank you! Cheers, Isla.

[@joannecarroll5504]

There are efforts all over the place if you just look for them. They don't have to be national to be good.

[@JKMeZmA]

@@joannecarroll5504 of course! I love the work by Trees for life especially, but I would love some greater funding and National integration of things (like rewilding and protection of river ecosystems to help support smaller and sustainable fishing communities. Love these projects, but they can’t do the next steps to bridge how these positive changes can contribute to communities effectively and with more community involvement.

[@jamielandis4606]

I was just commenting on why the government doesn’t do more considering how ravaged the land is.

[@GeertTheDestoyer]

​@@joannecarroll5504 But National coordination and cooperation could improve the situation faster. Especially with the biodiversity loss we are facing.

[@therewillbecatswithgwenhwyfar]

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest of the US. I'm so happy to see Scotland reclaiming its ancient habitats.

[@Galois32]

I biked there and was so jealous that Scotland hasn't still got it's special trees like you do. It was beautiful

[@UkSapyy]

Shame we can't do this all over GB, for an Isle once covered in big forests it's sad to see how much of it we've let become barren and private.

[@MossyEarth]

Lets hope more of this happens in future across the UK! :) Cheers, Isla.

[@Rnankn]

it was covered in forests??

[@H4N5O1O]

@@Rnankn cleared for farming, building, burning DOH. youd think the rest of the world now doing the same would have learned a better way to manage so we can do all in harmony (just not the burning).

[@bkjeong4302]

Worse. They think the destroyed ecosystems are “natural” and “protect” them for “conservation”.

[@billyfullwood4974]

​@@Rnankn would've been a mosaic of lots of different habitats, probably a mix of woodland, wood-pasture, grassland, wetland etc.

[@helmijjj]

Temperate rainforests are such awesome ecosystems! ❤

[@MossyEarth]

They are indeed! Also, they are incredibly rare these days and quite fragile so we are really excited to do something about it. - Cheers, Duarte

[@joeydr1497]

Those wood ants, gotta love Formica fusca they’re so cool. I love how aggressive they are, they’re so determined to defend the nest.

[@MossyEarth]

Wood ants are great, if you hover your hand above the nest for a wee while and then pull it away you can smell the formic acid! Cheers, Isla.

[@Creophilia]

We have the same issue in norway. Sitka spruce was planted on Frøya, and after a decade, it has spread all over the island killing native plant life. A few years back, the local goverment cut down almost every Sitka tree and planted pine, aspen, birch and more.

[@Tony.795]

Why not norway spruce?

[@Creophilia]

@@Tony.795 i´m no expert, but I was told that our forests lives in 4 different stages: 1. Barren or grassy fields. 2. Plant life with leaves starts to grow. Like Birch and aspen, but also bushes 3. When the birch treees have grown large, giving some shadows, but still lets light through for saplings of spruce and pine to grow and not get «sunburned» in mid summer. 4. Needle trees take over. Towering above birch and aspen, but the undergrowth is also dense with moss, bugs and mushrooms. This is process that takes about 100 years. By planting aspen and birch you skip stage 1, save some 5-10 years of natural takeover, but is still using native speecies that would grow there anyway. Also our «forests» are mostly planted norwegian spruce for the wood industry, with little to no undergrowth. Sitka spruce is almost unusable for the wood industry, and was planted in the early nineties because «trees must be good», giving no though that it is an invasive speecies.

[@Artilife1]

I remember walking through ones of these temperate rainforest in the west of Scotland and being in awe at the magic and splendour of it all. Keep up the great work!! I hope more mystical habitats get restored.

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you, we are excited to see how this habitat recovers! Cheers, Isla.

[@Jacobtheunwise]

Your videos make me so happy and glad that theres people that care this much about nature

[@MossyEarth]

We are delighted to spread the joy! Cheers, Isla.

[@blackmolly159]

Now I know why one forest in Scotland was so amazing... It was a rainforest. Thanks!

[@MossyEarth]

Thanks for watching :) Cheers, Isla.

[@BenJamin-rt7ui]

That oak is priceless.

[@MossyEarth]

The Skipinnish Oak is absolutely wonderful! Cheers, Isla.

[@Ashley-xb1dz]

I always look forward to mossy earth, great to see what you all do for us.

[@tonyat8663]

I live in the temperate rainforests of Oregon, USA. We have the same issue with Douglas Fir. We have removed many of the fir on our property. It looked terrible, but after 2 years the transformation was remarkable. Your project is amazing, keep up the good work!

[@Tony.795]

What did you plant instead? Douglas fir is native there as far as I know.

[@532bluepeter1]

Douglas fir. Also known as Oregon pine.

[@lydiapayne5903]

The Douglas Fir is my favorite 😍

[@ajomagurd]

​@@Tony.795They are native, but maybe on their property it was a monoculture of douglas fir? That is common, and would still not support biodiversity. Cutting some down would leave space for more species to move in, with different layers of canopy.

[@timurozkurt5239]

Some amazing mosses & lichens! shows how unique these rainforests are. Looking forward to seeing it recover

[@MossyEarth]

They are incredible places to be! Cheers, Isla.

[@joseenoel8093]

I majored in Sylviculture and I've been to Scotland 3 times, my mother in law was from Carradale, I was dumbfounded by the lack of native forests there... Best wishes from Montreal!

[@Squid728]

I ma so glad Peopel like this Team exist. Thank you for helping Nature, she sure needs it

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you very much for the support, it means a lot to us! :) Isla.

[@j.ch.741]

That oak looks like it belongs in a fairytale. Now it stands alone between the non-natives it looks like an Ent guarding the forest. I really hope this project will bring back more native life. Keep up the good work!

[@monkeydance3894]

Thank you for Mossy Earth for educating me about temperate rainforests. I find it interesting how different they look from tropical ones. It looks rich in plant life, but I would be interested in seeing what animal species live there, even if we just see b shots. I would also be super interested in the plan for this project in the future, other than removing non natives. Are you guys planning on planting, or just purely letting the areas recover on its own? Thank you guys for all the hard work you do. It restores my faith in humanity seeing your videos in my subscription feed.

[@MossyEarth]

Hello! Thank you for the support, they are wonderful places. The main technique used to restore these habitats will be assisted natural regeneration, though our partners at Arkaig Community Forest might also undertake some enrichment planting of species that aren't well represented on site (and don't have as good a seed source) such as juniper. Cheers! :) Isla.

[@waveydavie]

I had planned to spend today at our local Temperate Rainforest at Dunollie Woods here in Oban, where I'm a volunteer Warden, in a hide photographing passing wildlife. But my dodgy ankle said NOOOO. Most annoyed!

[@MossyEarth]

Ahh no, I hope you get out there soon! Cheers, Isla.

[@annahayward3302]

I'm from Oban too, Dunollie woods is such a special place

[@stuart207]

You will hopefully have a lot of happiness from dormant seeds coming to life in the fresh air. I've walked in the forestry blocks along the north coast. Crazy.

[@EasterWitch]

I got to visit a temperate rain forest in Norway during my ecology studies. I even got to see the yellow speckled-belly lichen. All of the forests were planted spruce (spruce is native to Norway), and unfortunately there was only one small part of it that was protected. It was really sad to see how fast we were able to walk through the protected part, but in just that tiny area we saw so many species of moss, lichen and animals

[@Haltdegrijzejager]

That tree was absolutely magical!

[@TheEasyRail]

Cuilean, the good boy 💪 Project is destined for greatness under such supervision

[@MossyEarth]

Haha - he's the real manager! Cheers, Isla.

[@jovice9867]

Thank you so much Mossy Earth. Such a wonderful group of people who actually care. May 2024 be your best year yet, as i am sure Mossy Earth will go from strength to strength.

[@MossyEarth]

Ahh, thank you! Happy New Year when it comes! Cheers, Isla.

[@jovice9867]

@MossyEarth Happy New year to you all.

[@elliotlane3225]

So good to watch this video and the work being done to restore native forests in the UK. The work of Mossy earth, Alan Watson Featherstone, Guy Shrubsole and others has struck a chord with the UK public. Together this awareness and work should lead to real results.

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for the support, and for watching! :) Cheers, Isla.

[@thegreencompany2101]

Love those amazing Scottish forests! They have something mysterious🙌🏼

[@MossyEarth]

I am biased but I completely agree! Cheers, Isla.

[@markg3025]

That ancient tree is so beautiful and powerful speaking of the necessity of ancient species of forest.

[@MossyEarth]

The Skipinnish Oak is a very special tree! Cheers, Isla.

[@elineeugenie5224]

In the Netherlands not too far from here, there's an old pine which of course is called the Witches' Tree.. Now i get why that is😮 Also, another spot has a chapel next to a holy Oak tree, and it's a little oak forest - the really old trees are gone, but the younger ones are their children 😅 I tend to be grateful for bl**dy well any kind of tree over pavements and industrial farming, but you guys are showing me, like, the Kings and Queens of Trees, are there and we need to relearn to respect them.... Not cut down a 300 y o yew, for a parking lot grrrr it's been 10 years but i won't forget. So, 50 shades of green? For 2024

[@MossyEarth]

Ahh, so lovely to hear that you share our love for these ancient trees. They are so important! Thank you for the support! Cheers, Isla.

[@grassfolk]

The sudden moustache growth really got me - Scotland’s time travel without the stones 😜

[@MossyEarth]

I blame the fairies... haha! Isla.

[@Seraphus87]

Rewild the moustache! @@MossyEarth

[@Syco108]

You guys are doing all the good. Thank you

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for the support! Isla :)

[@elvenrat]

I love that you do these reforestation in europe! Thats been a wish of mine since childhood! And thats also the reason why i became a mossy Earth member some months ago. Please continue with the education and work in the european ecosystems! Thats what makes you special to me!

[@spiinniing]

That skipinnish oak is probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Thank you for trying to preserve this beautiful corner of our home planet.

[@kena3234]

Just subscribed. I love the rainforests. I hope we can save them and restore them everywhere

[@MossyEarth]

Welcome to the community! We will have more rainforest-related projects coming your way soon! Cheers, Isla.

[@mister_yog]

This oak tree is just beautiful. Great project!

[@richardk5246]

Definitely a project I can get behind and fully support. Great work.

[@tobyparkes4664]

Atlantic rainforests are some of the most magical places and sadly mostly lost. It's great to see you all working on bringing them back!

[@user-il8rx5xl8c]

I completely agree. I can't help thinking about King Arthur and Merlin when I watch videos like these!

[@anishjoshi4018]

Love the work you are doing! ❤❤

[@MossyEarth]

We appreciate the support! :) Isla

[@ericlafoy8561]

Same situation here in the south of France Aquitaine (Gironde/ Landes region) but the pine wood forest industry is big business. The 2022 forest fire was the biggest in France for over I believe 35 years. There are plans to replant some of the decimated forests as mixed woodland forests. Not sure if it is going to happen. Pines were also originally planted to dry the marshes lands.

[@MossyEarth]

Fingers crossed things move towards restoration! Increasingly there are more and more projects popping up in Scotland and lets hope its the same in France. Cheers, Isla.

[@kattkatt744]

Crossing fingers they will lett some of the marshes return, they will be good for stopping the wildfiers and for more carbon capture.

[@arjantjeee]

The reason why i moved to Bergen, Norway. Is to live in this climate 🤗 its so special and I really hope that more people will hear and fall in love with this habitat

[@waltershope]

My son & I visited Scotland in 2011. I couldn't get over how beautiful and rural Scotland was. Great to see your organization getting involved to persevere and take care of your beautiful country.

[@apino9754]

Watching all these rewilding videos across Europe makes me want to try giving new life to the area where I live in the USA

[@fluffer4049]

Doing good for future generations. Well done.

[@graemem111]

Fantastic work, guys! As I’m currently studying the effects of invasive marine species, your excellent videos are inspirational, truly. Brilliant stuff.

[@davidsivills3599]

Well done guys,this is good news for scotland and the UK.

[@jameswatson4865]

Vancouver, Canada here and I work on restoring a tiny area with our long-lost Sitka spruce that couldn’t regenerate after the area was logged off 150 years ago. The irony and connection to your story is that I have two major competitors to overcome on the path to success: English ivy and holly. The ivy suffocates the forest floor and the trees themselves, while the holly does to the Sitka spruce here what the Sitka does to your Scot’s pine. The sad saga of invasive species the world over!

[@jason5047]

It really is inspiring watching this channel help bring back natural environments, I just wish that the government helped contributed to projects and helped out on them, allowing for more projects and faster results. Definitely grateful for what this channel does, only membership I've got via KZbin due to its importance I find in their work. I recommend everyone to become a member, £5 a month is nothing to most people but collectively can make a difference.

[@MossyEarth]

Ahh, your words mean so much to us. They keep us going, thank you for the support! Cheers, Isla.

[@alexandermajor6467]

Scottish Government contributed £1.25 million towards this project over a three year period - definitely helping out!

[@The_Mothzz]

Mossy Earth uploads about rainforest , i click and know it will be good.

[@MossyEarth]

Thanks for watching! :) Isla.

[@hannahrumney30]

I’m an Ecosystem Restoration major in the US and I’d love to help do forest restoration work in Scotland. My dad is from northern England so I have dual citizenship that would make it easier for me to move to the UK.

[@gnarmarmilla]

This is so marvelous. I had no idea the UK had such beauty until you guys started showing us. May God continue to help you to protect it. One request, could you guys please make an app?

[@elinamakela8435]

That tree was just impressive! It's easy to understand how you live in a temperate rainforest supporting climate when there is that many epiphytes growing on a single tree! Here in Finland I've seen some epiphytic growth on trees in the Outer Archipelago and I'm always geeked out, but it's clear that this is a completely different climate & vegetation zone. I'm so happy and rooting for your work, let's hope that our children will be able to see the fruits of your labour!

[@DavidS5118]

Thank you Mossy Earth for all you did for our planet in 2023. Happy New Years..

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you! Happy New Year! :) Cheers, Isla.

[@coolgirl3323]

Thsi brings so much hope to the environment as so much of the media and reporting is so negative. Thanks so much for what you are doing ❤

[@wunderwaffle2564]

Hey Mossy Earth, I love your content and think every project you do is wonderful and amazing. Lots of Love from Belgium. I was wondering if it were possible to do any project in Belgium, Flanders maybe, it is an extremely urbanized and concrete-heavy environment, I can't find any groups like yours that handle projects like these and was wondering if you'd guys ever consider finding some in Belgium to bring environment health more into the public eye of the good Belgian citizens.

[@lefterismplanas4977]

To me, its crazy that we can sit here as supporters and know that we will still be here after 10-20 years, looking back, and seeing all of theese projects bare fruit

[@GeorgeTheDinoGuy]

I will be visiting this environment at some point and I’m so excited. You guys are doing gods work (literally) and we are all in debt to your heroic projects.

[@MossyEarth]

You really should! Thank you, Isla :)

[@H4N5O1O]

why did you have to bring a fiction character that does nowt for no one into it !

[@RussTillling]

Awesome video Rob! Especially enjoyed the disappearing moustache and the slapstick at the end. Beautiful people helping return a beautiful landscape to its former glory! 🤩

[@sanctuaryculture2197]

Thank you Mossy Earth for protecting the nature.

[@falcofranz5005]

You should consider to leave the stems on site after felling, as this would prevent herbivores from biting on your new trees and also would provide habitat for mosses and fungi.

[@MossyEarth]

There will be some deadwood left behind from brash material as well as any stumps that cannot be removed. Cheers, Isla :)

[@sherriianiro747]

​@@MossyEarthDon't forget there is wildlife habitat now on those non-native trees you will be wiping out. Wildlife take time to adjust to a new environment and it will be decades before the natives reach the maturity of the non - native ones.

[@michaeld.3931]

@@sherriianiro747 Lodgepole and Sitka spruce are native to the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains. The plants, animals, and fungi which coevolved with those trees are not in Scotland, and those which are in Scotland have not coevolved with these PNW conifers; This limits beneficial interaction between the non-native trees with the native flora and fauna. In addition, the plantation in this video is denser than a natural stand of these trees in the American west, at least from my time there. This plantation is also far denser than a naturally occurring forest in Scotland, as oak and Scots pine lack the shade tolerance to create such a closed forest. As a result, the plantation supports a less developed understory compared to the Caledonian forest and to the PNW Temperate Rainforest. This combined with the fact that conifers produce far less mast when compared to oak and are inferior browse for most animal species, it is unlikely that cutting down this forest will have significant negative impacts on native fauna long term, provided that a native forest regime replaces it.

[@sherriianiro747]

@@michaeld.3931 No offense, your native forest never recovered after the end of sheep farming there. I agree with you on your points but due to climate change and other factors it will not take 20 or 30 years to recover but more like centuries if at all, and not to mention all the carbon that is being released by the deforestation of those trees - it's too extreme. I just recently read a book by a renowned terrestrial ecologist about this issue.

[@michaeld.3931]

@@sherriianiro747 It's not my native forest, I'm American. Climate change has no bearing on my argument that plantations support little biodiversity. I'm also not sure what climate change has to do with your claim that converting the plantations would destroy valuable habitat. If carbon emissions is your concern, then that is an entirely different conversation, the goal of this project is to improve habitat and species diversity.

[@cheekytyke]

Became a member today. So lovely to see what you have planned and I will be excited to see your projects come to fruition

[@makingfreely6336]

I hope to see your channel grow to bring more attention to the amazing work you do.

[@MossyEarth]

We hope so too! Thank you for the support :). Cheers, Isla.

[@akivaraza946]

The best channel!! Your Scotland project are the first ones I saw. Learned so much.

[@MossyEarth]

We're so happy to be spreading joy and raising awareness! Thank you for the support. Cheers, Isla.

[@Tminus89]

Oh my what a sight that tree is in the opening shot🤩

[@cyramclennan2580]

I hope our area continues to be saved. I live in on the Olympic Peninsula in washington state. We have the Hoh rainforest next door! Temperate rainforests are amazing and beautiful! I will never forget walking in an old growth mossy forrest. Most amazing feeling ever

[@LlibertarianGalt]

The UK needs so much attention atm. Thank you! 😊

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you so much for the support! :) Isla.

[@THEqueenspringday]

this makes me so happy and teary eyed. Thank you for doing this! I would love to be a part of this kind of projects in my country someday.

[@apathtrampledbydeer8446]

The beauty just resonates with parts of my soul. Glad they are brining it all back to life again.

[@MossyEarth]

They are absolutely beautiful places to be. We are too! Cheers :) Isla

[@karintippett753]

The war zone look is common in Canada where they clear cut the forests and leave a 100m buffer along rivers and lakes so it "appears" to be in it's natural state for visitors, but google Earth shows the truth of the future of Canadian forests. I live in Manitoba and holiday in NW Ontario in the Ear Falls area and if you look at the satelite photos of that area there is massive clear cutting going on.

[@Cornflower20]

That oak tree is SO beautiful! Wow I can’t wait to see how this project evolves!

[@Kadagirl777]

It's amazing how much some of these forests look just like the ones here in the Pacific Northwest (especially western Oregon, except we have predominantly Douglas firs!) - it's weird to think that somewhere halfway across the world there are places that can look and feel just like home. Makes you realize how connected it all is ❤Good luck with bringing back the native rain forests! 🙌🏻

[@southernrainforest]

This is an awesome project and wasn't aware of Scottish rainforest, never thought oaks would support rainforest. Thanks for sharing and all the work you do. We are setting up a rainforest nursery in SE Australis and want to do similar projects.

[@Ryan-gx3hs]

Just an absolutely gorgeous oak tree. Hopefully we'll see many more of them in the future with this project!

[@psuedotsuga]

Used to live in the Pacific Northwest of the US and the old growth temperate rainforests out there are truly a treasure to behold. Good to see work being done for temperate rainforests out in Scotland!

[@user-eg3mo3dy5y]

Het is gewoonweg een sprookjesachtige wereld, ongelofelijk mooi! Dankjewel! 😊

[@shovelspade480]

Temperate rainforests are absolutely stunning. majestic and magical. 💧🔥💚🌍☯💪

[@phillipcrowther9499]

Well done guys - you are all doing a brilliant job and I look forward to your latest videos. I am proud to be a member of Mossy Earth

[@Ekelous]

I had the pleasure to visit an old growth Scottish forest last year near Loch Laggan. It was unreal.

[@lauraweiss7875]

A project worthy of multiple generations of effort.

[@_D1886]

If you know where to look, we have some small areas of temperate rainforest on Skye, and it's amazing. Makes you feel like you're in the Pacific Northwest.

[@DanielSt143]

Great job guys; keep restoring the land!

[@mirrorbro]

❤️❤️

[@MossyEarth]

♥️

[@angelafoxmusic7265]

How marvellous! This is so inspiring to see. You give me hope. Thankyou from another citizen of planet Earth.

[@jamesgudmunson7339]

What a beautiful massive oak tree. You are all doing wonders.

[@jasonbullock2816]

Uk thaks for helping us😊😊😊❤❤🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@adamt5587]

That old oak looks stunning, magical small world

[@pencilpauli9442]

Old oaks are an ecosystem of their own! So much more biodiversity than the factory firs.

[@lieslfrankpsychickinesiolo4906]

I love these projects They makes me proud to be a member Does the report (on the website) contain the full strategy? I.e. Will stumps be removed? In what order will the tree planting begin? How do you decide exactly which tree gets planted where? I.e a metre apart? 2m? 3m? How long after the inital tree planting do you focus on shrubbery and the understory?

[@julzhepburn3688]

Can,t imagine a better way to start 2024..than see your incredible work in Scotland ,, these terrible forestry plantations have been a curse on the habitat since there beginning ..most rural people could see they were inappropriate .and support almost zero wildlife..i totally applaud getting rid of them and replanting natives EveryWhere ,, in all the british isles ..🌳🌿🍀🍁🍂🍃🌱..i live in15 hec finca only half is olives ..the rest is forest ..but not native ..although some oaks and ash are still here ..its a dry finca ..and is greatly impacted by the 2year drought.. The Armarda stripped the whole of Spain of its forests and now only islands remain ..just like scotland ..replanting is the future ..you guys are the brilliant new world ...im so greatful for your work ..and energised to keep going with my project here in spain..❤ 🌄🐎🦅🍂🌿🦋🎶🐈‍⬛🐐🐗🪶🌾🌿🍁🐕 ❤❤❤❤thankyou❤❤

[@adventurecreations3214]

Your Oak has made my Favorite Trees List. Fabulous

[@NostalgicMem0ries]

that oak is straight from fairytales :O how majestic it looks? covered in almost every living plant thing in that forest, i just cant imagine how epic it would look under moonlight at night

[@jasonsheppard1]

Would love to see you involved in some temperate rainforest restoration in Wales!

[@zoesolanki961]

It's such a beautiful habitat, so glad it's being restored

[@spectrumofwisdom]

Hello from the 'Spectrum of Wisdom' team! 🌈 We just watched your inspiring video about reviving the Scotland rainforest, and we are deeply moved by your dedication and hard work. 🌳 Your efforts are a beacon of hope for our planet, and we wholeheartedly support your mission. 🌍 Thank you for reminding us all of the power of perseverance and the importance of caring for our environment. Keep up the fantastic work, and know that you have our unwavering support. Together, we can make a difference! 💚

[@gamble9437]

I live near Coylumbridge and we are lucky enough to have very large coverings of red pine. The forests are absolutely fantastic and really have a different feel to any other I've been in. Much of Scotland's red pine was cut down in the age of sail to build Britain's Navy as they grow tall and straight. That's why you will often see random twisted red pines scattered about as they only took the straight ones and left the crooked ones. The deer are also a big problem in growing new pine forests as they eat anything they can get to. An estate near my house has a policy of shooting any deer that step onto their land and the red pine growth over the last 15 years has been unbelievable, the entire estate is now covered in new growth. There are also many returning species from eagles to insects and lots inbetween.

[@SassyMommy12]

I just love the textures and colors of moss and lichens They smell so good