The Foreign Menace At The Heart Of Scotland's Forests

[@russellzauner]

Sending love from Oregon USA. We struggle with this to this day. A tree farm is not a forest.

[@amblincork]

@@russellzauner Your Mother is not your Father but both had biological roles in your creation

[@limericklad2000]

@@amblincork they're not analogous. Nobody confuses mothers with fathers and tells you they're the same thing and fulfill the same function. It's pretty obvious that a palm oil tree plantation that replaces rainforest in terms of using the same acreage, does not come near to replacing it when comes to supporting the same levels of biodiversity both in flora and fauna. Same goes for fir or spruce plantations replacing naturally occurring deciduous wood.

[@memathews]

Yes, this immediately reminded me of my Cascadian home state of Oregon and the entire PNW Cascades from British Columbia to Northern California.

[@JeffPelletier]

I've really been enjoying this new format, feels like you're finding your stride!

[@StephenJReid]

@@JeffPelletier thanks Jeff

[@bealtainecottage]

You forgot to mention the Highland clearances, where people were forcibly removed from the land and replaced with sheep. Sheep eat all that grows so that no tree gets a foot hold in the land. Here on my 3 acres in Ireland I have planted and nurtured an Atlantic temperate rainforest for 20 years, planting each tree myself. I have proven that forest can be easily restored, given the will and the passion!

[@StephenJReid]

I didn’t forget them, a topic for another time. It’s on my list for a future video.

[@StevenWalker-y8v]

Sorry - back in the 1980's I stumbled across a gang of slave trading Bristol Merchants, who waded ashore in Bath, in 1710, and started a third revolution in England. If it had not been for this revolution, the other two, the Agricultural and Industrial revolution, would never have happened. They started a Financial Revolution. It provided the money to pay for the other two. It was so powerful, it sucked in all the money and it broke the economies of Ireland, Scotland, and France. It caused the Irish famines, it caused the Highland clearances, it caused the French revolution. And after they had done all that, the politicians were terrified of them, and they did what they were told by these Bristol Merchants. They went on to grab America, and create the world's biggest free-trade zone. By their tred in the hallways, they got to run the world. Today we live in that revolution, and we did pretty well out of our deal with the devil. For three hundred years we have had one heck of a party. It was fine whilst we still had planet to rip up for cash. But that is running out. The whole business model is about to collapse. And do collapsing economies kill people? - ask the Irish. All through the famine years the port of Dublin exported record cargos of beef, beer, and barley. There was plenty of food in Ireland. What there wasn't was money. The money and the food were all sucked into this financial black-hole in England. The world is still being run by these men, for their plans, and their view of the world. And we are still living in their "matrix" - shopping for them. Yes. We had one hell of a party. But it is over.

[@johnners911]

@@StevenWalker-y8v I don't know about the Bristol Merchants, but I shall look into them. What I would say is that when systems like that collapse, they turn inwards and begin to devour their own, as there is nothing left to devour. Have a look into the current plans for 72 (I think?) Special Economic Zones and Freeports, planned and under development in the UK. These will be places where the UK laws have little or no power and their tax exempt status will give them such an economic advantage that their competitors will have to comply or go bust. There was even a suggestion, hopefully now shelved, that Northern Ireland as a whole would become one large Special Economic Zone, with an emphasis on military industry and defence. The Teesport freeport scandal with Michael Gove and his cronies shows just what direction this would probably go. It looks as though the endgame is a UK that is devoid of workers' rights and a low-wage, low tax economy run for the benefit of corporations and shareholders. Our history is indeed bleak, but the future could look very similar, especially as a blind eye is being turned to this by our media, for some reason.

[@StevenWalker-y8v]

@@johnners911 Oh, it is gauling to hear "the hawks" telling us that falling population is "not sustainable" - nor is carrying on "business as usual" ripping up the planet for cash! Stuck between those idiots, and the enviromental damage we are doing, the immediate future is extremely bleak. Then I look at the dumped cars, burnt out at the side of the little lanes, and I think "if this is the extent of our intellect, then bring it on! Cull 'em out!" The only thing to look forward to is, those few of us who survive, will be - to quote Winnie the Pooh - "sadder and wiser tiggers" the next time around. (If we get that chance.) I don't know. But then I am an introvert. It was a lovely little green and blue planet. I liked living here, and some of us would have at least asked before we trashed the place. No, we've had one hell of a party since 1710. It's been a blast. These guys ruled the world. It was the only thing we were given to vote for. But it's over. There is a line in the film Zulu, where the young squaddies are bemoaning their fate. The big burly sergeant is stood behind them with his swagger stick under his arm. He tells them "because we're here lad. Nobody else. Just us!" - well, somebody had to be here when the poo hit the fan. It's us.

[@Crusty_Camper]

@@johnners911 We had Freeports in the UK while we were in the EU, there was nothing to stop us doing it except the whole concept is C**P. They don't create jobs , they just move them and there was so much dodgy activity in them, we closed them all down.

[@timwelsh9849]

Monoculture is always a bad idea for local biodiversity

[@poulhenne]

Mostly what is great for production is bad for biodiversity. Even organic farming is still doing everything it can to keep "weeds" and "pests" away. And those things are biodiversity, which we have become way too good at minimizing.

[@boscabruscairgang]

The Sitka Spruce is a big problem in Ireland as well. I say the majority of forests we have left in Ireland are Sitka plantations. Worst, the Irish government has begun planning more Sitka trees as a means to meet its climate targets, but its completely ruining the environment and is going to cause dead zones.

[@StephenJReid]

Yup 11% tree cover and only 2% native in Ireland. I’m working on a couple of videos related to trees in NI/Ireland

[@Conor_Ryan]

Yep, the legacy of Coillte in Ireland is not going to be even remotely positive in the long term. Excellent video as always Stephen 👍

[@AndrewConnolly-c9k]

The forests I'd seen when I was a kid up the Dublin Mountains are all sitka spruce. Wasn't until I was a teenager when I realised they just straight up weren't forests.

[@hhin]

I was about to comment the same thing. It's mostly Sitka spruce where I live, looking out my window towards the mountains, all you see is plantations of non native trees, it's sad to see.

[@Dreyno]

If they at least planted the spruce forest less densely and harvested them selectively. But planting a wall of spruce and rolling in 20 years later with tree harvesters and leaving the place like Ypres is disgraceful. And spraying them with dangerous chemicals. People getting notices in the post to keep their pets and children indoors on certain dates. Imagine if those letters were arriving in Rathfarnham or Foxrock?

[@vidibites]

Sitka Spruce plantations are the woodland equivalent of battery farmed chickens. It’s hyper-capitalism at its worst.

[@gearoiddom]

Yeah but it’s not like the much vaunted alternative has a good relationship with ecology. The collective farm landscape of E. Europe is still a sight to behold today. As for CCP land management…

[@poulhenne]

We need to understand that every time we "increase efficiency" that is actually taken away from something else. It does not just mean we started to use something "previously unused" potential. It was someones habitat.

[@amblincork]

Absurd - in fact commercial forests can have up to nine different species of bats and these can only exost where they find food to eat

[@Enhancedlies]

get a grip

[@Croz89]

​@@poulhenneIncreasing efficiency in the context of agriculture means less land is needed in the first place though.

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

As an ecologist I am anti-sitka spruce. It should be classed as an invasive species, conservation organisations and other bodies are having to pull and cut these trees out of native habitats to prevent them spreading further. It is frequently found in native woods, moors and peatlands where it has self seeded. I understand it is an important timber crop for Scotland however I’d like us to stop planting this invasive and moving to other species.

[@amblincork]

Typical gross exageraation that makes the envoirnmental movement look ridiculous

[@THE_ECONNORGIST]

@@amblincork it’s not a gross exaggeration at all. Sitka spruce is invasive - if it wasn’t valued so highly for its timber it would already be classed as such.

[@Tengooda]

@@amblincork What exactly do you consider did T_E exaggerate? The statements made about the present situation concerning Sitka spruce's invasive nature in Scotland are entirely correct and appropriate, as anyone familiar with Scotland's countryside should know.

[@kolloduke3341]

Sycamores 😊we need to stop treating them as a pest invasive tree. I've just found out they grow everywhere. And love pollution AND like our Scotspine they don't need a lot of soil to grow AND THEY are fast growers ..

[@kolloduke3341]

@THE_ECONNORGIST well written people just love to argue espesh when they don't have the facts or just ignore them ?

[@Chilternwildcamper]

When people from other countries watch our upland camping videos, they often ask where all the trees are. I'm an ecologist and remember crying when I realised there was hardly any Caledonian pine forest left 😢

[@StephenJReid]

I get this all the time with videos in Northern Ireland/ ROI as well. We have even less than Scotland over here.

[@poulhenne]

Here in Denmark, we are being promised new rewilded open forests being grazed by unregulated wild horses and cows. The opposition from farmers and plantation owners is huge, but that is to be expected when some privileges are revoked. But nature and biodiversity will improve immensely, even though hunters are upset that they don't get to hunt as they are allowed to today. The fact that beautiful nature will attract more tourism than dark plantations is something we have to accept, if we want to restore some of the nature we have destroyed.

[@Chilternwildcamper]

The Cumbria Wildlife Trust is trying to buy land for re-wilding in the Lake District, Skiddaw Forest, incredibly a private company has pledged 5 million pounds, so there is an appeal to the public to raise the rest... something positive for the future. Update: Skiddaw Forest is bought by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust!

[@joehenry9787]

There are major moves to redirect the objectives of the national parks towards reconstitution of biodiversity. I expect you know about this - if not let me know and I'll send you the consultation info.

[@Chilternwildcamper]

@joehenry9787 I'm retired so not up to date, so that's good to hear!

[@Sally4th_]

I refuse to think of those stands of pine as forest, they're plantation. They were planted as a crop like a field of wheat or cabbages. I've seen so many "environmentalists" get bent out of shape when an 80-100 year old plantation is harvested. The New Forest down here in the south suffers the same. Let it go so native species can be planted in its place.

[@toberwine]

Don’t worry, Forestry England have a campaign to get rid of most of the non-native conifers in the New Forest! Something I don’t agree with as I believe they have their place, but that’s their policy for the next couple of hundred years.

[@johnstringer5359]

Same in Cornwall vandalism by the state!

[@glenn0010]

This is it Stephen, these documentaries are your thing

[@StephenJReid]

🙂

[@buchschubser7148]

A large portion of woodland in Germany used to be made up of spruce, planted because they were thought to be fast growing and thus profitable. It took just one bug top wipe out whole landscapes of forests: the bark beetle. Especially with the climate getting warmer and drier, the beetle thrives. If you look at the Harz at the heart of Germany, what used to be woodland now looks like a scene from the latest Fallout game. Blackforest as well, Saxonian forest, franconian forest... it's evident everywhere in German forests and it's really sad :/

[@Heimbasteln]

The bugs were only able to kill so many trees and multiply in huge numbers because the trees were sick, the biggest reason is that the trees are not adapted for the climate, especially in a drought. All those monocultures also meant that the bugs didn't need to go very far to get to the next tree. Climate change will make it hard to plant new forests because we really dont know what the climate will look like in 50 years, but the most resistant forests are always mixed forests.

[@LB-W]

It truly is sad. Mono crops always fail over time. I hope your beautiful forests get the attention they deserves.

[@michaelcummings4391]

That bug has now landed in the UK. The European spruce bark beetle has flown/blown over from the continent. Limited to a couple of sites in the south I think. If FC are unable to contain it sitka spruce may become non viable in the future. As the old saying goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

[@LB-W]

@@michaelcummings4391 😳

[@bluedick321]

Quick question, Teutoburg forest is natural right? Also is it true that 35% of Germany is still forested? I've always admired Germany for that, I hope my dreams aren't going to be dashed :-)

[@curtisnixon5313]

New Zealand here. We have pinus radiata plantation forests. Same reason you have sitka spruce. Fast growing, straight grain. The forest floor is similarly a wasteland devoid of most life. The government pays forestry owners carbon credits to grow them. The pollen season has just hit - the pine pollen makes a yellow film on top of puddles and on cars. Terrible for hayfever.

[@StephenJReid]

Sounds very familiar

[@philbattley8776]

But the worse problem is the spread beyond plantations of these species into other areas. Wilding conifers are an increasingly massive issue in NZ.

[@curtisnixon5313]

@@philbattley8776 I am a volunteer weedbuster who goes into the hills and hunts down rogue pines. it's fun - plus they can't run away

[@philbattley8776]

@@curtisnixon5313 Good man. You have a favourite hand saw type?

[@curtisnixon5313]

@@philbattley8776 Fiskar folding saw

[@AdventuresThings]

I am loving these new style of videos, documentaries if you will. Great Job

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks Mr Wright, finding I really enjoy making them too

[@AdventuresThings]

@@StephenJReid it comes across that way too. After watching your green slime one I thought to myself thats what I should do. I should completely rip off Stephen J Reid. That guy is way smarterer than me.

[@StephenJReid]

Don’t tell anyone but I’m ripping off quite a few people myself 😂

[@AdventuresThings]

@@StephenJReid haha, its our secret.

[@scott0111]

Loving the ai stuff 👌

[@absurdanemone104]

Good video, shame for the Ai images tho

[@andrewmcdonald6987]

We have wild boars in some of the forests in Dumfries and Galloway x There are also beavers in other areas of Scotland yippee

[@iainpaton1865]

Another first class video friend thank you again. Please keep the great videos coming 😊. From Scotland 😊

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks Iain

[@suzycat2026]

Thanks, I enjoyed your discussion about the future of Scottish forests. 😻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@robertthebruce-geniusofban647]

Thank you for the video, and potent reminder of how sad the situation is affecting Scotland’s natural land, forest, and wildlife… As a hill walker it is something I am only too well made aware of. Let us hope that moving hearts help work to restore at least the parts deserving of forest and its wildlife in our country…

[@epincion]

Excellent talk thanks. Fully agree. The next great task is planting mixed forests of native species in a large scale as you talk about.

[@lamangacolin]

You are a great man Stephen with amazing information. Love your videos. Greetings from an Ulsterman in Murcia, Spain. 😀

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks Colin 🙂

[@stephen1561]

Just came after watching your blue green algae video. Love how this is all put together from the content itself, edits and how you set up your shots. I’m from Sydney but I guess I’m about to learn a lot about your side of the world.

[@shawnjackson3764]

I grew up and in Polynesia and we have this issue with bamboo imported from Asia. It's insane.

[@iancameron1495]

I live in the place where your Sitka Spruce come from. Here on Vancouver Island we still have temperate rainforests (though we still have to fight against those who would cut them down). Of course our Sitka Spruce belong here and have a balance of species all interconnected together. You will likely have heard of the trouble that we are having with wildfires, and one of the causes of that is mismanagement of the forest by trying to treat it like farming (trying to grow what we think is most useful to us rather than building a more balanced system). That's an oversimplification, but the important thing is that we as a species are trying to move toward doing things smarter, or maybe less stupidly, than we have in the past.

[@BTurner.]

I recently did the West Highland Way and made my own videos for my memories and I make the comment in one of them that the forests were devoid of life. Very noticeable even along Loch Lomond.

[@StephenJReid]

Did the WHW myself back in May (video series on here) and yeah some parts really didn’t have many trees

[@BTurner.]

@@StephenJReid Didn’t have much wildlife in the trees.

[@BTurner.]

@@StephenJReid Ive watched all of your videos Stephen.

[@2adamast]

Nothing beats barren moors with a few sheep, at least we can see the sheep and tourists living up the place.

[@EltonIntFells]

Thank you for this great vid, Stephen (and all your other great content). I've been a 'tree hugger' my whole life and it saddens me that there is very little natural woodland remaining in the UK. I'm lucky enough to live in the North West Lake District and regularly look over to Galloway and have been meaning to get over there for ages! Plantation is a necessary evil, and yep, the ground beneath them is very poor quality but they do provide habitat and shelter (at least here in the Lakes) for Red Squirrel; many a time have I ran through Whinlatter and seen them up close :) But when they are clear-felled, the area that's left leaves an ugly scar across the fell sides and will take many years to regenerate. However, I personally still find them very calming places if you can see past the wood for the trees...

[@StephenJReid]

True! Plantations can be nice in places, especially around the edges and especially when they have been thinned. I’ve seen red squirrels and pine martens in the one near me. But compared to natural woodland they have very little diversity

[@ErwinG_private]

When we, as a nature conservation organisation, want to restore a location with a tree plantation into it's natural habitat (wetland, natural forest, heathlands,...). We get a lot of backlash from the general public. We are called tree killers and eco-terrorists... If only more people would understand that a tree plantation isn't the same as a forest.

[@StephenJReid]

I’m hoping this video partly achieves this. Lots of people don’t understand the purpose of plantations.

[@rhisands2063]

The forestry companies sank a lot of time and money into making people love their plantations. A lot of money. It'll take as much time and money to re-educate people. It is important that we don't blame people for being lied to, being misinformed, and having emotional attachments based on the bad information they were given. That was why they were given that bad info in the first place. I know it is exhausting always seeming to fight the same battles, and getting the same snide comments about greenies loving plantations/grey squirrels/etc from people who ought to be on our side, but it is something we have to do and not blame the people who were duped. Because that just drives them to dig their heels in. Remember the old adage, people hate being lied to. But they despise those who made them feel like fools.

[@skyefarnan2311]

"Friesian cow of trees" as one of the senior executives at Ireland's state forestry agency said

[@mattbibbings]

Excellent piece. Your channel is fast becoming one of those where its a case of me ensuring I carve out the time to watch without my kids interrupting. And that is a short list!

[@StephenJReid]

High praise indeed, thanks!

[@kevinscott4938]

Epic video. Living in the central belt of Scotland, one thing it absolutely needs is some natural woodlands!!

[@StephenJReid]

More trees plz

[@Avariel]

Yup, we had a large open patch of natural ground next to us, now it's a housing estate. Then we had another large bit of woodland 1/4 mile down the road, now it's a housing estate. Then there was a large patch of woods opposite the school by the chicken factory that "burned down", and yes you guessed it, now it's all housing estate. And now they're building on the woodlands at the other side of the town.

[@kevinscott4938]

@@StephenJReid preach it

[@hendrixknight4552]

Top stuff, loving the Scottish content! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks! 🙂 that’s probably all the Scottish videos for this year but lots of other ideas in the mix

[@tobilemoine9604]

Eye opening stuff, thanks Stephen

[@gordonbruce373]

The Temperate Rain forest is still here Stephen! just further up the West Coast, much depleted, true; but still here.

[@thefriendlydisruptor1364]

A big fan of your recent videos. So important to reflect about some of the topics that you are engaging with in your videos. Maybe we sometimes don’t have the answer to some of the dilemmas but reflection and learning more about the issue is always a good first step.

[@kentv999]

Another great video! I love these “story based” outdoor videos. You really have a terrific style.

[@StephenJReid]

Glad you like them! Bit more effort and much longer edits, but enjoying the process so far.

[@IvanDP1967]

Another great one Stephen. Very informative and brilliantly shot too.

[@Karl_with_a_K]

I'm really enjoying this format of video Stephen, really interesting. This combination of Sitka spruce and Sika deer is really bad for the native habitat. As you have shown the forest floor is a wasteland, with very little life supported. There is a guy who is restoring his own temperal rain forest in Cork, his name is Eoghan Dalton, you should look him up, a discussion might be interesting. He essentially highlights and is fighting against what you have mentioned here.

[@StephenJReid]

Hi Karl, I’ve read Eoghans book 🙂 been working on an off on a story about irelands trees for over a year. This was kind of a test run.

[@TakeAPeakAtThis]

Great video ! Really enjoyed watching it 🙏

[@stoneymagoney7883]

This is so important, thanks for sharing your research and knowledge

[@JonleePeakman]

Great video and really apt for me as I camped in a plantation the other night and noticed everything you mentioned in this video! Really elightened me as to why it was so rotten at ground level.

[@PotooBurd]

Boosting for the algorithm 🙌 Love your work, keep it up! 🌻🐝

[@GregAdventure]

Another great production Stephen. I lived in British Columbia for 3 years and spent my summer holidays in BC & Alberta this year. I love the tree covered landscape. It dose tend to block out the views but although the trees are predominantly spruce it has plenty of wildlife. I would love to see the restoration of our forests here and National Parks are a great way of starting this process by simply removing grazing from our uplands. If you look a map of the boreal forests that circles across the northern parts of the world it is seriously lacking in the UK & Ireland, such a shame.

[@BrokenBackMountains]

This might seem like a crazy comment but I have been really enjoying your recent, informative mini docs. Hope to see more soon.

[@davidsmillie1987]

This is absolutely fascinating. I live in Aberdeenshire and a couple of years back, we had a really bad storm. We must have lost hundreds of acres of trees, to the point that we are still dealing with the issue today. Cheers Steve. Loved this, have a good one.

[@stevengeorgecampbell5330]

Great content, as always. Saw you guys at the Kirroughtree visitors centre

[@StephenJReid]

Oh really? We were there for a while, Connor got a puncture on his tubeless tyre which took a while to sort out

[@Jimmy_Cream]

Same in Northumberland. Walking through these plantations is eerie. The only benefit i could see was the red squirrel numbers. I'd like to see the harvested areas left to rewilding

[@chrisb1682]

Thank you for this very enlightening vlog…. I’ve visited the area and even here, further east into England, these rows of perfectly planted trees always look and feel odd. Someone said, quite rightly, that a tree farm is not a forest. Thank you for the fab content 💕🌿

[@BaurJoe]

Wildly impressed by these latest films. Well done!

[@TheLicewine]

I m so glad that I found your channel. In my so many trips to Scotland, I was always wondering about the woodlands. I have family in Scotland and I was never satisfied with what it is, but what it was and what it will be - one of he best places on earth. Cheers, Chris

[@motoed]

Agree on the previous comment. I love these nature historical videos. Scotland tourism should fund you… It’s getting a bit higher on my travel wish list thanks to a lot of your adventure videos.

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks! 🙂 I’m not sure I’m doing the tourism board any favours though 🙈

[@alexandergutfeldt1144]

Switzerland has many tree plantations camouflaging as forests. Even many of the alpine foothills are covered with them ..

[@StephenJReid]

Do you know what the native tree coverage % is there?

[@alexandergutfeldt1144]

@@StephenJReid No, I don't know. Forrests are very much seen as a business here. The storms Vivian (1990) and Lothar (1999) have changed the approach, since they demonstrated that monocultures cannot survive strom winds, just like you described. For a while it seemed things might change. But what I have seen recently makes me believe the lessons are being forgotten as planting and especially harvesting is more and more industrialized. There is a road that can hold heavy equipment every 50m to 100m in a Swiss forest.

[@alanrobertson5497]

Great video Stephen. Love the insight and content. ❤❤

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks Alan

[@Rationalskeptic49]

Another great video, I'm really enjoying the new approach. I find the Sitka Spruce plantations really depressing. So devoid of life. I avoid them as much as possible. One thing you didn't mention is the impact of climate change on our forests. Many native trees won't be able to survive in a much warmer climate. I've seen very little planning for this or research on how different species will be affected.

[@davidjeffrey2358]

I concur with other comments Stephen. Absolutely loving the documentary style videos. Clearly a lot of effort involved. Keep up the great work.

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks David

[@PhilWaud]

A well researched and beautifully created video, love your stuff Stephen, keep it coming and thank you.

[@Glitchesftw]

3:03 appreciated sound effect

[@StephenJReid]

You’re welcome 😄

[@GaryB_OutandAbout]

Haha I watched that more times than I should admit 🤣👍🏼

[@fastfreddy19641]

Great videos, good content, thanks

[@K.Kali24]

Is sounds a bit weird but could you do a small video on the Irish trees that are sick and dying , was in woodwork class yesterday and my teacher was telling us that we’re losing most of our ash(we need it for hurleys) chestnuts, multiple other trees accross Ireland and I think he said the uk and Europe aswell but with ash and just trees being such a huge part of Ireland I’m so worried about how it will go

[@Abbale]

No matter how far I walk from my home it’s endless ugly housing suburbs with no true wildlife in sight.

[@Thewildmanwoods]

That’s sad to hear …come and stay for free @thewildmanwoods …kinda like introducing folks to a native woodland….might be too far … but anyway your welcome 🪵🍃⛺️🦉🌿🧚‍♂️

[@ruairihair]

Been looking forward to this one :)

[@andrewadam9544]

good things are happening, one of Scotlands biggest independent forresters has last year planted 80,000 mixed native trees across 350 acres of an sssi site close to me, it is not to be harvested at any point and was completed in association with a private individual from abroad who just loves Scotland, this same company has also just dug out some wildlife ponds on an area that was harvested and then replanted, so while they have a business to run the attitudes are changing :)

[@toi_techno]

Great vid We have the same problem in Ireland

[@StephenJReid]

Oh I know and it’s even worse. Future video planned

[@SepticPeg]

Just like Coillte in the Republic, a extremely small amount of native trees compared to Sitka spruce plantations, native trees creates life underneath the trees, the difference is unreal, I’m in Wicklow and give me what breeds life any day.

[@StephenJReid]

I'll be taking on Coillte in a future video, although the focus isn't on trees but they will be part of it

[@jennyF2158]

Just discovered your channel. Absolutely enjoyed your previous video and look forward to see whats next

[@StephenJReid]

Thanks Jenny

[@davidgleatham9966]

Enjoyable presentation, and thank you. Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, ShorePine, Juniper, Yew, and Hemlock grow together here, by the Salish Sea; all are extremely useful softwoods. In the lower lands Broadleaf Maple, Red Alder, Madrona (or Arbutus, a leafy evergreen), Bitter Cherry, Cottonwood, Vine Maple, Cascara, Hazelnut are hardwoods all mixed with softwoods and live in forests near Vancouver BC. Oak species are somewhat rare, and Alaska yellow Cedar lives in the north. Each species do want some special habitat, and many pacific northwest plants can be difficult to establish in plantings at first. Maybe since Your climate is similar, try to include as many local species as possible in these plantings. Autumn leaves build beautiful soils. Alders flourish in burned areas, live 40 years or so, and become pulp very quickly. Beaver build wetlands that later form meadows and squirrels plant seeds of choice like fir and pine nuts and hazelnuts. I hope your foresters learn to use these possibilities.

[@samkayak8712]

They clearcut a small forest near where I live. It is now colder! And windier! But it is so quiet, no bird song. Nothing!

[@graniteruns2599]

Stephen great content again. Thanks

[@fionnmcarthur4839]

Really good explanation, beautifully shot. I'd like to think we are now moving im right direction. Sadly there seems to be a fair bit of resistance from agricultural community, with concerns around productive farmland being given up to tree planting. As usual, you sense some of that is being stoked online as part of an increasing 'them and us' between rural communities and conservation.

[@AjaySingh-228]

This video was incredibly informative and well-made. I learned so much about the history of Scotland's forests and the challenges they face today. I'm glad that there are efforts underway to restore these forests and protect their biodiversity Sir

[@EmsWolf02]

Thank you for highlighting this. I certainly noticed that the worst effected wood after Storm Arwen was the plantations where the trees were so close together and there was absolutely no understory.

[@CMc-g7u]

Sorry you need to look at the bigger picture, I think you miss the point that spruce plantations are crops like wheat, I.e. 2m spacing gives better quality timber , the profit from the timber side lets the public enjoy all the outdoor recreation for free and ensures a secure supply of timber for uk mills when foreign imports fail, but also supports all the re-generation of natural forests, wildlife projects etc. across the uk. Do not knock one of the few government run industries that actually puts more back than it takes despite years of political sabotage!

[@EmsWolf02]

@@CMc-g7u Not sure who you're lecturing. I was making a valid observation, not missing any point.

[@CMc-g7u]

@@EmsWolf02 sorry, my mistake, I replied to your post when I thought I was at the level above replying to the numerous anti-Sitka posts that failed to see the upside of Sitka. I.e. the only real profitable tree crop grown on poor land, most of which had factory sheep/pesticides etc. before - not native plants. NB. As with any crop you maximise production through research, plant spacing plays an important part in producing straight knot free timber/better quality wood. I do agree in the past grants and tax loopholes resulted in the wrong species being planted in the wrong place, but that was 40+ years back not now. All trees suffer from windblow, it is poor thin soils that cause the issue not the tree species and on a good soil conifers will snap in high winds. If 80% of woods are Sitka it is understandable that there looks to be more problems with spruce. Regards.

[@valdius85]

The solution is on a cultural level. We simply use too much resources, some of it we simply don’t need.

[@Hikingjoe383]

Fantastic video mate really enjoyed it.

[@overworlder]

Germany’s forest plantations are nearly all monoculture commercial cultivars. Mostly Norwegian spruce. Wilderness (of all sorts not just forest) is less than 1% of the country (only 0.6). Spruce is suffering from the warming climate. The German government is now starting to replace its monoculture plantations with mixed forest using species or subspecies from the Mediterranean, with positive results for ecological outcomes and tree health.

[@jbjaguar2717]

At least Norway Spruce is native to Germany. Also Germany has a good population of wild boar, beaver and red squirrel, and growing lynx and wolf populations. As a Brit who lived there for a while, walking in the forest there felt almost like being in Yellowstone by comparison to our forests.

[@wakingtheworld]

I learned this on a boat trip on Loch Linnhe having completed the West Highland Way. I walked through one forest & stopped to film - it was so eerily quiet & spooky & I commented as much on my video. Not a sound. Sterile & devoid of life & this is why. I also learnt about the introduction of deer & the shooting estates before these plantations but there are no lynx, bear or wolves now to keep their nos in check!

[@babyrish1]

The big issue with those plantations is actually the management system. Ie they are managed for clear cut. Alternative management systems are out there such as CCF or LISS where the management aim is to regenerate the forest naturally. But to do this is very management intensive. I could go on forever.

[@poulhenne]

We tried some of the more nature-friendly ways of managing plantations here in Denmark, since the woodproducing sector needed some greenwashing. The problem is that they need an entire cycle (50 years) before a conclusion could be made. And now after that detour we can see that biodiversity still did not improve enough to not continue eradicating species. (Which is the goal our politicians have promised to meet at some point) They always try to implement the easiest solutions in the hope that business as usual can continue with large profits.

[@toberwine]

Many of the forests in Scotland can’t be managed using CCF as they’re too exposed and shallow-rooting. However research is going on into how to convert Sitka spruce plantations from clearfell into CCF systems so watch this space!

[@feefee8ify]

I’m lucky and live in and near some of the temperate rainforest. It’s an amazing place, full of life and smells totally different from plantations. Edited to add: great informative video

[@StephenJReid]

That’s cool! There’s a tiny tiny patch of it about 40 mins from me and it was visiting there a few years ago that got me curious about this

[@feefee8ify]

@@StephenJReid there’s a teeeeny bit beside the house but a proper woodlands up the hill a bit and along the road. Further down the road is the Sunart oak forest. It’s a green place (unsurprising given the rain!) Possibly lucky to have escaped the National Park thing in Lochaber too. Honestly, brilliant videos and it’s great to see Galloway get some love as it’s an underrated part of Scotland.

[@GribGFX]

The nature education is really cool. It's a good niche if you find it interesting enough to carry on.

[@alexandrabryden6143]

Forestry commission was formed in 1929. I've seen 3 harvesting of trees in my lifetime. But on our farm we also have a small ancient woodland, beautiful.

[@Nhkg17]

If you want a natural forest in Scotland, you first need to limit the numbers of deer and sheep. A natural forest will not grow if all the young trees are eaten immediately.. If conditions are good, all you need is a few local trees and in a few decades a natural forest will grow around them.

[@StephenJReid]

That’s for a future video 😁

[@MrTendentious]

Yeah. The root :) cause is land ownership in Scotland, and the land management that has gone hand in hand with it. Things are changing, but painfully slowly.

[@freeforester1717]

There are instances of natural regeneration in NE Scotland, where deer are present , albeit in lower numbers. Itnshould be borne in mind that deer are a woodland animal. The Caledonian forest is alive and well, but presently living in Southern Norway.

[@Xib_]

​@@StephenJReidHonestly I think Glen Affric and Glen Feshie are great examples of what Scotland did/could look like

[@damionkeeling3103]

I think Scotland has other problems which limit natural reforestation such as wind and cold. The damage caused by humans needs human intervention to fix it otherwise the natural reforestation could take centuries.

[@IanTed]

Thankfully they are clearing the monoculture pine around Kielder here in Northumberland, replacing it with a mixed deciduous forest great for wildlife. Always disturbs me the silence of a Spruce commercial forest…

[@PeterJoeGraham]

I have just discovered your site and i think its great ! Im from the Causeway Coast and Glens area,i am also an avid wild camper, my favourte place is the mourne mountains, ,i use army surplus cold weather combat sleeping systems and it works great, when i saw you in the smugglers cave in Co Down,i laughed my leg off,i had the same conditions, well done,,,you have a great informative and interesting site, keep it up thank you

[@rnbmeister]

Great video. I visited the Wood of Cree earlier this year and it is gorgeous. I really want to go back to Galloway for some bikepacking.

[@johnners911]

I was living in France when the Notre Dame cathedral caught fire. The area I was living in had many ancient oak forests and plantations, traditionally supplying each village and home with firewood etc. There was one plantation that was planted and set aside specifically when Notre Dame was being built, and the oak timber was there "just in case" something happened to the cathedral and replacement oak beams were required. When the fire happened, they were prepared for the worst. I have always remembered that and been struck by how different things are in the UK. We have such a focus on high efficiency, low waste, profit today and screw tomorrow. When disasters strike, such as Covid for example, we are not prepared to face them. The reason we need Sitka plantations is the same reason we are failing miserably with productivity and progress in the 21st Century, lack of foresight, planning and the obsessive search for profit.

[@AlexGal936]

You made some great points but there's also the issue of large corporations buying up farms that leaves fewer family farms for local people leaving rural communities diminished. They claim huge amounts of grants from the government and also sell their carbon points to companies to offset their carbon footprint, is the carbon capturing being counted twice? As someone living in an area with the plantations rapidly growing and encroaching ever closer i find it hard to believe they're that effective at reducing carbon when you see the volume and size of the machinery that goes in there to drain the land (not helpful for flooding further down) the truck after truck of stone that goes in from miles away to keep the roads to a standard for the giant machines/diggers/log lorries etc, the helicopter that flies all day and into the night for months on end to drop stone off to maintain the roads on the higher tracks. Also there's the issue of thousands and thousands of plastic tree guards fitted on the token native trees on the edges of the plantations and left to litter the land and eventually choke out the trees inside them. If the timber was grown as a commercial crop in it's own right that would be fair enough, but surely the environmental grants shouldn't be paid to such an environmental disaster. The reason they're so profitable and spreading so fast is because of all the extra income they can claim from the government (and companies off setting their carbon footprint) Surely that money should be put towards a native, healthy woodland. How amazing would it be to have large sections of woodland alive with nature rather than the dead forest plantations

[@e.k.4508]

Brilliant comment. All of this worries me too

[@JustinKayce]

Overall there is a decline in available farmland for sale, which breaks down to fewer large farms, but more small farms on the market. This is largely driven by farmers retiring and no one to take over as farming becomes more and more difficult to make a living out of, as well as other factors that disincentivise young people from taking over the family farm. But again, the available farmland is low, hence the relative high demand and subsequent land value increases. This land value increase further incentivises farmers to hold on to their land as long term wealth storage, as well as in opportunities to lease their land for agriculture. Another factor relating to the hills was that farmers had been selling and reinvesting in more productive land. With regard to small farms, the forestry sector was found to be more dominant in sales of lower productivity land, while local farming groups bought more of the higher productivity land. Another buyer group in Scotland was relocating farmers from England who got high value returns and tax relief on their farms to then reinvest in relatively cheaper land in Scotland. While grants are a factor in corporate purchasing of lower productivity farmland, the demand and price of wood is the main driver. But they are also involved in rewilding and other regenerative practices which impact on communities relying on the land use remaining the same. This is clearly a tension that requires compromise and understanding on both sides, as there are certainly needs to restore land to natural status, as well as to produce wood, and so flexibility is required from communities in adapting to the change, which should in turn be done in collaboration with the land buyers (although this isn't limited specifically to farms, as the report covered estates and existing forestry). So, I don't think it's quite as severe a picture as you've painted there, although clearly you've witnessed and raised some important issues about machinery. Unfortunately, machinery is necessary, but forest sequestration outweighs the emissions. And timber demand and prices, rather than grants, remains the key driver in land purchases for plantation. Source: Scotland's Rural Land Market Insights Report April 2022

[@fgaze72]

It's a fair distance from Galloway but you should check out the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre. Trees For Life are doing amazing work there and at their other sites

[@hendrixknight4552]

We still have some beavers, especially further north :)

[@StephenJReid]

Yup, reintroduced in 2009 I think? Was going to talk about this but focused on the trees

[@andreaduncan1042]

I’ve just come across this. I’ve also watched your companion piece about the proposed NP. Enjoyed and appreciated both, but was really fascinated by the comments. The problem is getting the balance right. Greed dictates that will never happen. Yes, we all want more, we all want the best, but what are we prepared to sacrifice? Fine, allow nature to return, but at what cost? Balance.

[@davidmccarter9479]

Well done Stephen.important discussion. By the way compared to Ireland Scotland have been doing quite well. On my travels up the A9 /A87 and more I see a lot of broadleaf plantation and remarkably all of it fenced off to keep the deer out. We actually need to talk about the deer. There are way too many. Ireland has been very slow out of the blocks , pun intended.

[@StephenJReid]

Ireland has 11% tree cover and only 2% native, so not far off half of what Scotland has. Working on a video about Irelands trees atm as well

[@TerryMcGearyScotland]

The conifer needles are so slow to decompose they stifle any plant growth. Being evergreen they cut out light from plants below permanently.

[@PopularesVox]

In Scotland, there has been something akin to a Klondike rush by large investment companies to buy large areas of farmland to plant commercial forests subsidised by the government. Subsidies which should have been used almost entirely for planting broad-leafed woodland are being used to expand commercial forestry on a large scale. Land which hasn't changed for hundreds of years is being permanently changed by planting dense rows of conifer trees which are deserts for wildlife and have little to attract the visitor. Before maturity many will be will be felled to produce bio fuel to gain a quick return for investment, so the environmental benefits of these trees for carbon capture are questionable. It's ridiculous and people outside the countryside don't know what's going on..

[@alexandrabryden6143]

England is cutting down ancient Canadian forests for a bit of electricity. 🤬

[@patsyv59]

💯 dreadful and they call it ‘eco’ because they burn wood not fossil fuels .

[@brainwrongs]

Most native trees have a central tap root that secures them against the windy climate here. Spruce don't have a tap root and are often planted on boggy land making them liable to falling over. Great video and mirrors my own views about these monoculture plantation forests.

[@StephenJReid]

Ahhh that explains their big flat roots. Assuming solitary trees probably still do better in wind though as their roots will have been able to adapt better.

[@poulhenne]

Free standing sitka makes larger roots, and of course also branches that makes the timber bad quality.

[@spacegoat1385]

the music makes the video feel very professsional

[@padanfain7466]

In my local woods, there is a 10 year ongoing mission by the local council to replace the foreign invaders - firs and Rhodedendrons with more natural Birch and Oak Woodland. The difference over the last few years alone has been massive. I walk there every month or so and even in this tiny area I have noticed a huge uptick in green undergrowth and wildlife.

[@mirola73]

Yep, I've hiked through various planted forests in N. Ireland too and he's right, there is no life, no insects, no animals, nothing at all. NI was also a lot more wooded than it is now.

[@yyams]

Very similar here in north wales. I'm glad the plantations are here, they give me a lot of excellent tracks to ride bikes on... but while there's a decent amount of natural forest here, the balance is certainly very much in favour of plantations.

[@Enhancedlies]

that little pep talk at. 8mins about the reality of UK timber needs and native production, i had no idea we imported 81% and would import on that scale...

[@h-j.k.8971]

We need to stop caling plantations forrests.

[@MrTreegeek1978]

Last time I was in Wood of Cree it was horrendously managed. Barely any regeneration because of huge deer numbers. The UK Forestry Standard was rewritten in 2023 and says that forests cannot consist of more than 65% of a single species. Scotland also planted 4000 hectares of new native woodlands last year. More than any other uk nation in the last ten years.

[@frankpaulschulte]

Nice vid, important topic; here in Germany, we got the same issues: „Monokulturen“ (monolithic cultured regions?) as we call them. Oh, and with regards to „It is very, very easy to make plans“: What is even easier is to have a „concept of a plan“, as the orange would-be-dictator in your former colony said :)

[@MikeH401]

Similar plantations of western hemlock were planted many years ago in Wales with the intention of cropping them in 50 years. Once harvested the land looks decimated and is left to naturally regenerate and within 10 years the area has regenerated to a dense natural woodland.