Opening address: ‘Burnett, 1964’ and after

Abstract

Summary The foundations of British vegetation science were laid in Scotland around 1900,based on a phytosociological approach. After a period in which Scottish vegetation received little attention, the 1940s saw the beginning of a ‘renaissance’ and a renewal of interest in phytosociological methods. These provided the basis for much of the descriptive material contained in the The Vegetation of Scotland (Burnett, 1964) which also drew attention to important gaps in knowledge, particularly in respect of the physiological ecology of aquatic plants, vegetational history, mire ecology and woodland dynamics. These have, to a considerable extent, now been filled, while recent work has emphasized the importance of ‘cultural landscapes’ (grasslands and heathlands), and of the effects of changes in land-use patterns. The time is ripe for a new comprehensive account of Scottish vegetational ecology.