Restoring our native woodlands: a case study on the RSPB reserve of Isle Martin

Abstract

Summary This paper is an account of small scale work in recreating native woodland in a highly degraded and exposed environment on the north-west coast of Scotland. The project is now beginning to spread its influence beyond Isle Martin 160 ha) on which the work has so far been mostly concentrated. The work is being done on some of the poorest, most eroded soils in the country with high exposure to salt spray. Soil rather than climate has been found to be the limiting factor. Nevertheless native willows (Salix spp.) and downy birch (Betula pubescens) have achieved 60–90 cm growth a year in appropriate sites while on better soils hazel(Corylus avellana), oak (Quercus petraea) and gean (Prunus avium) have grown 30 cm a year. On the poorest shallow peats only Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) has established well and fertilization trials are in progress to release deciduous trees from check. The difficulty of obtaining genuine west coast native trees has led to the establishment of a tree nursery, the aims of which are as much educational as they are to ensure the use of local origin native trees.