CAP

Planting Projects 

CAP TREE PLANTING SUMMER 2021

In June 2021, 3000 CAP trees were planted at the stunning Alladale Wilderness Reserve by our planting partners at Mossy Earth. 

Alladale is a key site for re-wilding. It forms part of the great Caledonian Forest which once covered most of Scotland and was filled with historic Scots pine and beautiful broadleaf trees. Centuries of tree felling for timber and farmland has meant this vast forest has been reduced to just 1% of its former range.

Between 2009 and 2012 Paul Lister, owner of Alladale, completed phase one of a project to re-forest the land by planting 920,000 saplings within the estate’s 23,000 acres. Phase two of this project to plant a further 2,000 acres with trees is currently underway.

​

The regeneration of Alladale’s woodland has paved the way for the successful re-introductucion of red squirrels & wild cat to the area. Details and clips can be seen here. Paul Lister is hoping to be the first location in the UK to re-introduce wolves.

CAP TREE PLANTING AUTUMN 2021

During the Autumn of 2021, CAP will focus on funding the planting of aspen at Alladale Wilderness Reserve.

Aspen is an important species within the broadleaf component of the Scottish pinewood and the hope of our planting partners at Mossy Earth is to plant 10,000 trees over the next five years. The aim is to help restore the natural diversity of Alladale’s woodlands, to establish a favourite food source for beavers in the event of a future reintroduction and to boost the conservation of this nationally important keystone species.

Aspen are largely missing components of Scotland’s woodland today as a result of various human-induced factors over the centuries, including preferential grazing, felling for iron-ore smelting and being regarded as a ‘non-useful’ species by timber companies.

CAP TREE PLANTING SPRING 2022

We are delighted to say that from Feb 2022 CAP tree planting will also be taking place at the Forest of Marston Vale in Bedfordshire.

​

The Forest of Marston Vale is 61 square miles of land set between Bedford and Milton Keynes. It was a very different place before the Forest of Marston Vale Trust came along. Massive pits had been dug throughout the countryside to supply Stewartby Brickworks with clay, many of which were then filled with waste and became landfill. Tree cover was a pitiful 3%, a third of the national average at the time.

To help the area recover from the effects of these industries, the Government made the area a Community Forest (one of 12 in the UK) in the early 90s. The idea was that planting trees and using woodlands would make life better for people and wildlife as well as the environment. Since then, the Forest Charity has planted an incredible 2 million trees and have transformed the landscape by planting twelve thriving woodlands. They’re working towards 30% tree cover in the whole area which means planting another 5 million trees. We’re delighted to play a small part in helping them get there. 

​

The Forest of Marston Vale’s community focus is a massive appeal and being just a couple of hours outside London, site visits are both easy and encouraged.