CARBON AWARE PRODUCTIONS
CARBON AWARE PRODUCTIONS
Riverside Planting in Scotland
Riverside Planting to Cool Waters
From 2021 to 2023 you helped fund the planting of a total of 13,030 riverside, or riparian, trees along the Carron & Oykel rivers in the Kyle of Sutherland in Scotland. A mix of alder, downy birch, willows, hazel, bird cherry, elm & aspen were planted by our partners at the Kyle of Sutherland Fisheries Trust and Mossy Earth. Now established they are providing nutrients & shade for the many species, including Atlantic salmon & white tailed eagles, that live there.
THE NEED FOR COOL WATERS
Rivers need sunlight to allow aquatic plants & algae to photosynthesise. Too much heat warms the water however, reducing oxygen levels and making it difficult for fish, like salmon and trout, to survive. Centuries of tree felling and overgrazing has meant that Scotland’s riverbanks now lack trees altogether. Hotter, drier summers are also taking their toll.
BRINGING BACK SHADE
The solution is to get those riparian zone trees back in the ground. Their canopies provide the shade needed to cool waters; leaf litter feeds insects, fungi & bacteria; branches fall into the water creating shelter for fish & nesting spots for birds; tree roots stabillise the banks preventing soil erosion; and the trees act as highways for wildlife, giving animals food, shelter and safe pathways across open land.
Riparian Planting © Mossy Earth
13,030 trees planted
Our trees were planted along the Carron & Oykel rivers in the Kyle of Sutherland in the Highlands in Scotland.
