Flower power to transform woodlands

Flower power to transform woodlands - Nature Scot

In ancient woodland there is a rich variety of attractive woodland plants such as bluebell – which flower in the spring and early summer ©Rick Worrell

A new guide shows how the transformation of newly-planted native woods into beautiful and biodiverse places can be helped by planting common woodland wild flowers and grasses.

The comprehensive step-by-step guidance aims to speed up the natural colonisation of important woodland flora into newly planted woods.

Published today by NatureScot, the work is funded by the Patsy Wood Trust and supported by Scottish Forestry, Plantlife Scotland, Scotia Seeds and Stirling University.

With just 4% of Scotland comprising native woodland, the Scottish Government is prioritising tree planting to address the climate and biodiversity crises with incentives to encourage uptake.

Planting of new broadleaved woodland can often take place on former agricultural land, but it can take decades or even centuries for these sites to acquire much-loved woodland plants.