For those passionate about the renewal of Scotland’s Caledonian forest, there are a handful of people whose contribution warrants special celebration. Finlay M MacRae is one of those figures. The Forestry Commission’s District Officer for Glen Affric, MacRae fenced off sections of the native forest there in the 1960s and was instrumental in supporting Trees for Life founder Alan Watson Featherstone to begin rewilding in the glen in the 1980s.
But Finlay had a tutor and mentor himself whose pioneering research into Caledonian pinewoods in the 1940s and 50s created a blueprint to which Trees for Life and many others have since repeatedly turned for inspiration.
Born in 1893, Henry ‘Harry’ Marshall Steven spent his life researching, writing about, and managing woodlands in Scotland. A Professor of Forestry at Aberdeen University between 1938 and 1963, Steven was an early advocate for restoring Scotland’s Caledonian pinewoods. With his Aberdeen University colleague Alan ‘Jock’ Carlisle, Steven published The Native Pinewoods of Scotland in 1959. A detailed study of the health, history and dispersal of Scotland’s pinewoods, the book recognised Caledonian pinewoods as the lynchpin of Scotland’s ecological character and culture, while highlighting the threats to its survival, namely the spread of non-native species and herbivore over-browsing.
Today, it’s a classic text for forestry and ecology students - but in 1959 it received a muted response. At a time in history when nature was something to be dominated and controlled, the argument that native pinewoods should be supported to regenerate and expand themselves found little traction, save for some like MacRae, whose own Gaelic identity fed an emotional connection to the ancient native forest in Affric. Out of step with the thinking of the day, Steven died in 1969 without the recognition his pioneering work so duly deserved.
But now, after a serendipitous turn of events, Steven’s memory lives on in a new and vital pinewood project in the Scottish Highlands - thanks to a generous donation from his family.
Harry’s youngest son Andrew Steven, who died in 2021, left a gift in his will to Trees for Life. While sorting his affairs, Andrew’s three nieces decided to donate a larger portion of his estate to the charity. It was a decision they felt their uncle would support. Andrew’s fascinating life in Northern Ireland had seen him bring inner-city Protestant and Catholic young people together during the Troubles. He introduced many to the beauty of the Mourne mountains, drawing on the greater power of nature to bridge division and offer solace during extremely difficult times. He understood - as we do too - how the natural world can heal and inspire.
Thanks to this gift from the Steven family, we have now started work to save a unique part of Scotland’s heritage - a Caledonian pinewood in a remote glen in the west Highlands called Glen Loyne. Coring tells us that the pine trees here are more than 500 years old, making them some of Scotland’s oldest. Steven wrote about Glen Loyne: ‘Both the pine and birch show signs of blasting by wind and many of the former are dying. There is no natural regeneration.’ Now, finally, these ancient relics - so close to completely disappearing - are being saved.
Like Dundreggan, Glen Loyne was once part of the ancient royal hunting ground of Cluanie, home to a rich forest where capercaille, wildcat and maybe even lynx roamed. But centuries of deforestation and over-grazing left Glen Loyne in a sad state of decline. The scattering of trees that remain today date back to medieval times - the oldest to 1458. It is an incredible thought. In a healthy Caledonian forest, we might expect to see granny pines that are 400 to 500 years old. But when these granny pines are not surrounded by generations of younger trees ready to take their place, their age takes a more poignant shape.
Earlier this year, thanks to the cooperation of the landowner, we used part of the Steven legacy to erect 1.5 kilometres of new fencing around these vulnerable pines, creating a haven where the trees, and all the other lifeforms they support, will be able to regenerate and repopulate the landscape.
Glen Loyne sits within Affric Highlands and exemplifies what we hope to achieve through the initiative - ambitious nature recovery through collaboration. The landowner’s enthusiasm to support our work is also exactly what Steven envisioned 60 years ago when writing the preface to The Native Pinewoods of Scotland:
‘these woodlands should be preserved and perpetuated. It is hoped that the publication of this book will create a new interest in them, and their different owners, public and private, will cooperate in carrying out investigations into the best methods of protecting them and securing their perpetuation.’
We are deeply grateful to the Steven sisters Victoria, Joanna and Olivia for making this gift to support our work, and for sharing the stories of their grandfather and uncle with us - stories so beautiful they could have taken up many more pages in this issue of Caledonia Wild. We look forward to sharing more news in the future about the rebirth of Glen Loyne.
If you would like to make a gift to support the recovery of nature in your will, turn to the next page to learn more about our partnership with Farewill, the UK’s largest will-writer which has a special offer for Trees for Life supporters.