In this Caledonia Wild we celebrate thirty years of Trees for Life being a charity. It is a celebration of people as well as achievements. Our inspirational founder, Alan Watson Featherstone, shares how he made his dream to restore the Caledonian forest in Glen Affric and later, at Dundreggan, a reality. Alan is a true visionary and many of his dreams are starting to become reality. His idea of an east-west rewilding corridor between Loch Ness and the west coast is tantalisingly close thanks to the hard work of the Affric Highlands team. Even the return of lynx to Scotland is now being seriously discussed. Could it finally be possible? Perhaps the world is finally catching up with Alan, though I am sure he has more dreams that need to become reality.
Alan is part of a chain of people who have strived for a revival of the Caledonian forest. Harry Steven and Jock Carlisle were the first to say that these woods should be ‘preserved and perpetuated.’ That was over sixty years ago. Forester and Gael Finlay MacRae took inspiration from them and began protecting the pinewood remnants in Affric, while Alan took on that mantle after Finlay.
Who’s next you might ask? I can’t help thinking that in sixty years’ time, someone writing an article such as this will add the name of our Senior Ecologist, James Rainey, to that list. His work to understand the state of Caledonian pinewoods is inspiring a new wave of work to save them. And, completing the circle, it feels fitting that his work has inspired Harry Steven’s descendants to support the revival of an ancient pinewood in Glen Loyne, home to the oldest Scots pines in Scotland.
Another chain of people runs through Trees for Life. Those who have worked to bring people together to make rewilding happen. Fay Blackburn led the first volunteer week in Glen Affric in 1991 – before the charity even officially existed. As recent volunteer Alan Fraser explains in his article, the weeks can be transformational, giving a sense of hope and positivity in an otherwise troubled world. These weeks will continue in 2024, with some held at RSPB Corrimony to help with work to restore the forest after the wildfire there this year. Our lead guides, Dominic Andrews and Liv Glatt now carry the baton for this work. It is also fitting that a picture of Fay looks down on them when they are based in the Dundreggan Lodge.
These are examples of the interconnected people that are making rewilding happen. They are many and all need to be celebrated. Thank you for being part of it.