Forth Climate Forest annual review 2024

Our annual review summarises the progress made in the first year of the Forth Climate Forest, from November 2023 to October 2024.

It highlights the some of the achievements of the Forth Climate Forest team, and wider partnership. It also sets out the Forth Climate Forest Team’s priorities for the coming year.

Forth Climate Forest logo

Summary

The Forth Climate Forest (FCF) initiative made excellent progress in its first year, with a number of important milestones being reached.

This first year was primarily a development year for the FCF, creating a stable foundation on which to build a sustainable initiative with strong partnerships, good collaboration across a number of stakeholders and clarity of purpose to help ensure the initiative’s aims are achieved over the longer term.

The Forth Climate Forest was formally launched at the end of November 2023, during national tree week, when Dr Heather Reid (Convenor of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park) , Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn (Leader of Falkirk Council) Councillor Ellen Forson (Leader of Clackmannanshire Council) Councillor Chris Kane (then Leader of Stirling Council) and Douglas Worrall (Director of the Forth Climate Forest) planted the first trees.

We have recorded and analysed tree and woodland cover in both the urban and rural areas across the Forth Valley and identified locations where planting more trees will create the greatest benefits for people and wildlife. This will enable us to focus our future projects in areas where they are most needed. You can find out more about this analysis in our Urban Tree Canopy story map and woodland connectivity story map.

Working with the Conservation Volunteers and Clackmannanshire Council, volunteers and trainees planted over 11,000 trees across Clackmannanshire Council’s land.  As our climate gets warmer and wetter these trees will provide shade, shelter and help reduce flooding. They will remove pollutants, improving air quality and creating a space for wildlife to thrive.

We also worked with Forth Environment Link (FEL) to identify opportunities in five secondary schools to create Wee Forests within the school grounds and to plant trees along routes to schools.

We successfully promoted the Forth Climate Forest to a range of different groups and organisations. In February 2024 we held a reception at the University of Stirling which was  attended by a range of stakeholders from the private, public and charitable sectors. We were delighted to welcome the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP, to the reception, where she reiterated Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling the twin crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss. It was also useful for the attendees to hear Ms Gougeon’s endorsement of the Forth Climate Forest and how our local action makes a meaningful contribution towards these national priorities.

Our progress and success over the year was made possible by support and funding from our partners: Woodland Trust (and their Emergency Tree Fund), University of Stirling, Scottish Forestry, Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council, Stirling Council and Forth Environment Link.

Professor Alistair Jump

Chair, Forth Climate Forest Partnership Board
Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling

Our themes

The Forth Climate Forest focusses on four themes to help tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, The themes are Communities, Canopy, Connectivity and Carbon. 

Illustration of people planting tree saplings and gardening in community setting

Communities

The FCF aims to provide opportunities for communities to take positive actions against climate change and biodiversity loss and at the same time broadening the understanding of the important role trees can play in addressing these twin crises.

In the first year the FCF team: 

  • Worked with 6 community groups to explore tree planting opportunities.
  • Collaborated with Treelink Stirling on 2 funding applications to deliver canopy activity in Stirling Target Neighbourhoods.
  • Partnered with Forth Environment Link to scope out opportunities to work with 5 climate hub secondary schools.
  • Partnered with The Conservation Volunteers to create 225 adult volunteer and 167 school children volunteer tree planting days.
Illustration of a street sheltered under the canpopy of trees

Canopy

The FCF aims to increase the tree canopy cover within the built environment to 20% by 2033.  

In the first year the FCF team: 

  • Planted 11,000 within Clackmannanshire Towns. 
  • Created a reporting methodology to enable partners to centrally record tree planting that will deliver against the canopy targets. 
Illustration showing two figures walk along a path through trees. Houses are in the background behind more trees.

Connectivity

The FCF aims to increase the area of connected woodlands by 20%.

In the first year the FCF team:

  • Identified 65 key woodland gap sites and began the process of contacting landowners or managers to discuss potential woodland planting.
  • Developed plans for tree planting for 3 gap sites, to be planted in the coming year.
  • Identified Forestry and Land Scotland as key owners of 8 gaps sites in Strathyre and discussed opportunities to support the FCF aims within their future Forest Plans.
Illustration of tree and house

Carbon

The FCF aims to create 800 hectares of new woodland in the Forth Valley every year.

In this first year 1138 hectares of new woodland was created, as noted below:

  • 7 new woodlands across the FCF area planted in 2023 using the Forestry Grant Scheme, creating 609 hectares of new woodland.
  • Over 35 other partner projects (not funded by the Forestry Grant Scheme) planted a further 38550 trees; equivalent to creating a further 22 hectares of new woodland.
  • 507 hectares of natural regeneration established around Loch Katrine and Loch Arklet by Forestry and Land Scotland and Scottish Water.
Volunteers planting trees with Wallace Monument in background. Credit: Treelink

TreeLink volunteers planting trees (Credit: Treelink Stirling)

2024 projects and achievements

Forth Climate Forest commissioned a scoping study of the Forth Valley’s 5 Active Travel Hub Schools. (Alloa Academy, Balfron High School, Bannockburn High School, Larbert High School and Lornshill Academy.) The study looked for opportunities to plant trees along the active travel routes to these schools and to create Wee Forests within the school grounds.

Raeburn Farquhar and Bowen, who were commissioned to undertake the study, mapped existing active travel routes and their use, assessed the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation data zones, identified existing green space use as well as locating underground utilities.

Opportunities to plant trees to help green active travel routes to were identified at the Alloa Academy, Lornshill Academy and Bannockburn High School.

Space to create wee forests identified within the school grounds of Balfron High School, Bannockburn High School and Lornshill Academy.

Further analysis, looking at the risks and benefits of each opportunity identified:

  • Bannockburn High School as the priority location for the first Wee Forest
  • Alloa Academy as the priority location to green the active travel routes.

Forth Climate Forest await the outcome of a funding application which would enable the delivery of these priority sites.

We are grateful to Forth Environment Link who funded the study and helped with the school engagement and consultation.

Visual representation of trees planted in Scottish town road

Future Forest Company logo

A significant area of new woodland has been planted by the Future Forest Company at Dumyat, which is an award-winning 480ha hillside estate providing high-impact nature restoration.

In 2023, The Future Forest Company (FFC) accepted the prestigious Climate Change Champion award at Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards for the work at Dumyat.

FFC have extended existing woodland habitat networks by planting 330,000 trees using a range of tree species. The team planted 189 ha of woodland almost entirely composed of native broadleaf and native Scots pine. Through surveys of the area including breeding birds, archaeology, vegetation and soils the team matched the right species to where they will contribute most to the environment. This sensitive woodland design has retained open ground to conserve important archaeological and wildlife interests along with the essence of Dumyat itself.

Dumyat is home to several endangered species of conservation concern including red squirrels, the Northern brown argus butterfly, the Small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly and one of Scotland’s rarest flowers, Sticky catchfly. Alongside tree planting, 25,800 sqm of grassland are being managed for rare butterflies. In 2024, the Northern brown argus Butterfly returned to Ochil Hills after a 100-year absence. FFC are delighted that this rare butterfly can once again be spotted on the hills below Dumyat. With the help of volunteers, the team are clearing the invasive scrub that is threatening the Common rock-rose plants which this beautiful butterfly depends on. 

Additionally, the team have plans to revive over 160,000 sqm of wildflower meadow and wetland enhancements, establish fresh wetland scrapes that will serve as homes for wetland flowers, insects, and birds like the Snipe.

FFC are committed to helping nature to thrive at Dumyat. Working at a landscape scale, through a blend of environmental science and practical knowledge, FFC establishes multi-award winning native woodlands and exceptional habitats teaming with wildlife.

The Forth Climate Forest secured funding from the Clackmannanshire Council, through their Nature Restoration Fund allocation, to carry out tree planting and deploy pollinator sensors.

The funding enabled the installation 40 fully automated pollinator sensors around Clackmannanshire. The sensors record and analyse sound to determine the presence of pollinators. Sensors have been installed at locations across the county, including in school grounds and public greenspaces.

The NRF funding also enabled FCF to work with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) to plant over 11,000 native trees within and around settlements in Clackmannanshire. This included planting within Clackmannan, one of our target communities, and with secondary school pupils as part of the Young Pathfinders Programme run by Scotland’s International Environment Centre.

Treelink Stirling logo

In 2024 TreeLink Stirling worked with Stirling County Rugby Club to plant around 3,000 trees on their club grounds at Bridgehaugh. The club is keen to make environmental improvements to the grounds to make them more welcoming to local people and visitors to the club. TreeLink is keen to see an increase in trees at Bridgehaugh as this is part of TreeLink’s ambitions to see a ‘Crown of Trees’ around the city of Stirling.

The project started in January when TreeLink volunteers joined with rugby club members to plant a 700-tree hedge with free trees and assistance from TCV Scotland. In February Forth Rivers Trust planted 1,500 trees along the banks of the River Forth with funding from the Nature Restoration Fund. Finally, in March TreeLink and rugby club volunteers planted a new 800-tree native woodland with trees from our own nursery and the Woodland Trust.

Since then TreeLink volunteers have been looking after the trees to ensure these survive and thrive by mulching to supress weed competition and protecting the trees from deer browsing resulting in a very high survival rate and good first year growth. Look out for our trees when you visit the rugby club – they’ll soon start to make an impact!

People planting trees in park surrounded by suburban housing

Man planting tree sapling in field

First trees planted to create the Forth Climate Forest

Mairi Gougeon MSP speaking at an event

Minister backs University’s plan to plant millions of trees

Next steps

Looking to the coming year, our programme will focus on the following activities:

  1. Continue to champion the aims and objectives of the Forth Climate Forest.
  2. Drive the delivery of the Forth Climate Forest by building upon existing partnerships and creating new collaborations.
  3. Support communities to deliver meaningful change in neighbourhoods to help tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
  4. Continue to work with Local Authorities: deliver tree planting projects in Clackmannanshire and Falkirk; work with planners to ensure new developments incorporate more tree planting, making sure our neighbourhoods are adapted to the adverse effects of climate change.
  5. Work with landowners and managers to develop  tree planting projects which connect up existing woodlands, helping wildlife thrive as our climate changes.  Our first step will be to create new woodland “stepping stones” across the Ochil Hills, helping to connect and bolster areas of existing woodlands.
  6. Plant 200 fruit trees in gardens across Alloa and Grangemouth, which will provide food and shelter for both people and wildlife in the future.
  7. Continue to work with schools to develop and deliver tree planting projects which can be integrated into arts and sciences curriculum. 

Contact us

Contact the Scotland’s International Environment Centre.