Growing trees in the north and west of Scotland presents both unique challenges and benefits. Our Croft Woodlands advisory team helps crofters, smallholders and common grazings to create and manage woodlands that will flourish.
Crofting is a unique social system, based on small agricultural holdings. It is integral to the cultural and economic life of the Highlands and Islands. There are over 21,000 crofts covering 750,000ha of land. This equates to over 15% of the land mass of the UK.
Native woodland in the crofting counties is fragmented and under pressure. Nonetheless, it includes some of the richest woodland habitats in the UK, such as the temperate rainforests of the western seaboard – Scotland’s rainforest.
Planting trees on crofts can strengthen this fragile woodland network, while delivering multiple benefits for the crofter and the wider public, including improved productivity, business diversification, carbon capture and richer habitats.
There is, however, little tradition of tree planting or woodland management in crofting. Until the 1991 Crofter Forestry Act, woodland ownership and management rights were reserved for landowners, not their crofting tenants.
Our Croft Woodlands team is helping to change that tradition by:
Credit: Marianne Ross / WTML
We have funding available for crofters, common grazings, smallholders and communities in the crofting counties. If you are planting 300+ trees as woodland on at least 0.1 hectare, we'll contribute to the cost of trees and tree protection. We can also support up to 100m of hedge planting, or more if in combination with woodland planting. Please apply by emailing crofting@woodlandtrust.org.uk
Credit: WTML
For sites that meet Scottish Forestry funding criteria, we will help with the cost of preparing and submitting a grant application.
Email crofting@woodlandtrust.org.uk or call 01738 635544 for more information.
In the first 5 years of the project, from 2015-2020, we have:
of woodland brought into sustainable management with our help
Our plans for the future include:
trees planted in the Crofting Counties with our support
Croft Woodlands is a partnership between Point and Sandwick Trust, Scottish Forestry, the Scottish Crofting Federation, Shetland Amenity Trust, Orkney Woodlands Project, Argyll Small Woods Co-op, Coigach and Assynt Living Landscapes, the Communities Housing Trust and Woodland Trust Scotland.
We have also received support from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Bank of Scotland (part of Lloyds Banking Group), players of People’s Postcode Lottery and generous donations from Trusts and individuals.
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About us
We're working to ensure Scotland’s rainforests thrive once again. As part of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, we're on a mission to protect and enhance this globally important habitat for the special wildlife that depends upon it.
