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wooded-loch-lomond-shore-on-northern-end-with-mountains-peeking-in-the-distance-above-wisps-of-cloud

Top 10 in-tree-guing facts about woodlands in the National Park

Here are some fun facts you may not know about the woodlands in this iconic National Park.

Trees are not only an important part of our landscape here in the National Park, but they impact on all areas of our lives from providing shelter, the fresh air we breathe, fantastic places to switch off or exercise, to the timber used throughout our homes.

bluebell-woodland-inchcailloch-island-on-loch-lomond

Inchcailloch's bluebell woodland

Did you know?

  1. Roughly 30% (52,300 ha) of the National Park is covered with trees. 1 ha is roughly the size of an international rugby pitch, so that’s over 50,000 rugby pitches!
  2. Some of our woodlands are really old. Around a quarter (13,300 ha) have been there since 1860 or earlier.
  3. 25% of the trees in the National Park are native woodland.
  4. The other 75% of our trees are productive conifer woodland, which help to support the forest management and timber processing sectors both within and outside the National Park.
  5. 5% (2,550 ha) of woodland in the National Park is designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and include the two most southerly ancient Caledonian Pine woodlands found in Scotland.
  6. The native woodland within the National Park includes some of the finest examples of Atlantic Oak woodland (Scotland’s rare temperate rainforests) in Europe, with over 1,800 ha (3.5% of all woodland) being designated as Special Areas of Conservation.
  7. Just over half of all woodland in the National Park is managed as part of the National Forest Estate, including two Forest Parks: Argyll Forest Park, which is the oldest Forest Park in Britain (dating from 1935) and Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.
  8. The National Park contains one of the UK’s largest National Nature Reserves – The Great Trossachs Forest – where 4,200 ha of native woodland has been created as a part of a wider habitat mosaic thanks to a collaboration between multiple landowners and partners.
  9. Trees in the National Park hold approximately 2.5 million tonnes of carbon, making our woodlands a fantastic resource in the fight against climate change.
  10. Everyone has a role to play in looking after our trees. Three woodlands in the National Park are even managed by their local communities in Tyndrum, Crianlarich and Cormonachan Woodlands on the west shore of Loch Goil.

Our Trees and Woodland Strategy outlines our vision for the National Park’s trees and woodlands over the next 20 years.

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