« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Scotland's Native Trees and Shrubs
Attitudes to the use of native species are changing
Tens of millions of trees and shrubs have been planted along Scotland's trunk roads and motorways during the past 30 years. Millions of these trees and shrubs have been native species, yet it is only since 1992 that provenance has been addressed in contract specifications. Tens of thousands of birch have been imported from Scandinavia, hawthorn from Holland and Italy, oak from eastern Europe, wild cherry from Poland, beech from France, heather from Denmark, hazel from Kent and so on.
'Setting aside the biological and landscape benefits of planting native trees of local provenance in Scotland, there is evidence that the survival and stem form of Scots pine, silver birch, Sessile oak ( Quercus petraea) and Common alder are superior to those of European provenance.' ('A comparison between European and British provenance of some British native trees: growth, survival and stem form' Worrell, 1992.)
The amount of research data available about Scottish native broadleaf trees appears to be relative to the potential commercial timber value that it is considered to have. There is consequently more information about birch than other native trees. The conclusion reached by Worrell, Cundall, Malcolm and Ennos 'Variation among seed sources of silver birch in Scotland' is that 'The use of silver birch of Scandinavian origin is not advisable in Scotland, or probably elsewhere in the UK, as it has poor survival and grows slowly'.
On value for money grounds alone, it would not seem sensible to use other than Scottish origin for native species.
« Previous | Contents | Next »