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Scotland's Native Trees and Shrubs
Can planting native species do more harm than good?
There is a widespread belief that planting native species, without defining the provenance, is enough to preserve Scotland's distinctive woodland character. Planting native species of an alien provenance can however actually do more ecological harm than planting some non-native species or even clones such as the infamous Cupressocyparis x leylandii. Native species of alien provenance may be able to cross-fertilise native species of local provenance and produce new genotypes. Non-natives do not cross-fertilise with native species and as such do not pose a threat to them. Clones are sterile. For this reason the Scottish Executive's landscape policy requires all native species used to be of an appropriate provenance. It would certainly help the future custodians of Scotland's landscape and also the horticultural industry, if others who have an influence on tree planting policies adopted a similar approach and required all native species to be of local provenance. The cumulative effect would be dramatic. For example, Planning Authorities could make an important contribution to preserving local landscape character and biodiversity by including, where appropriate, species of local provenance as a condition of planning consent. It could also underwrite Scotland's hardy nursery stock industry and possibly strengthen the rural economy.
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