Rainforest restorers at work

The team of four are the latest members of RSPB Scotland’s Saving Morvern’s Rainforest project, which has received £606,821 from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), managed by NatureScot, and additional funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Their focus is the removal of Rhododendron ponticum, an invasive non-native plant that’s found in about 40 per cent of Scotland’s rainforest, and which grows widely across Morvern.

Mark Shields, the Rainforest Restoration Team Manager, said: “This rhododendron is a huge threat to many of Scotland’s native woodlands, but particularly our temperate rainforest, which is already rare. It grows very fast, produces millions of seeds, and smothers out all other plants. It’s also toxic, and inedible to herbivores.

“We work by surveying areas of woodland and marking any Rhododendron ponticum plants with the help of GPS technology. Later, we come back and remove them with a variety of methods, using as little herbicide as possible.

“It’s a very physical job, but we’re hoping that when we’re finished, Morvern’s rainforest will remain rhododendron-free for many years, allowing it to recover and thrive once more.” 

A new tree nursery is also being created by the project this winter just outside Lochaline, funded by private charitable trusts. Locally collected seeds will be planted here in spring creating a new source of native trees, like Hazel, Oak and Rowan.

Scotland’s rainforest can only form within a zone in the west of the country where there’s a high level of rainfall and consistent temperatures all year. These woodlands are home to hundreds of species of mosses, liverworts and lichens, and support rare birds, such as the Pied Flycatcher, and butterflies, like the Chequered Skipper.

Saving Morvern’s Rainforest is one of eight projects that are running as part of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest (ASR), a voluntary partnership of organisations committed to collaborative action for the benefit of Scotland’s rainforest. To find out more, visit the website: savingscotlandsrainforest.org.uk&source=gmail&ust=1732735841711000&usg=AOvVaw0MPNKt_WurW-Cq-gi4A_Fb">savingscotlandsrainforest.org.uk.