Four Million trees in a new forest

The Scotsman reports today that a whole new forest is to appear near Loch Katrine, bringing back native species and offering a unique experience and the chance to see how Scotland looked like 500 years ago before sheep started to graze the lands.

Nothing like it has been seen for centuries. A new forest of four million trees is to be planted by the side of a famous Scottish loch in the UK's biggest woodland restoration scheme. The ambitious 20-year project to create a wooded wonderland will cover around 8,000 acres of land to the north, south and west of Loch Katrine with native species such as Caledonian pine, Atlantic oak, birch, hazel and alder.

Costing more than £3m, it will provide a new tourist attraction at the heart of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, and create new habitats for native wildlife. Project managers hope that species such as wild deer, otters, pine martens and red squirrels will move in, while birds of prey will take up residence on the open fringes