 Forest once covered much of northern Britain and one of the greatest areas was what became known as the Great Caledonian Forest. Less than 1% of the original forest (marked in yellow) survives in a few dozen isolated remnants (marked in black).
The loss is one of the world's great ecological disasters and has completely altered the look of modern Scotland.
Gone with the trees are all the large mammals that once roamed in Scotland, with the exception of deer. Species such as the brown bear and the wild boar had become extinct by the end of the second millennia. The last to disappear was the wolf, which went in the 18th century.
Only images can do justice to the beauty of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris, opposite) Of all the great trees populating the Great Caledonian Forest, they stand able to take viewers breath away. Scots Pine tends to stand today in land parts that are relatively more inaccessible to agriculture, notably grazing animals. The trees tend to be seen along rivers and other water courses, and the trees are often associated with red deer who use them as shelter. Most of Scotland's northerly mountains were once dominated by Scots Pines. |
