The landscape of Orkney is almost entirely treeless where only a few vestiges of true native woodland remain. These populations, which may contain unique genetic material, are vulnerable and some species are under threat of extinction. They are considered to be an important part of the cultural heritage of Orkney. Concern about the future of the county’s native woodland led to the formation of the Orkney Native Tree Group, which produced a document entitled “The Orkney Native Tree Conservation Strategy” in 1995. The group was determined that the strategy would be implemented. A pilot project (Millennium Forest project 2/5), involved the employment of a project officer (whose main task was the identification of potential planting sites), the development of a local nursery network (including the establishment of a small tree nursery) and trial planting on three sites. The 3/152 project has resulted in the establishment of 20.5ha of new native woodland on a total of 21 sites on 4 of the Orkney islands. The planted trees were grown from seed collected on Orkney and most were raised in small local nurseries.

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