After being deforested centuries ago, southern Scotland is now dry and barren. Now, to preserve nature and protect the climate, weekly volunteers are replanting pastureland to be forests in the future.

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Climate Crisis

Southern Scotland, once deforested centuries ago and now described as dry and barren, is seeing a resurgence of green, thanks to the efforts of climate activists. These volunteers, who gather on a weekly basis, are dedicated to replanting native trees with the goal of transforming the current pastureland into thriving forests in the future. Their work is driven by a desire to preserve nature and combat climate change, demonstrating a proactive approach to environmental restoration. 

These actions highlight a grassroots initiative toward reforestation and climate action. By focusing on planting native trees, the volunteers aim to restore the natural ecosystem, potentially improving the local climate and biodiversity over time. 



Climate activists replant native trees in Scotland

Vast and barren, Scotland's southern uplands are a striking sight indeed. The landscape is pretty void of vegetation for now. This group of volunteers wants to change that. So you all need to grab a planting spear. Armed with chunky boots and planting spears, 25 volunteers from the Borders Forest Trust are here to regenerate woodland near the English border. So once you've found where you want to plant your tree, check that you're not right on top of a boulder. So stick your spear in. That's fine. Yeah, so that's soft ground underneath. That should give you a hole the right size for the tree. Push it in, into the hole. Our vision is to make this into a native woodland, a natural woodland that would have been here in the past. So oak, birch, hazel, rowan, holly, all the tree species you'd expect. And the ground is good ground. The trees will do well here. The volunteers want to help restore the forest that once grew here, thousands of years ago. Millennia of felling for firewood and clearing pastures changed the landscape completely. Today, they want to regenerate habitats and diversify the scenery. Thousands of saplings lay the foundation for the new forest. It's hard work. For so long, we've taken things out of the land, out of the hills, and we need to put stuff back and improve the quality of the environment. That's why not every tree is welcome here. Adrian Hadley, who is up here almost every week, introduces us to an uninvited guest, the spruce. We don't want these here, because basically the seeds have just landed and grown. So these are non-native. They grow really, really quickly, which is why they're used for the commercial forestry. A retired engineer, Hadley found new purpose in shaping Scotland's future – regeneration through forestry. There's a big sense of purpose here. So this land won't be sold to the highest bidder in 20 years' time. It'll stay as it is. Just a quick detour to the neighbouring valley and it's plain to see. This work pays off. The Forest Trust has planted a staggering 750,000 trees here since the 1990s. Adrian Hadley was part of the effort and watched the valley transform. 20 bird species have settled here, as have many wild plants and herbs. And much to the benefit of the peaty soil too, which binds carbon dioxide, helping protect the environment. There'll be enough seeds in the soil and in the air to allow the natural process of regeneration to take place, rather than people having to actually physically plant these trees. A true Garden of Eden in the Scottish lowlands, and a model for the surrounding countryside. Soon enough, Scotland could be back to its ancient splendour.

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