10 fully funded places on unique Continuous Cover Forestry training
Applications are now closed. New opportunities will open in 2026. The unique course offers hands-on training in thinning and other key techniques….
Our work
Scotland’s trees and native woodlands are in trouble:
Only 4% of Scotland’s land is native woodland, and over half of those woods are degraded.
1 in 9 species in the UK is at risk of extinction
Tree cover in Scotland sits at 18%, compared to a European average of 39%
In towns and cities, tree canopy cover is just 17%
But with the right action, we can change this. Trees store carbon, support wildlife, improve health and make life better for people. And with care, Scotland’s woodlands can recover.
At Future Woodlands Scotland, we work alongside landowners, communities and partners to bring trees and woodlands back to life, for the benefit people, nature and the climate.
Restoring Scotland’s woodlands means thinking long-term, from the youngest trees in local nurseries to the protection of ancient forests. By investing in people and partnerships, we’re making sure trees, woodlands and communities can thrive together.
Our priorities
Our work is guided by five strategic priorities. Each one reflects where we can have the greatest long-term impact for Scotland’s trees, landscapes and communities:
Restoring threatened woodlands
Bringing ghost woodlands back to life
Planting more trees in towns and cities
Greening urban areas where nature is in short supply
Developing woodland skills
Helping people gain the skills needed to care for our woodlands
Expanding knowledge and awareness
Funding research and sharing learning to support native woodlands
Championing resilient forestry
Advancing regenerative approaches that work for climate, nature and people
Together, these priorities guide our programmes, partnerships and long-term goals.
West Lothian Urban Tree Planting Project | Connecting green networks, improve biodiversity, and increase canopy
Amount: £61,815 Location: Livingstone Awarded: April 2025 West Lothian Council is delivering a major tree planting initiative to green urban spaces across the region, with support from the Urban Forestry Programme Challenge Fund. The project will plant more than 1,500 trees between 2025 and 2028 in parks, residential areas, streets, and school grounds—bringing visible nature […]
Learn MoreSt Marks Primary School will green its school grounds
Amount: £36,034 Location: Barrhead Awarded: April 2025 St Mark’s Primary School in East Renfrewshire is planting 500 to 700 trees in its school grounds, transforming a low-canopy neighbourhood into a greener, healthier place to learn and grow. With support from the Urban Forestry Programme Challenge Fund, the project focuses on Tree Equity and climate education, […]
Learn MoreSouth Lanarkshire removes barriers to urban tree planting
Amount: £90,000 Location: South Lanarkshire Awarded: April 2025 South Lanarkshire Council is removing barriers to urban tree planting by delivering 588 standard trees across high-priority neighbourhoods including Rutherglen, Blantyre, Burnbank, and Larkhall. With support from the Urban Forestry Programme Challenge Fund, the project focuses on Tree Equity and aims to create healthier, greener communities in […]
Learn MoreCanopies Community Project | Growing tree equity and community connection across Edinburgh
Amount: £89,500 Location: Edinburgh Awarded: April 2025 The Canopy Communities project, led by the City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with Granton Community Gardeners (GCG), is working with residents to bring more trees and nature to three neighbourhoods across the city. With support from our Urban Forestry Programme Challenge Fund, the project focuses on Tree […]
Learn MoreEdible Estates | Bringing orchards and woodlands to Edinburgh’s council estates
Amount: £39,565 Location: Edinburgh Awarded: April 2025 Edible Estates will bring new woodlands and community orchards to two council housing estates in Edinburgh, working closely with residents, schools, and local organisations. Supported by a grant from the Urban Forestry Programme Challenge Fund, the project focuses on Tree Equity—targeting areas with limited tree cover to improve […]
Learn MoreThe Creative Canopy: Growing a dispersed orchard in Glasgow
The Creative Amount: £85,085 Location: Govanhill, Glasgow Awarded: April 2025 The Creative Canopy Project, led by Govanhill Baths Community Trust, is transforming everyday spaces across Glasgow’s Southside into a vibrant network of green places. With support from the Urban Forestry Programme Challenge Fund, the project will plant 480 fruit and nut trees in backcourts, gardens, […]
Learn MoreThe Glasgow Canopy Project: Greening Govan and Dalmarnock
Amount: £50,000 Location: Glasgow Awarded: April 2025 Led by Glasgow City Council, The Glasgow Canopy Project will bring hundreds of new street trees, woodlands, hedgerows, and wildlife habitats to the Govan and Dalmarnock areas. With funding from the Urban Forestry Programme Challenge Fund, the project aims to increase canopy cover, support biodiversity, and build greener, […]
Learn MoreA community orchard and tree care project | Edinburgh
Friends of Inch Park in South East Edinburgh are set to make the local area a dynamic hub for environmental care and education. This ambitious project will plant 90 fruit trees and 250 additional trees, joining a network of community orchards within a 20-minute neighbourhood radius. With funding from our Urban Forestry Programme, local residents […]
Learn MoreGreening Edinburgh’s Norton Park SCIO for community wellbeing
Norton Park SCIO in Edinburgh is set to be transformed into a greener, more vibrant space with support from our Urban Forestry Programme. The project will increase canopy cover and create accessible greenspaces for local workers, residents, and visitors. Home to 24 charities and not-for-profits, Norton Park provides vital office space and event facilities, serving […]
Learn MoreEnhancing Glasgow’s green spaces | Linn Park
The Friends of Linn Park nature reserve meadow and woodland project is dedicated to enhancing and maintaining the Glasgow park’s woodland areas, while also expanding tree planting into surrounding communities. This initiative will create accessible green spaces, fostering biodiversity and improving tree equity in local neighbourhoods. The project, supported by the Urban Forestry Challenge Fund, […]
Learn MoreCeannacroc (north-west) | Alternative to sheep farming and increasing habitat connectivity
We have worked with the landowner of this estate since 2022 to support their woodland creation and ghost woodland restoration projects that will increase habitat connectivity and enhance biodiversity, whilst providing the landowner with alternatives to sheep farming. Opportunities The north-west site is a large-scale woodland creation site of 53 hectares, which considerably assists in […]
Learn MoreLoch Lomond, Auchmar | Seven hectares of new woodland
Located on the scenic slopes of Conic Hill, right next to the West Highland Way, this initiative boasts a stunning backdrop that enhances its significance. During our site visit to assess the seven-hectare woodland creation proposal, our team discovered an exciting opportunity to expand a 22-hectare area of ancient woodland by excluding cattle and sheep. […]
Learn MoreInvermallie (south) | 122 hectares adjacent to a ghost woodland site
This project will expand an existing ghost woodland site that we are also working with the landowner to restore by planting an additional 122ha of new native woodland. This will also improve connectivity to other ancient woodland sites nearby, including the Glen Mallie pinewood which we are also working with the landowner to restore.
Learn MoreFree nut and fruit trees | Stirling
TreeLink Stirling, with grant support from the Urban Forestry Programme, is expanding its ‘free trees’ initiative to focus on garden tree planting in two neighbourhoods—Raploch and Bannockburn—where tree canopy cover and tree equity are particularly low. These areas are key components of TreeLink’s flagship project, the Crown of Trees. The project offers free fruit trees […]
Learn MoreA new Community Volunteer role to help care for 10,000 trees in Glasgow
Thanks to funding from the Urban Forestry Programme, the Clyde Climate Forest (CCF) initiative, active across the Glasgow City Region, has employed a Community Volunteer Co-ordinator. One year on, the Tree Warden Scheme is making a clear difference. Under Laura Salvage’s leadership, local volunteers are being recruited, trained, and supported to care for more than […]
Learn MoreCults Croft | Low-density planting to enhance biodiversity potential
This small scheme, covering just under five hectares, includes low-density planting along the edges to create habitat for black grouse and support this rare species. The landowners, young farmers practicing regenerative farming, are eager to boost the biodiversity of their land. The woodland will shelter and divide livestock fields and fence off a burn from […]
Learn MoreRiverview | 4,200 trees planted in Aberdeen
More than 4,000 trees planted in a well-used Aberdeen green space that will help form an important wildlife corridor.
Learn MoreAswanley Farms | Connecting ancient woodlands
Over 80 hectares of new woodlands that will play a key role in enhancing the area by improving connectivity between blocks of ancient woodland, addressing the lack of native trees in the region. Located in prominent areas, they will also create a striking natural landscape visible from the Huntly to Dufftown road.
Learn MoreLoch Lomond, Auchmar | Recovering 22 hectares of ancient woodland
During our site visit to assess the 7 hectare woodland creation proposal, our team discovered an exciting opportunity to expand a 22-hectare area of ancient woodland by excluding cattle and sheep. This unique ghost woodland scheme features scattered, relatively young yet mature trees, setting it apart from other projects we’ve funded. It lies adjacent to […]
Learn MoreInvermallie | Recovering 34 hectares of ancient Caledonian pinewood
We are excited to support the restoration of 34 hectares of ancient Caledonian pinewood—one of Scotland’s rarest habitats, with only 84 fragments remaining. The site has already been assessed by Trees for Life as part of their Wild Pine project, and it features some remnant Scots pine among the birch and oak. Although the existing […]
Learn MoreGlen Mallie | Restoring 212 hectares of ancient Caledonian pinewood
Mapped as ‘An Giubhsach’– meaning ‘pine’ – on the Forgotten Woodlands database, the Glen Mallie Pinewood Restoration project will help protect one of the last remaining fragments of native Caledonian pinewood. In 2023, surveys by Future Woodlands found that there is natural regeneration present, following the woodland’s 1876 boundaries, but is being prevented from establishing […]
Learn MoreBlack Corries, Allt Giubhais | Restoring 44 hectares of ghost woodland
Allt Guibhais is a 44 hectare ghost woodland project near the iconic Devil’s Staircase of the West Highland Way. The area is adjacent to the Leven Valley SSSI on the north-western boundary of Black Corries Estate, above the village of Kinlochleven in Lochaber. There was good evidence of historic woodland cover to be found on […]
Learn MoreGlen Laudale (west) | Extending the Loch Sunart native woodland habitat
This project offered an opportunity to secure and enhance the biodiversity resource within surrounding ancient woodland fragments and PAWS, by increasing connectivity and creating new habitats for ancient woodland specialists to colonise over time. Future Woodland Scotland visited the site in 2022 to assess the new woodland creation scheme and noted the evidence of advance […]
Learn MoreCeannacroc (east) | 93 ha restoration project
We have worked with the landowner of this estate since 2022 to support their woodland creation and 93 hectare ghost woodland restoration projects that will increase habitat connectivity and enhance biodiversity, whilst providing the landowner with alternatives to sheep farming. Ceannacroc has its own registered seed source with native Scots pine seed being harvested, the […]
Learn MoreCockburnhill | High quality hardwood timber
We provided financial support towards planting a new 32ha productive broadleaved woodland which will produce high-quality hardwood timber and provide a long-term storage of carbon as well as increasing habitat for woodland species.
Learn MoreAuchingee | Woodland expansion on a farm
This new woodland creation scheme was a welcome application from a small farming enterprise who wish to make a long-term commitment to woodland expansion on the property. Auchingee is a farm located on improved grassland and the landowner has been planting trees on the farm since he was a child. The family was keen to […]
Learn MoreGlen Laudale (east) | Extending the Loch Sunart native woodland habitat
This project offered an opportunity to secure and enhance the biodiversity resource within surrounding ancient woodland fragments and PAWS, by increasing connectivity and creating new habitats for ancient woodland specialists to colonise over time. The project will also improve connectivity to the nearby Loch Sunart SSSI. Future Woodland Scotland have provided technical and financial support […]
Learn MoreMilton of Drimmie | Legacy woodland bolstering black grouse
The landowner contacted us as additional expertise was required to ensure a realistic and achievable planting plan was designed. This 49 hectare scheme has been designed with a fringe of low-density planting to provide habitat for black grouse to help bolster populations of this scarce species. The project will create a legacy woodland for future […]
Learn MoreRead more about some of our projects
Project in action: Planting 200 trees in Stirling
Over the 2024-25 planting season, 200 fruit and nut trees were delivered to Stirling residents….
Case study: Future Woodlands Fund pilot
The success of the Future Woodlands Fund has directly shaped the future direction of Future Woodlands Scotland….
Scotland’s school grounds could be a forest in waiting
Scotland’s school grounds could be doing so much more….
Why tree equity matters – and how we’re funding it
A Tree equity tool is helping us guide where our support goes to make the biggest difference….
Introducing our first major urban forestry projects
These projects will help more people connect with nature where they live — and create greener, healthier places for generations to come….
Also in this section
Championing Resilient Forestry
Championing resilient forestry Advancing regenerative approaches that work for climate, nature and people Scotland’s woodlands face growing pressure from climate change, pests…
Forestry skills
Developing Scotland’s woodlands skills Helping people gain access to skills needed to care for our woodlands Scotland’s woodlands need people as well…
Ghost Woodlands
Ghost Woodlands Restoring Scotland’s ancient woodlands Ghost woodlands are some of Scotland’s most threatened types of ancient woodland. These once thriving sites…
Research and Innovation
Research and innovation Funding research and shared learning for Scotland’s native woodlands Scotland’s woodlands are vital in tackling the climate and biodiversity…
Urban Forestry
Urban forestry Greening our urban areas with our Urban Forestry Programme Scotland’s towns and cities urgently need more trees to create greener,…