Trees, Trees and More Trees

TREES FOR LIFE

 

I was inspired to found Trees for Life to restore the Caledonian Forest, because I felt a call for help from the last remnants of the original forest, and the land itself, in places like Glen Affric. I’d joined the community in 1978 and worked in Cluny garden for four years, deepening my inner connection with nature.

I was also inspired by Richard St Barbe Baker, the Man of the Trees, during his visits to Findhorn in 1979 and 1981. I did a slide show about trees as an introduction to his talk in the Hall in September 1981. He then publicly suggested I publish a calendar, which helped lead to the Findhorn Nature Calendar (published 1984-93) and the Trees for Life Calendar, which we started publishing in 1998.

I focalised the October 1986 conference, One Earth: A Call to Action. In the final session when we asked participants to make a commitment for the Earth, I committed myself to launching a project to restore the Caledonian Forest. It was only in 1989 that practical work began though, as it took time to raise funds, make contact with landowners and amend the Foundation’s Trust Deed to include work with nature! Trees for Life’s first significant accomplishment was fencing in 50 hectares (125 acres) in Glen Affric for natural regeneration in 1990. About 100,000 self-seeded Scots pines could then grow without being overgrazed by deer. In 1991, we held our first volunteer Work Week, based on what I’d learned from 18 months in the Foundation’s Guest Department, and we began planting native trees.

More and more practical work took place each year, and Trees for Life became a separate charity in 1993, although still based at The Park. In 2003, we spun off our educational work with school children as a separate charity, Wild things! In 2008 we raised the funds to purchase the 4,000 hectare (10,000 acre) Dundreggan Estate in Glen Moriston, and now run about 40 volunteer weeks a year. In 2012 we are planting our one millionth tree. Trees for Life today still works with one of the community’s founding principles — co-creation with nature. Our long term aim is to restore over 1,000 square miles (2,500 square kilometres) of the Caledonian Forest west of Inverness and Loch Ness, and ultimately to reintroduce all the forest’s missing wildlife species.

Alan Watson Featherstone