Trees for Life is a Scottish conservation charity dedicated to
rewilding the Highlands, focusing on the restoration of the Caledonian Forest, restoring biodiversity, and enabling natural processes to flourish. Founded in the late 1980s, the organization has planted over two million trees and operates on a landscape scale to connect people with nature.
Key Areas of Work:
Forest Restoration: Trees for Life focuses on restoring native woodlands, specifically the Caledonian Pinewood remnants. They achieve this through planting native species (Scots pine, birch, rowan, aspen) and, crucially, managing deer populations to allow for natural regeneration.
Rewilding and Species Reintroduction: Beyond trees, the charity focuses on restoring trophic cascades. This includes successfully reintroducing red squirrels to the Northwest Highlands and conducting feasibility studies for the return of the Eurasian lynx.
Dundreggan Rewilding Centre: In 2023, the charity opened the world's first dedicated rewilding centre on the 10,000-acre Dundreggan estate. This centre acts as a hub for education, volunteer accommodation, and sustainable tourism to connect the public with the rewilding process.
Volunteering: A core part of their mission involves engaging thousands of volunteers annually in hands-on activities like tree planting, nursery work, and habitat monitoring through specialized "Rewilding Weeks".
Community and Social Impact: Trees for Life focuses on creating nature-rich landscapes that support local livelihoods. They share profits from carbon credits with local community groups and create rural jobs, particularly through the new Rewilding Centre.
Landscape-Scale Projects: The charity is behind the "Affric Highlands" initiative, a 30-year project in collaboration with Rewilding Europe aimed at restoring biodiversity, woodland, and peatland across a 200,000-hectare area.
Core Values:
Boldness: Pursuing large-scale, innovative, and ambitious ecological restoration.
Collaboration: Working with landowners, communities, and other NGOs to maximize impact.
Pragmatism: Focusing on practical, long-term solutions that balance nature with human needs.