The Mountain Birch Project

This project aims to make the most of the many eyes and feet out in the Scottish hills to help us locate trees from a forgotten habitat that we want to restore in our beautiful hills. We are asking walkers and climbers to send us records of birch trees growing above 650m. With funding from Mossy Earth, we are collecting seed from these trees and growing them on for restoration projects aiming to bring back the ‘birch belt’.

The mountain birch was once widespread across our hills, as it is now in Norway, growing above the height of the pinewoods and below the height of the montane scrub and open heaths. This was a rich habitat with many birds, mammals and plants finding refuge from the harsher weather at those higher altitudes. An open woodland of scattered trees, scrubby willow and juniper, and open heaths and grasslands.

The mountain birch itself seems to have something about it that allows it to grow at these high altitudes, between 600-850m roughly, that the lower ground downy birch doesn’t have. It is therefore crucial that we find the last few remaining mountain birch in Scotland so we can collect seed and grow on the next generation of mountain birch for use in ecosystem restoration schemes across Scotland.

What to look for:

• Small or large trees, often with multiple stems
• Over 650m altitude
• Birch most important but also seeking records of rowan, bird cherry and aspen.

Where to look:

• Inaccessible ledges
• High altitude gorges
• Steep scree slopes
• Beside burns/allts
• Islands on high-altitude lochans

The Mountain Birch Project is a project drawing expertise from Reforesting Scotland, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and other interested parties from across Scotland.

Photo Gallery:

Here are some examples of mountain birch in Scotland, and also a few photos from Norway showing what this habitat can look like!

Useful Links

Here are a few links that give a bit more context and background to the project:

• Scottish Rewilding Alliance article – https://www.rewild.scot/rewilding-stories/the-search-for-scotlands-mountain-trees
• Reforesting Scotland Gathering 2020, Duncan Halley’s talk (this link should link straight to the right part of the video) https://youtu.be/XNl3FI3mMYU?t=343
• Mountain birch presentation by Duncan Halley giving more insight into the habitat: PowerPoint Presentation (nina.no)
• Short video about the project – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpk1l0OXwec
• Mossy Earth project page with videos and interview https://www.mossy.earth/projects/the-mountain-birch-project

Submit a Record

Please include as many details as possible in your record, thanks! Grid references can be found using an online map tool such as https://gridreferencefinder.com/ or https://explore.osmaps.com/