Where trees have space to grow the boughs and branches spread to form flattened areas of dense foliage. It is thought that in some glens the more bent and multi-branched old “granny” pines were left by foresters, because they would prove more difficult to make use of in the sawmills when saws were still hand operated. These survivors act as rich seed banks for the regeneration of the forest.
Scotland’s only native pine tree has orange coloured bark and blue-green foliage.
Discover more about the Scots pine
When to see
Scots pines are evergreen trees and so do not shed all their needles (leaves) in winter. Scots pine are also coniferous (cone-bearing) and on a warm dry day in early summer a pine forest becomes quite noisy as the mature pinecones burst open with a crack and hundreds of seeds are flicked into the air to drift away on the wind.
Each seed is equipped with a wing and rotates as it descends. These seeds start to germinate afterrain. Meanwhile the pines are active producing yellow pollen from male flowers found on the shoot base that is blown by the wind onto the female flowers on the shoot tips. Fertilised flowers start forming green cones, these can be up to 25mm long by July provide food for red squirrels and other forest inhabitants.
During the summer, the tree continually sheds some needles and grows new ones. The old fallen needles are used for nest building by wood ants.
Where to see
Most of the old Caledonian Forest has been cut down, but new pines have been planted throughout Scotland and the trees can be found growing in a great range of habits from bogs, or sandy knolls to rocky slopes. The forests of Glen Affric in the Highlands and Rothiemurchus in the Cairngorms National Park are both good examples of Caledonian pine forest.
Did you know?
Scots pine forests have a very high biodiversity value, supporting species that have adapted to live in them. From mammals such as pine marten and red squirrel: birds such as crested tit and capercaillie; to invertebrates like the winter moth and plants such as blueberry, these forests are excellent habitats to watch wildlife.
When to see
Scots pines are evergreen trees and so do not shed all their needles (leaves) in winter. Scots pine are also coniferous (cone-bearing) and on a warm dry day in early summer a pine forest becomes quite noisy as the mature pinecones burst open with a crack and hundreds of seeds are flicked into the air to drift away on the wind.
Each seed is equipped with a wing and rotates as it descends. These seeds start to germinate afterrain. Meanwhile the pines are active producing yellow pollen from male flowers found on the shoot base that is blown by the wind onto the female flowers on the shoot tips. Fertilised flowers start forming green cones, these can be up to 25mm long by July provide food for red squirrels and other forest inhabitants.
During the summer, the tree continually sheds some needles and grows new ones. The old fallen needles are used for nest building by wood ants.
Where to see
Most of the old Caledonian Forest has been cut down, but new pines have been planted throughout Scotland and the trees can be found growing in a great range of habits from bogs, or sandy knolls to rocky slopes. The forests of Glen Affric in the Highlands and Rothiemurchus in the Cairngorms National Park are both good examples of Caledonian pine forest.
Did you know?
Scots pine forests have a very high biodiversity value, supporting species that have adapted to live in them. From mammals such as pine marten and red squirrel: birds such as crested tit and capercaillie; to invertebrates like the winter moth and plants such as blueberry, these forests are excellent habitats to watch wildlife.
When to see
Scots pines are evergreen trees and so do not shed all their needles (leaves) in winter. Scots pine are also coniferous (cone-bearing) and on a warm dry day in early summer a pine forest becomes quite noisy as the mature pinecones burst open with a crack and hundreds of seeds are flicked into the air to drift away on the wind.
Each seed is equipped with a wing and rotates as it descends. These seeds start to germinate afterrain. Meanwhile the pines are active producing yellow pollen from male flowers found on the shoot base that is blown by the wind onto the female flowers on the shoot tips. Fertilised flowers start forming green cones, these can be up to 25mm long by July provide food for red squirrels and other forest inhabitants.
During the summer, the tree continually sheds some needles and grows new ones. The old fallen needles are used for nest building by wood ants.
Where to see
Most of the old Caledonian Forest has been cut down, but new pines have been planted throughout Scotland and the trees can be found growing in a great range of habits from bogs, or sandy knolls to rocky slopes. The forests of Glen Affric in the Highlands and Rothiemurchus in the Cairngorms National Park are both good examples of Caledonian pine forest.
Did you know?
Scots pine forests have a very high biodiversity value, supporting species that have adapted to live in them. From mammals such as pine marten and red squirrel: birds such as crested tit and capercaillie; to invertebrates like the winter moth and plants such as blueberry, these forests are excellent habitats to watch wildlife.
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Registered Company No: 303299 | Registered address: Wild Scotland, Suite 212, 8 Church Street, Inverness IV1 1EA