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GORDON MACIVOR
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NON DECIDUOUS NATIVE TREES - THERE ARE ONLY THREE CONIFERS NATIVE TO THE UK
The Scots Pine, The Juniper & The Yew Tree (The Scots Pine is the only pine tree native to the UK)
THE SCOTS PINE - THE UK'S ONLY NATIVE PINE TREE
The Scots Pine is the only native pine tree to the UK. It's the perfect home for iconic Scottish wildlife, such as the Red Squirrel, Capercaillie, Scottish Crossbill and Scottish Wildcat. Mature trees grow to 35 metres and can live for up to 700 years. The Scots Pine is monoecious, meaning both male & female flowers grow on the same tree. After pollination by wind, the female flowers turn green and develop into cones. They mature the following season, so there are always cones of different ages on one tree. Evidence indicates that Scots Pine support around 1600 sepecies. Crucially, 215 of them are only found on Scots Pine, highlighting the importance of remnant Caledonian pinewoods.
Hotter summers and severe droughts reduce tree vitality. Warmer weather helps spread damaging pathogens and insects. Scots Pines face threat from Red Band Needle Blight, Pine Stem Rust & Root Rots. Experts warn that continuing high temperatures and dry spells threaten native Caledonian forests, potentially pushing the common treree out of parts of the UK over the coming decades.
We're not in fear of losing our only native pine tree but small environmental changes affect the biggest icons.
THE JUNIPER - THE GIN LOVERS PARADISE
A cosy home for wildlife and a Gin drinkers delight. the Juniper is and evergreen that can brighten up winter months. Mature trees can reach a height up to 8 metres and live for up to 200 years. The common Juniper is dioecious, meaning that male and female structures grow on seperate trees. Once pollinated by wind, the green female structures develop into fleshy, purple, aromatic, berry like cones. These are eaten by birds. When young, the berries are green but over 18 months or so they mature to purple black.
For the Gin loverrs the berries can be picked to make your own Gin. But, the right species of Juniper Tree must be used (The Common Juniper). Pick only the plump dark blue or purple berries. leave the green, unripe berries on the branch as they taste bitter. Some ornamental Junipers are toxic and unsafe for consumption. You can steep ripe juniper berries in vodka to make a siple compund Gin.
THE YEW TREE
The Yew is one of the longest lived native species in Europe. The Yew is a symbol of death & doom. The Yew can grow up to 20 metres and is one of the most long lived in Northern Europe. The Yew is dioecious meaning that male and female flowers grow on different trees. Unlike other conifers the Common Yew does not actually bear its seeds in a cone. Instead, each seed is enclosed in a red, fleshy, berry like structure known as the aril.
The common Yew Tree is widely considered one of the most poisonous trees in the UK and the world. Almost every part of the Yew Tree contains dangerous chemical poisons called taxines. Eating just a few leaves can make a small child severely ill and there have been some deaths linked to Yew poisoning. Yew timber is incredibly strong and durable. Traditionally, the wood was used in turnery and to make long bows and tool handles. One of the world's oldest surviving wooden artifacts is a Yew spear head estimated to be around 450,000 years old.
GLOBAL WARMING IS ALREADY HERE
Global warming is actively affecting UK forests and wildlife by disrupting natural lifecycles, spreading tree diseases and causing extreme weather stress. Milder winters and rising warmth cause trees like Oaks to leaf and bud earlier in the year, disrupting normal seasonal patterns. Hotter, drier summers prevent tree seedlings from getting enough moisture to grown and spread properly into new areas. Milder winter temperatures confuse hibernation cycles for various woodland animals. Spring arrives earlier, pushing natural events such as egg-laying and migration out of step. Birds like blue Tits may struggle if their peak breeding time no longer matches the abundance of caterpillars. Global warming is a slow process and sometimes an unseen process in our environment. But once the slow changes have been made the act of reversal becomes near on impossible.
DECIDUOUS NATIVE TREES
THE ROWAN TREE
The Rowan Tree, bane of witches, diviner of the future and producer of jam, rowan is an elegant tree with a mystical history. Its leaves and berries are a favorite for wildlife in woods and towns alike. Mature trees can grow to 15 metres in height and can live for up to 200 years. The bark is smooth and silvery grey, and leaf buds are purple and hairy. Rowan is also known as the Mountain Ash due to the fact it grows well at high altitudes and its leaves are similar to those of Ash. It is commonly found in the wild, particularly in the Highlands of Scotland, but it is also widely planted as a street or garden tree.
Rowan berries are edible for humans but they should not be eaten raw as they contain parasorbic acid whcih can cause indigestion or vomiting.
Due to global warming, fewer berries grow when the tree gets stressed, which leaves less food for wildlife. Higher temperatures weaken the overall health of the tree. Red spider mites thrive in hot & dry weather damaging the leaves. False autumns happen when dry weather forces the tree to drop its leaves in August.
THE FIELD MAPLE TREE
The Field Maple is the UK's only native Maple Tree. It grows up to 15-20 metres tall if unmanaged and can live up to 350 years. It has distinctive horizontal winged seeds (called samaras) that help the seeds disperse when taken in the wind. The flowers are hermaphrodite, meaning that both male and female reproductive parts are contained within one flower. Every species of maple tree produces sweet sap that can be boiled down to make edible syrup. This can be done by tapping into the tree and letting the sap seep from the trunk. Fresh sap is mostly water and requires heavy boiling to reduce it to the syrup texture we all know. This shouldn't be done on younger trees as you can damage the tree. The Field Maple is exceptionally resilient and well-suited to handle many aspects of a changing climate. It is frost hardy down to -28 degrees meaning it easily survives harsh winters. It is considered very effective in helping clean the air especially in Urban environments. It acts as a strong Carbon Dioxide absorber during its growth.
THE ASH TREE
the Ash Tree can grow up to 40 metres tall, making it one of the tallest native trees in the UK. It can live from 200 to 300 years, though some ancient trees can survive even longer. It has compound leaves made up of 9 to 13 oval leaflets arranged in opposite pairs along a central stem. Its seeds are bunches of winged fruits called 'keys' (or samaras) that hang in dense bunches & spin like helicopters in the wind during autumn and winter. Ash is typically one of the last trees to come into leaf in late spring and among one of the first trees to drop its leaves in autumn. The Ash is one of the most common trees in th UK. Ash is dioecious meaning that male and female flowers typically grow on separate trees, although a single tee can also have male and female flowers on different branches. Both male and female flowers are purple and appear before the leaves in spring, growing in spiked clusters at the tips of twigs. Ash tree wood is exceptionally strong and good for making tool handles and sporting goods as it is felxible and shock absorbent.
THE HAWTHORN TREE
The Hawthorn Tree can be one of the most underated trees. But when it comes to beauty, in full bloom it changes the some of our driving routes from a sea of green to a glorious display of epic white/pink floral blooms and beauty. Coming into autumn and once pollinated by insects, they develop deep red fruits/berries known as Haws. Although the berries are safe for people to eat, the seed inside is not. People often use them to make jellies or jams. The Haws provide a vital winter food source for birds and small mammals. Hawthorns are hermaphrodite, meaning that both male and female reproductive parts are contained within each flower. Although not the biggest trees, mature trees can reach heights up to 15 metres. The Hawthorn has sharp woody thorns growing directly from the branches and stems that help provide protection for nesting birds. It is also commonly known as the May Tree or May Blossom. It is believed the Hawthorn is named after the month of May because it traditionally bursts into white or pink blossom during that month.
THE COMMON BEECH
Although there are many types of Beech Tree, the Common Beech is the only Beech native to the UK. It can grow to heights of over 40 metres and is one of the tallest native UK trees. The bark is smooth, thin and grey, often with slight horizontal etchings. The reddish brown, torpedo-shaped leaf buds form on short stalks and have a distinctive criss-cross pattern. Young leaves are lime green with silky hairs. As they mature they become darker green and lose their hairs. They are 4–9cm long, stalked, oval and pointed at the tip, with a wavy edge. Beech is monoecious, meaning both male and female flowers grow on the same tree. In April and May the tassel-like male catkins hang from long stalks at the end of twigs, while female flowers grow in pairs, surrounded by a cup. The cup becomes woody once pollinated, and encloses one or two beech nuts (known as beechmast). Beech is wind pollinated.
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