Why Are There No Trees in Scotland?

Scotland has a certain sparsity that is detectable but hard to define.

If you’ve been to the more rural parts of the nation, you were likely hit by a barren atmosphere that seemed palpable but perplexing:

‘There’s something missing here, but I don’t know what’.

Well, that ‘what’ is trees. Trees are missing in Scotland. Throughout large parts of the nation, there’s a huge dearth of trees, caused by thousands of years of deforestation, climate change, wars, pesky animals, and more.

And this continues to be a problem which Scottish initiatives are finding hard to solve.

In this article, we’ve unpacked why there’s been so much deforestation in Scotland, why there are so few trees in the nation, and what’s being done to bring those trees back.

Why Are There No Trees in Scotland?

Well, it’s not that there are no trees in Scotland. There are definitely lots of trees in Scotland (check out our guide on the biggest forests in the UK, many of them are in Scotland).

But there are way fewer trees than you’d expect. And that’s for three main reasons: animals, climate change, and an insatiable and unending lust for resources.

And that’s the short, simple, easy answer.

But there’s a little more to it than that.

To get right to the heart of that detail, there’s only one thing we can do:

We need to step back in time and retrace the trees’ steps. Only then can we get a true understanding of the journey these bark-based behemoths have been on.

Join us as we take you on a journey through a brief history of trees in Scotland:

And That’s Just the Beginning.

Hopefully that short and exciting trip through time gave you a good idea of why there are so few trees in Scotland.

It was hardly an episode of Dr Who, but it’s a handy insight into why there’s such a lack of trees throughout large parts of the nation.

Now, let’s take a look at some of those reasons in detail:

Why Are Sheep So Bad for Trees?

Sheep eat a lot. This grazing prevents trees from growing, as it can disrupt the soil which trees are attempting to make their home.

Meanwhile, large parts of woodland have previously been burned down in order to create grazing areas for sheep.

But here’s one you probably weren’t expecting – sheep’s feet are also bad for trees.

Sheep have small, pointed hooves. And these hooves compact soil. Compacted soil can’t absorb water, so when there are heavy rains, these heavy rains can’t be absorbed by the soil, causing both flooding and droughts, a combination hardly conducive to fertile tree-growing conditions.

These conditions aren’t really conducive to anything. Where there are floods or droughts, not much can grow. And where nothing can grow, nothing can feed. So nothing can thrive. And so the mass sheep farming in Scotland has led to conditions in which little can live.

Sheep farming isn’t the only problem for Scotland’s trees, but it’s one of the biggest problems.

But Who Even Cares? Why Are Trees Even Important?

Trees are natural water-suckers – Trees love water – Trees love water even more than a dry-mouthed man on a hangover.

If you’ve ever been to Scotland (or any other highly-deforested area!), you might have noticed how boggy it can get. After rain, tree-barren landscapes can be outrageously boggy – and this bogginess is due to a lack of trees.

In a landscape with lots of trees, excess water is thirstily slurped up by trees with an appetite for aqua. But where there are no trees, there’s nothing to slurp up this excess water. And so boggy conditions are created.

If you’ve ever hiked on tree-less land after heavy rains and hated every moment of it, you’ve probably got deforestation to thank.

But it’s a vicious cycle – when land becomes boggy, no trees or crops can grow in that land. Basically, less trees leads to less trees, and chopping down trees leads to conditions unkind to anything trying to grow.

And, of course, a lack of trees isn’t just about a lack of trees. Where there are less trees, there are less animals – so Scotland’s huge loss of trees has also led to a huge loss of animals. Scotland has lost native wolves, bears, big cats, beavers, elks, boars, birds and more.

How Are Trees Being Reintroduced to Scotland?

Since the end of WWI (in 1918), Scotland was keen to reintroduce more trees to its landscape. And so, in 1919, the Forestry Commission was created. But this Forestry Commission wasn’t interested in making Scotland look more beautiful, or adding more trees to the Scottish landscape for any sort of aesthetic reasons.

Instead, the commission wanted to ensure that Britain had enough resources for any coming wars. Britain nearly lost WWI for a number of reasons – and a lack of timber was one of them. The commission wanted to ensure that this would never be a problem again.

The Forestry Commission therefore planted lots of fast-growing trees in an attempt to rapidly increase the tree population in the country.

And it sort of worked – but in working, it also damaged and removed lots of the still-existing native trees in the nation.

Fortunately, the Forestry Commission has since shifted its priorities.

What is the Scottish Forestry Commission Doing Now?

In Scotland, the Forestry Commission is no longer interested in providing ammunition for war. Instead, they’re setting out to do what a Forestry Commission should do: they’re tasked with reforesting and rewilding large parts of Scotland.

The Scottish Forestry Commission is doing lots of things and thinking about lots of things. Here are the main things they need to do in order to see the growth of tree populations in the nation:

• Stop the burning of trees in the pursuit of hunting.
• Encourage farmers to manage their livestock mindfully, in a way that promotes the growth of trees.
• Reduce deer numbers (in a moral and humane way).
• Reintroduce native tree species – and attempt to establish conditions conducive to the reintroduction of these species.

And so, where there was once deforestation, there are now mass attempts at intense reforestation.

And while some people say this is an impossible task, it absolutely isn’t. Other nations – such as Norway – have successfully embarked upon ambitious rewilding and reforesting missions.

So far, it is working slowly for Scotland. Around 100 years ago, only around 5% of Scotland’s land area was wooded. Now, this figure sits at around 18%.

But the focus has since shifted a little. In the early days, these attempts at reforestation were obsessed with quality over quantity and revolved around throwing up any old trees.

Now, plans are instead focused on biodiversity, nuanced rural development, and reintroducing the nation’s native trees.

The Forestry Commission has published its 10 years strategy, Scotland’s Forestry Strategy 2019–2029, which consists of a “Long-term framework for the expansion and sustainable management of Scotland’s forests and woodland”. You can read it here.

How Many Trees Has Scotland Lost?

Lots! Because Scotland now has so few trees, it’s hard to imagine just how many trees it once had. Here are some stats to put things into perspective:

• Scotland was once basically a giant forest – but around only 4% of native woodlands now cover the nation’s landmass.
• 2000 years ago, by the time the Romans first arrived in Scotland, the nation had already lost at least half of the natural woodland which it once had. Much of it was replaced by peatland, which is why Scotland still has so many peaty bogs.
• Only around 1% of Scotland’s native pinewood trees remain.
• Forest cover in Scotland is now around 16%, but only around 15% of that is from native trees.

But this isn’t a phenomenon exclusive to Scotland. Though Scottish trees have been historically mistreated, the world chops down about 15 billion trees per year.

A Leafy Conclusion

In summary, a lengthy history of problems and changes has led to a huge lack of trees in Scotland. And this is a problem that is still being tackled today.

From sheep to deforestation to climate change, Scotland’s trees have suffered endlessly and tirelessly.

While Scotland was once basically a giant forest, it’s now largely bereft of trees, with large barren stretches of exposed, peaty land. The nation is by no means treeless, but there are huge areas (especially further north) where countless years of deforestation and mistreatment are easy to see.

But as the Forestry Commission continues to do great work, Scotland will hopefully one day have a bigger population of trees once more.

For more information check out our guides on the biggest forests in the UK, the best botanical gardens in the UK, and where to find palm trees in Scotland.