Four species to look out for in Scotland's rainforest
You might know that we produce sustainable timber, but did you also know that we look after globally significant native woodland?
On the west coast of Scotland, our incredibly precious - and rare - temperate rainforest is home to ancient oak, ash, birch, hazel and Scots pine.
The humidity, high rainfall and variety of soils provide ideal conditions for more than 500 species of mosses, ferns, lichens and liverworts. Some of these species have their ‘world headquarters’ here – a few are found nowhere else!
Species to look out for
Here are four species you might see at our rainforest sites:
1. Glue fungus
You'll find glue fungus (the black spot in the centre of the image below) on rainforest hazels where it glues pieces of deadwood into the canopy. This stops them falling onto the forest floor where this resourceful fungus would have to compete with many other species of wood-rotting fungi.
Fungi are a group of organisms that feed on organic matter and produce spores. They belong to a kingdom that is separate from both plants and animals. Beneficial mycorrhiza fungi grow in association with plant roots, helping them to absorb water and nutrients.
2. Red-eyed shingle lichen
This lichen grows on trees like hazel, rowans and willows and occurs in undisturbed habitats. That's one of the reasons it's often found in ancient woods. In Europe, it's largely restricted to the west coast rainforests in Scotland, the west of Ireland and Norway. It can also be found in the cloud forests of the Canary Islands.
Did you know that lichens are not single organisms? They're not really even plants. Instead, they are a stable symbiotic (or mutually beneficial) association between a fungus and algae and/or cyanobacteria (often called blue-green algae).
3. Map and script lichens
This rainforest hazel stem is encrusted with a range of 'map and script' lichens. Some of the species in this community are rare and very much restricted to the rainforest. These specialists require a regular and uninterrupted supply of smooth young stems and don’t occur in recently established woodlands or those that have been significantly disturbed.
4. Wilson’s filmy fern
It's hard to believe that this exquisite translucent plant is actually a fern. There are three filmy fern species in Scotland – all largely restricted to wet and sheltered corners of the west coast rainforests. They often grow on boulders and crags where competitive common mosses struggle to get a foothold. This plant is used as our rainforest emblem.
Ferns are ancient non-flowering plants that reproduce using spores. But unlike mosses and liverworts, they have complex leaves and true roots. They range from tiny plants only around 1cm tall to towering tree ferns up to 25 metres.
A unique habitat
Preserving species like these is one of the reasons we work to protect Scotland's rainforests. But it's not the only one.
As with other native woodlands, this unique habitat plays an important role in helping to tackle the twin crises of the climate emergency and biodiversity loss. It's home to:
- badgers, red squirrels, wildcats and pine martens
- hundreds of insects including the threatened chequered skipper butterfly
- resident and migrant birds from redstarts, tree pipits and wood warblers to buzzards, great spotted woodpeckers and jays
That’s why we work hard to balance Scotland’s need for sustainable home-grown timber with our commitment to these sites.
What we're doing to restore Scotland's rainforest
We're responsible for a third of the area of Scotland’s ‘core’ rainforest with work to restore the rainforest supported by Scottish Government funding.
Our teams continue to thin and fell conifers, clear invasive shrubs like Rhododendron ponticum and manage the impact of animal grazing. In doing this, we aim to create a diverse landscape, focusing on our ancient woodland sites and connecting them with new areas of native woodland.
We're also an active member of The Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest. This is a collection of organisations and government agencies who work together to restore this immensely valuable habitat.
Together, we're working at a landscape scale to address threats to Scotland's rainforest.