Walking in Rannoch

Today, I returned to the Black Forest of Rannoch to walk with Amaloh. This was one of the areas that I researched for my dissertation over 10 years ago when I was studying at St. Andrews. 

 The area is so lush and green and following historic deforestation efforts, the area became a site of conservation to preserve some of the old mother Scot's Pine trees. The trees were thought to be part of the great forest of Caledon, the original forests of Scotland. 

Red deer populations have spiked in Scotland causing all kinds of wide-reaching environmental effects. The deer would browse all the young saplings from the Scot's Pine and the annual seedlings weren't able to make it to a full growth stage. 

The area is just as beautiful as it was 10 a decade ago and the signs of forest intervention were evident with some fenced off areas where the Scot's Pine could proliferate. 

Some of the trees in this area are hundreds of years old and have survived centuries of logging attempts. Have a look at the video below for a bit of a walk through of our day in the forest.