Rewilding: ‘Before’ and ‘after’ pictures show transformation of Scottish glen into wildlife haven and visitor hotspot
Glen Finglas estate was a hill farm that had been heavily grazed by sheep when it was taken over by the Woodland Trust charity a quarter of a century ago.
Now, after extensive work to plant trees and repair peatlands, it is a thriving wildlife site, home to myriad species - including black grouse, beavers, golden eagles, pine martens, otters and red squirrels.
The charity acquired Glen Finglas estate, which is part of the Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve, in 1996 - with help from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Covering more than 4,800 hectares of mountain and moorland, it is the largest of the Woodland Trust’s 1,200 sites across the UK.
This metamorphosis has required careful management of the vast and varied landscape to protect and enhance a host of habitats, from open and ancient oak forests through to montane scrub, grasslands, marshes and moors.
Over the years more than one million native trees have been planted at the site, creating some 1,800 hectares of new woodlands.
