We are delighted to announce the Sale of the Traquair Forest project. The Project comprises 650,000 trees on 246 hectares of rolling hillsides -- an area the size of 607 football pitches. Planted in 2019 & 2020, the trees are already 2-3 meters tall.
The project was so well designed, that there has not been a need to replace seedlings in year-two. As the trees continue to grow, the project will sequester 66,066 tCO2e. The planting site is adjacent to a vast swathe of forest managed by Scottish Land and Forestry that is home to red squirrels and pine martens. The adjacent estate is also planting a woodland, so the result will be a vast contiguous forest.
The most important aspect of the project is a remarkably diverse planting scheme. The riparian area at low elevation includes alder, willow, grey willow, birch, aspen, hazel, juniper, rowan, bird cherry and birch. The planting scheme is sympathetic to rare Northern brown argus butterflies.
At mid-elevation is a mixed woodland comprising 130ha of Scots pine/Scots pine mixed with birch and aspen woodlands inspired by Caledonian Forest remnants.
Finally, at the top of the project site, there is a rapidly-sequestering, coniferous zone with Scots pine, Norway spruce, Douglas fir and Sitka spruce. The coniferous areas will benefit rare species such as red squirrels, pine martens, Scottish crossbills, parrot crossbills, golden eagles and ospreys. The Scots pine and Norway spruce mixes will be managed as continuous cover.
The Traquair Estate Charitable Trust is passionate about public access. The house and gardens are open year-round with various large, public events in the diary. The project itself has been designed with rambler trails, bridal paths and mountain bike access. These trails link up to the neighbouring village of Innerleithen and to the Tweed Valley Forest Park, one of Scotland’s largest centres for ecotourism.
The Traquair Project is located on one of the largest estates in the Scottish Borders, The Traquair Estate. Traquair House, which is a baronial castle, is Scotland’s oldest continually inhabited residence. It dates to 1107, and has been home to the Stuart Clan since 1491. It has been visited by 27 Scottish Kings and Queens, more than any other residence in Scotland. It is just 45 minutes from Edinburgh by car.