FORESTS THEN & NOW
Scotland used to be a forest. The landscape was dominated by ancient oaks and Scots pines. The more sheltered glens had birch, hazel and cherry trees. Scottish cultural history shows how vital trees once were to the Scots. Gaelic folktales have many stories of trees and forests, and the Gaelic alphabet has a plant to represent each letter. Place names such as Crieff (tree place), Aikenhead (oak area), and Birkenshaw (birch wood), are inspired by trees, yet today, the quintessential image of Scotland is the vast open hills of heather and grass. What happened to the forests?
