THE LOST TREE?
Aspen is common across Europe, yet could be considered Scotland’s lost tree, because it's so scarce here.
We’re living in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the first time there’s been a global movement to restore and recover our degraded ecosystems. And, although Eurasian aspen is thought to be the most widely distributed tree in the world – occurring from Iceland to Japan, and from the boreal fringes of Norway to northern Africa – it has become something of a lost tree in Scotland.
Aspen is but one tree among many. But the global crisis of nature loss has happened in part because we’ve allowed nature to slip away, bit by bit, species by species. By protecting and restoring this spectacular tree, with all its life-giving characteristics, we can put a piece of the ecological jigsaw back, enrich our woodlands and, in doing so, enrich our own lives.
Let’s not just imagine an autumnal Scottish riverbank, resplendent with the golden hues and quivering leaves of a thriving aspen woodland. Let’s make it reality. Let’s paint Scotland yellow.
