Celebrating National Tree Week
A Tribute to the Green Giants
National Tree Week is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration, is a chance for communities, conservation groups, and individuals across the country to come together and honour the immense value of trees. Taking place from the last Saturday in November until the first Sunday in December, this week-long celebration marks the start of the winter tree-planting season and encourages everyone to appreciate, protect, and plant trees for a greener, healthier future.
Why Trees Matter
Trees are often referred to as the "lungs of the Earth"—they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, which is essential for all life. But their contributions go far beyond this. Trees play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity by providing habitats and food for a myriad of wildlife species. From birds to insects, small mammals to fungi, a single mature tree can support an entire ecosystem. Trees also stabilise soil, prevent erosion, and regulate water cycles, proving invaluable in the face of increasing climate challenges.
For us, trees also offer beauty, tranquillity, and a connection to the natural world that can boost mental well-being and reduce stress. From iconic oaks to delicate rowans, each tree species offers something unique. Whether we’re enjoying their shade on a hot summer day or marvelling at the autumnal transformation of their leaves, trees are a constant source of wonder and inspiration.
A Word from Our Rangers
In celebration of National Tree Week, we wanted to share some thoughts from our rangers, each of whom has a unique connection to certain trees.
Andy celebrates the Hazel
Hazel trees are pretty much indestructible. It’s a multi-stemmed tree and even though some stems may be only a hundred years old the hazel stool might be thousands of years old. Our ancestors as far back as Mesolithic times found hazels vital to their survival, hazelnuts for food, stems for walls, roofs, baskets, creels, boats, carts and more. Hazel trees are an important part of the Atlantic rain forest and have a whole community of unique mosses and lichens associated with them, including some very rare species.
Jenny admires the Oak
I love oak trees for many reasons; the biodiversity they support, their strength, the lobular shape of their leaves, and how easy it is to grow new oak trees from acorns. One oak in particular locally stands on its own and is the halfway mark on a hill between my housing estate and the community allotments beside Ullapool River. It’s the site of a feeding frenzy of pipistrelle bats through the summer, where a greenfinch calls in the spring, where the west coast light illuminates in the autumn. It has been a motivator when carrying loads from bags of produce to small child up that hill… ‘keep going’ the oak tree says!
Patti adores the Holly
The holly tree is always ‘dapper’ with its glossy, sharp leaves and if there are male and female trees together, the show of berries (drupes) throughout winter is stunning and an important source of food for birds such as thrushes and waxwings, in addition to the holly blue butterfly. In the past, its leaves have been used as fodder for cattle, sheep and deer. The larvae of the holly leaf miner fly also feed on the leaves. Holly trees appear throughout history and folklore, believed to have protective properties. Its presence sparks a warm, festive feeling as I gather it from my grandmothers’ garden to make wreaths at Christmastime.
John celebrates the Scots Pine
Our native Scots Pine is such an important tree as part of the Caledonian pine forest it plays a major role in that rare and valuable ecosystem providing food and shelter for so many species including red squirrels, pine martens, crossbills, crested tits and ospreys. It’s also such a beautiful tree to look at with its deep green needles and russet red bark, especially near the top of its trunk. It is also the clan badge of my ancestors the MacGregors who would have worn a sprig of it in their caps when going into battle!
Eildh-Ann loves the Aspen
Aspen trees are my favourite because of their shimmering leaves that dance in the lightest of breeze - some believe that the trembling leaves are the trees communicating between this world and the next. Their unique ability to grow in clusters, sharing a root system, symbolizes strength and resilience – a reminder of the importance of community.
Paul appreciates the Sycamore
The humble sycamore, which is actually a non native but here in the harsh Caithness climate it is a tree species which survives well. It seems to cope admirably with our fierce winds and provides much needed shelter and feeding opportunities for our local birds. I always remember a large sycamore at Armadale in north Sutherland, hanging over the village noticeboard. In Spring I would be putting up a poster for the latest ranger activities and the sycamore above would be emitting a constant, loud, hum from all the insects feeding at the honeydew, produced by the aphids living in there.
Kirsty chooses the Hawthorn
It’s the hawthorn for me. It is gnarly, hardy and grows into interesting forms against the wind. I love the contrast of how delicate its flowers are in contrast to this. I love the slight purple tinge to the twigs and the deep red of the berries. Most importantly I respect how it provides for other creatures, it is second only to the oak for the number of species that it feeds, shelters and supports. There is a lot of folklore associated with hawthorn including the belief that the Hawthorn is a portal to the fairy world – never fall asleep under the Hawthorn!
Donald delights in the Apple
Why? Obviously, I like apples, probably not the original small, sour, wild crab apples though, but the ones I grew up with. We always seemed to have apple trees, with beautiful blossom in spring and home-made apple tarts and stewed apples in autumn. I recall when young being read a story about Johnny Appleseed, an American wanderer and preacher who travelled barefoot across America, spreading the gospel and planting apple orchards as he went. That impressed me and I have planted trees where I pass, not just apple trees though. There are not many apple trees in the far north – but there are more now! They will also be of great benefit to wildlife, I don’t expect to have bountiful crops of beaming red apples, but I am more than prepared to share the results.
Getting Involved
National Tree Week is an excellent time to get involved with local efforts to protect and enhance tree cover in your area. Whether you plant a tree in your garden, join a community event, or simply take a moment to appreciate the trees around you, every small action counts.
This week, let’s celebrate the green giants that shape our landscapes, support our wildlife, and bring such joy to our lives. Together, we can make a lasting impact, one tree at a time. Lets get planting!
How can you have left out the rowan? It's traditionally the first tree we should plant, to keep our house safe from evil spirits. And it's not just for near houses, it's one of the most frequent trees found high up on Scottish hills, often growing on rocks where sheep and deer can't get at it. With spectacular flowers in Spring and berries in Autumn it's very decorative too. The berries are much appreciated by the various thrushes - I'd post a photo of a mistle thrush enjoying ours last week if I could see how. And you can make very characterful rowan jelly from the berries (while still leaving enough for the thrushes), which goes very well with all the venison we should be eating to keep our deer population within bounds
My favourite is definitely the oak, mainly because of the tremendous number of other species it supports directly (over 800 I seem to recall?) but also because it’s the first tree I become familiar with as a boy, playing at the base of a large one at the top of our garden. Finding acorns has become much harder lately I’ve noticed, so I hope the ones that are being produced are growing into saplings in good numbers.