Conquering the Highlands. History of the afforestation of the Scottish uplands

By the end of the nineteenth century, Scotland's woodlands were
reduced to about six per cent of land cover. Over the course of
the twentieth century, foresters worked to establish timber
reserves in the Scottish Highlands, creating forests on marginal
lands that were not easily adapted to forestry following
millennia of deforestation. Using a variety of techniques and
strategies drawn from modern forestry practices, the Scottish
uplands were afforested in the twentieth century, tripling the
forest cover. The creation of new forests to serve strategic and
economic interests, however, altered the ecology of the Scottish
uplands and eventually came into conflict with the interests of
environmentalists in the late twentieth century. This fascinating
history of the afforestation of the Scottish uplands is explored
in a new book by environmental historian Jan Oosthoek called,
Conquering the Highlands: A History of the Afforestation of the
Scottish Uplands. To learn more about this book, this episode
features an interview with the author.


Music credits: Lark in the Morning. The Atholl Highlanders by
Slainte and Scotland the Brave by Shake That Little Foot.