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Carrifran Wildwood
This Wildwood project seeks to re-create a valley of wooded wilderness in the Southern Uplands with the rich diversity of native species that existed here thousands of years ago before human activities became dominant. The 1500 acre valley in the Moffat Hills was bought through the hard work of a dedicated team of volunteers and with generous donations of over 600 people and a number of charitable trusts. On 1st January 2000 the purchase was completed, entry to the land gained and the first tree was planted at Carrifran. Since then over 500,000 native trees, all from local provenance stock, have been planted in the valley. The first ecological restoration project of its kind, the Carrifran Wildwood is hoped to be an inspiration and an educational resource to many over the next millennium.
Background
The Wildwood project was conceived at the time of the first Restoring Borders Woodland conference, organised by Peeblesshire Environment Concern in 1993. The vision was to restore the ecology of one entire catchment in the Southern Uplands of Scotland to approximately the state it would have been in before people began practicing settled agriculture, about six thousand years ago.
The project was carried forward by the grass-roots Wildwood Group, formed in autumn 1995 and comprising about 40 people, mainly from around Peebles. Members helped to form Borders Forest Trust at the start of 1996 and four years later organised purchase of the Carrifran valley, with funds raised by public subscription, mainly from more than 600 Founders of Carrifran Wildwood. An informal association with the John Muir Trust was a key catalyst in the fundraising process.
Carrifran Wildwood became an important element in BFT's activities and one of its most ambitious ecological restoration projects. The Wildwood project has, however, retained a slightly devolved character, with heavy dependence on volunteers as well as on BFT staff, and on donations from the public through a Stewardship Scheme as well as on grant aid from organisations such as the Forestry Commission, Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Lottery via the Millennium Forest for Scotland Trust.
The project is overseen by the Wildwood Steering Group, which includes key volunteers, while day-to-day management is led by the Site Operations Team comprising the Project Officer, the BFT Director and the Volunteer Project Co-ordinator.
For more in-depth information about the Carrifran Wildwood project, please click here.
The Carrifran Wildwood Story by Myrtle & Philip Ashmole with members of the Wildwood Group is available from BFT (Price now £10 plus £5 P&P; Gift Aid price (includes extra donation) £20 plus £5 P&P). Buy online or to download the order form click here. If you would like to make use of the Gift Aid option, making an additional donation of £10, please download the form and mail it, or telephone BFT.
The Carrifran Wildwood project has a dedicated website: www.carrifran.org.uk
