This is an Aspen Grove.
It stands out as an isolated island of bright yellow
in the brown and green landscape of Scotland.
No other tree in Britain supports more species than the Aspen, which is why
it is one of those all important keystone species which we need to support.
However, places like this one have become quite rare,
which is, of course, why last year we kickstarted
our project to plant and protect aspen trees here in Scotland.
And in this video today,
I want to tell you more about our projects and also explore in a bit more depth
why it is so difficult to plant Aspen here in Scotland,
but also why it is so important.
So to help bring this story to life, I decided to visit a mature Aspen grove.
And it is absolutely stunning.
And I want to now show you why I think it's such an impressive species
and why forests like this one are so special.
European aspen or Populus tremula is a tree
from the poplar genus and it can be found all across Eurasia.
At a global level,
it is not endangered at all, but it is the only poplar which grows in
Britain and it has become very rare in this island.
Mature trees can grow to about 20 meters in height
and are usually found together growing in stands.
This is because one of the ways they spread is by cloning themselves.
In fact, the largest and oldest organism on earth is considered
to be a 43 hectare or 108 acre Aspen
stand in Utah, which is called Pando, and it is estimated to weigh in
at about 6000 tonnes, which in animal terms is something like 31 blue whales.
This particular stand is not of European Aspen
but Quaking Aspen or Populus Tremuloides.
But the same concept applies to our trees here.
So, they're quite easy to identify by these impressive clonal stands.
And in autumn, it's even easier because of the bright yellow colour
that's their leaves take.
But in spring or in summer,
the best you can do is to sit back and listen to the leaves.
They have a really distinct fluttering sound.
Listen to this for a bit.
I hope that gave you an idea of how it sounds, but
I can tell you it is much more distinct to my ears in person.
I think this recording can't really convey the subtleties of the sound,
so you should definitely go see in Aspen, stand for yourself
and be sure to pick a windy day to get the best sound.
Of course.
One of the reasons the Aspen is such an important species
and the reason why we call it a keystone species is because of the sheer
amount of other species that it supports, including a wide variety of fungi,
lichens, mosses, as well as certain insects that live only on Aspen.
Such as the Hornet moth and of course, the Aspen Hoverfly.
In Scotland, at least 100 species of fungi and
130 species of lichen have been found on Aspen.
I am no moss expert, but I believe this might be Aspen Bristle Moss,
which would be really exciting because it's
one of those species that depends exclusively on Aspen for its survival.
So it's a really important tree for a wide variety of species,
but it is not very abundant and it's especially
rare in large stands like this one here.
Which is, of course, why in 2020 we decided to include this tree
in our planning
and decided to try to plant 10,000 Scottish Aspen over the next five years.
Now, if you know our projects, that might seem like a really low number
and it is compared to the hundreds of thousands of trees we plant elsewhere
in places like Iceland or the Carpathians and also here in Scotland, of course.
But I promise it will make more sense later in this story, once
I explain in a bit more depth
the particular challenge Scottish Aspen face and the possible solutions.
But first, to complete our explanation, I want to talk about how Aspen
can also play a key role in the riparian ecosystem.
If the riverbanks were covered in trees, covered in downy birch,
alders, willows, aspens, that these trees were falling into the river,
creating dead wood, creating interesting places for fish to hide,
and for an abundance of salmon
to be spawning and jumping about waterfalls.
And then that has knock on effects on a whole other suite of species
such as wading birds, otters, ospreys and things like that.
But the thing is, Aspen are not just another species on that list.
Because they are the favourite food of the Beaver,
which is a really important species for a variety of ecosystems.
And in our work with the salmon, we found out how important Beaver
are for their future.
So bringing back the Aspen really complements that work.
Beavers feed on Aspen and use them to build dams,
which provide crucial shelter for salmon and other fish,
which in turn enrich the forest soil with valuable marine nutrients.
They bring from the sea in their bodies and release when they die.
Everything is connected.
We're trying to do work on all the different pieces of this puzzle,
and that is why we love Aspen so much.
And here, along these barren riverbanks, is where we hope our trees
will make a big difference because they have the potential
to completely transform the landscape, as there's a wide variety of species
that depend on a healthy and thriving riparian ecosystem.
So far, we have managed to plant about 2700 Aspen,
which is good progress towards our modest 10,000 tree goal.
But now we get to the core of the issue.
Getting more trees has been really difficult
because very few nurseries are growing Aspen at scale.
Take as an example
one of the most successful organizations in Scotland called Trees for Life.
They're only growing about 3000 to 4000 Aspen per year using root cuttings.
This is a big achievement, of course, but not a fully scaled up effort just yet.
You see, the tricky thing is that Aspen are dioecious,
which means individuals can either be male or female,
unlike other trees which have male and female flowers on the same tree.
This means the pollen of male catkins meets land on
female catkins on another tree in order to produce seeds.
This is done through the wind and it might sound a bit far fetched,
but of course it works.
Or this tree wouldn't be as widespread as it is.
But unfortunately, seed production has been really poor in Scotland.
This might be due to low numbers of Aspen, but ecologists also think
it is likely linked to climate change and the new conditions that it brings.
So regardless of the true reason, finding viable seeds is close to impossible,
which leaves nurseries in a tough position.
Now it's not all bad news Trees for life.
The same organization we just mentioned has recently been successful in hand
pollinating Aspen in captivity, which is a really interesting breakthrough
and something that means a more scalable solution might be viable.
Now, this, of course, got the gears going here at Mossy Earth.
You see, we're already invested in bringing back the Aspen,
but the biggest limitation we faced is in buying the saplings.
So why not start a nursery?
Our very own Aspen nursery.
Just for this species, it could be one of our rewilding projects.
This is something that we're keen to get some opinions on,
so please let us know what you think in the comments below.
And as this video goes live,
we will also be releasing an official Mossy Earth membership vote
so that our members can have a say in this project idea.
A mature Aspen Grove is absolutely magical.
The sound of the leaves in the wind, the incredible yellows.
And above all, for me, knowing how important this species is in Scotland,
make it absolutely magical to see places like this one.
So that's why we are so passionate to bring it back and to help
planted all over Scotland.
And if you think that this is something that you would like to support as well,
then please consider heading over to Mossy Earth to learn more about our work.
Until next time. Cheers.