CairnGorm Mountain recently combined its long-held commitment towards improving the local mountain environment and involving community groups when it sought the active support of local schoolchildren for its latest project – an extension of last year’s tree-planting close to the car park at Coire Cas when around 4,000 trees were planted on the mountainside to create Coille na Cloinne – The Children’s Wood.
About 120 local primary schoolchildren from Aviemore, Kingussie, Alvie, Newtonmore, Dalwhinnie and Grantown were on site today (11th) – complete with trowels, trees and wellington boots – to take a hands-on role in the company’s tree-planting programme and extending Coille na Cluinne. In all, the children assisted in the planting of a further 4,000 trees of various species, all native to the area and including Scots pine, rowan, birch and dwarf willows, along with some native shrubs. Last year, thanks to the support of MBSE and Scottish Natural Heritage, who are again supporting the project this year, a similar number of trees were planted by local children in an attractive hillside area close to the end of the Aonach all-abilities mountain trail.
Prior to last year’s scheme, the last large-scale tree-planting initiative to be undertaken within the area was back in the 1970’s but, so slow is the growing season on the mountain at this altitude, that the majority of the trees planted over 30 years ago have barely reached 2 metres in height during that time.
Commented Tania Adams, Marketing Manager of CairnGorm Mountain Ltd.: “This new planting – and the whole concept of creating Coille na Cloinne – is very much a long term project but, hopefully, the children involved will not only take ownership of the trees as they grow up together but also will take pride in the fruits of their efforts today.”
“Today’s planting by the children is not for their own immediate benefit but, more probably, for that of their children, and even their grandchildren. Each of them can now claim a little piece of CairnGorm Mountain as their own and, hopefully, all of them will grow up feeling very much part of the overall project.”
Earlier this year, CairnGorm’s new Mountain Garden was opened by Andrew Thin, Convener of The Cairngorms National Park, and it is already providing to be a winner among visitors who are now able to see, close at hand, many of the area’s native plants, including several that have not been around for some time.
Ends
Further information from:
Bill NOLAN
Tel: 07885 071804
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