6M Trees Mapped in Scotland's Cairngorms
Aerial maps reveal 40% of trees are under 5 meters tall, showing successful woodland expansion in the 569 km2 survey area
A University of Cambridge–led team has used LiDAR technology to create detailed 3D maps of the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland, revealing a success story for the Cairngorms Connect nature restoration partnership. The maps show that over 6 million individual trees have been mapped across a 569 km2 survey area, with 2.65 million trees, or 40% of those surveyed, being under 5 meters tall.
The survey area covers 60,000 hectares of the Cairngorms National Park, and the LiDAR technology collected data from a light aircraft flying 600 m above the ground. The results show that the young trees are regenerating mostly near the edges of existing forests, where seeds are most likely to fall.
The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, demonstrates the effectiveness of the Cairngorms Connect partnership's landscape-scale approach to deer management. The partnership is working to re-establish native woodlands across Scotland, and the new LiDAR-based method can track the impacts of fires, which are increasing in severity with climate change.
## What the maps reveal The maps provide valuable insights into the regeneration of trees in the Cairngorms National Park. The fact that 40% of the trees surveyed are under 5 meters tall indicates that the woodland expansion is successful, and the trees are regenerating naturally. The maps also show that habitat type matters for tree regeneration, with fewer new trees establishing in boggy areas than in dry heathlands.
## Why it matters The successful woodland expansion in the Cairngorms National Park has significant implications for the environment and conservation efforts. The restoration of native woodlands can help to mitigate the effects of climate change, and the use of LiDAR technology can inform future restoration work. The ability to map regenerating trees precisely at a huge scale is a breakthrough for monitoring nature restoration at a landscape scale.
The study's findings can also inform conservation efforts in other areas, highlighting the importance of considering habitat type and deer management in restoration projects. As climate change continues to impact the environment, the use of innovative technologies like LiDAR can help to track the effects of fires and other disturbances on ecosystems.
