Caledonian Forest - Europe's Rarest habitat?
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- čas přidán 1. 03. 2021
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The Caledonian forest once covered much of the Scottish Highlands. But why does the iconic Scottish landscape look open and windswept. Let's find out...
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its sad that in ages past almost all of what is now called Scotland was a legendary forest and now it is a baren landscape. Hopefeully they can reverse all the deforestation!!
The UK government should do more to protect our beautiful landscape
It's far from a barren landscape. Has huge moorland areas perfect for grouse etc
You need carnivores to chase off deer and rabbits from places they like to hang out and overgraze to the ground every tree that tries to grow.
Wolves, lynx and bears for a start...
Only if we reverse all human settlement. Sadly, it's just not possible.
@@dusan19377 This. Elk and pronghorn populations in yellowstone, USA, actually rose when wolves were reintroduced for that reason. They hunt differently than the coyotes that had taken over the area when wolves were removed. By keeping large herbivores away from rivers especially, wolves were able to protect important riparian habitats & help to keep herds "rotating" to fresh grazing areas almost like a pasture system. Sadly, humans are petty, emotionally damaged, territorial little monkeys who have to kill every species that reminds it of itself.
Adding predators is more than just about reducing numbers through predation. There mere presence stops the deer from staying in one area too long, the predators keep them moving around to stay out of trouble. It’s like an automatic grazing management system.
That lack of grazing and moving from areas caused by predators have also found to change rivers and watersheds back to what they should have been in a complete ecosystem. Im referencing the reintroduction of wolves to yellowstone and bears to other parks
The only predator that could feasibly be reintroduced is the lynx. Till then we will have to be the predator.
@@Andrew-eo2cw What about wolves ?
@@redreuben5260 I think Scotland is too small a country for us to reintroduce wolves. Too many conflicts.
To clarify, those conflicts would be between the wolves, land owners, livestock farmers and the general public. In Scotland we have an outdoor access code that allows you to essentially go where you want in Scotland. (Some exceptions include gardens, schools and m.o.d land)
Without looking into it, I'd imagine Scotland's Munro's are some of the most frequently climbed summits there are. Just too many people... Too many daft people in Scotland too.
Hello .
Just came to know about what happened to the Caledonian forests. I am very sad. I came to know about this through a ted talk of a person who reforests the area. Btw great work bro 👍☺️☺️
really appreciate the effort put in the videos. These are the stories that all of us need to hear
Pine forest is so nice for many reasons. I'd trade large parts of our dominant spruce for pine in a heartbeat.
On a side note, I'm listening to the man and looking at that fence and I'm thinking that he's either mislead or misleading. Fences don't solve these things. What works is letting nature be nature, and that means predators big enough to take deer, which means big areas largely undisturbed by humans and so on. It's all connected. But there's no way the primary sector will ever let nature govern itself.
This past winter, I saw a story in the news media here in Norway where a land owner was complaining about snow on the spruce cutting into his profit. And I realized that if he had the power to do so, there would be no more snow in the winter for anyone, just so that he could avoid damage to his future logs. All he sees in life is what is translatable to numbers in his bank account, and he's not the exception, he's the rule.
It definately works, along with the fact deers are being felled by hunters in large numbers
You are right about the predators though but they can't just introduce them in the uk it has to be agreed upon there are so many farmers and citizens who fear predators like that rightfully so the UK hasn't had wild wolves for hundreds of years we aren't used to it especially because we are a rather small country in scale so it's not odd that we would be anxious about this tbh
👏🏽"unique ecosystem" 🦌 🌲🌲🌲🌲 Beautiful pines!! #ecosystem #scotland. Well done! 😊
Scots pine is the main conifer in western Norway too. The Caledonian forest just continues across the sea and is even bigger there. I live here in western Norway. Almost the exact same species and climate
All our trees were blown over to Norway . The days of no wind are rarer than the days of warm sunshine .
@@laurencesmith2199 Yes we know. I flew over Scotland once. I couldnt see it. The Norway spruce only barely survived the glaciers. On top of the mountains between Norway and Sweden. The oldest rootsystem in the world 9000 years old just barely growing tall but even in the Viking age they hadn spread much. But then it was warmer with more oak and wild boar around. I think we shouldnt make Norway look like Alaska with the squarer spruce plantations on the fjordsides. The reason it looks like New Zealand now in the summer is because grazing animals and fires made everything grass. Also shady areas can be grassy if there arent moss. Andc birch always conquer the grassy areas on the inside of the stone walls here. While on the outside its stony, heather and almost just one tree, the scots pine
I’ve began eating Scottish venison instead of cow meat to help our trees. Get scranning for the Scots pine!
This is a really great video, I’ve been fascinated by the Scottish highlands before they were destroyed by humans. Glad to finally find a video on it!
I live on one of the last sections-Ardnamurchan...ancient oakwoods
Very interesting to see what the lack of top predators does in the ecosystem...preventing the trees from expanding their area because there are too many plant eating animals. Everything is perfectly designed in nature and while some see predators killing prey as cruel, it is actually a necessity to maintain balance within the ecosystem.
It is not designed. Evolution of species and ecosystems is just coincidence after coincidence happening after each others. Ecosystems change , species develop and disappear. Sometimes slowly or sometimes violently and fast, like the Asteroid impact which ended dinosaurs or rise of humans which is wiping out ecosystems and species.
It’s no coincidence. It’s perfectly designed. You are blind
@@bobelona5229 If you are right, I guess your designer designed me to be blind.
@@rickrandom6734 I wouldn't say its a coincidence. It's more like a set of laws that govern nature and survival of the fittest. Humans have discovered how to go against nature and still thrive. Like with the deer overgrazing, humans too we are a victim of our own success.
It's mathematics. It's like economics or physics; everything reaches equilibirum in a sense.
An amazing place when up around the Caingorms and Glenmore. Watching ospreys at Loch Garten. A forest to dissapear in an dbe still and know as Ray Mears says we are part of it.
Notification on
If u wanna see scots pine dominating the landscape just visit Brandenburg; germanys largest sandbox
I think limeting deer populations through hunting is probably the best option in this case. If populations go unchecked, the animals are more likely to die from starvation and diseases as well. So letting the deer population grow unsustainably is also worse for the deers welbeing.
Exactly! You are right! In one current project the target involved reducing red deer numbers radically and the trees are bouncing back dramatically. If has been said that the target reforestation for a projected 50 years was actually reached in just over 15 years. And it is growing exponentially. Google it: Marr Lodge Estate.
Hunting is a large part of the problem. It's a popular sport amongst the bloodthirsty money types. Introducing Apex predators is far more desirable and natural not like those who get their kicks from feeling big shooting an animal.
@@blairrobert3438 but reintroducing predators also means problems and confrontation with cattles. Hunting is much more than just a sport for rich adrenalin junkies, it is also a way of getting food, preserving the environment and biodiversity.
@@boredfrenchman8097 ethical hunting is fine. In Scotland we have too many deer due to rich folks enjoying the surge of the kill. It also messes our peat bogs up, those could be worth an absolute fortune going forward.
@@boredfrenchman8097 Hunting, as it's currently managed in Scotland is not preserving the environment or biodiversity - it's doing the exact opposite. Of course, hunting could be used to reduce deer populations in certain areas but this isn't happening. Reintroducing predators is also a more effective way. Fencing off farmland for sheep is possible when the alternative is fencing off forests from the deer (their natural homes). You seem to support biodiversity - as the video shows, this would be most of the country covered in native forest and the wildlife to support those ecosystems. Coincidently, this would also be better for the economy than its current use for sheep farming and hunting.
I read CF Gordon Cumming (1883) it was the Vikings who torched all the forests in Scotland and since then its never been replaced. They were digging up hard wood trees in Lewis when digging the peats and still do.What about the sheep they seem to make just a mess of any young trees - any cull of sheep by chance?.
@@Billcarsonstobaccobox aye they became integrated with the locals too late for the forests though..
There was no major "Hosting" by Vikings on the mainland or Viking names in kingship rolls , despite being their nearest neighbour . They occupied some , not all of the Hebridean islands and Orkney and Shetland were theirs but Scots lived there too . We didn't get the treatment England , Ireland and France got , they cut the Welsh some slack too .
I think the recent finds in Orkney in the Ness of Brodgar had something to do with it .
@@laurencesmith2199 Just because there are not many names in Norse on the mainland doesn't mean they never torched the forests.Then you have clan names many come from Norse who were situated on the mainland.Kilt is derivation of norse to tuck and fold.Ill take it from the historians they burnt the forests.
This channel is way too high quality for the views its getting
Agree only just found it
4:22 FYI, in Colorado, USA, Rocky Mountain National Park has fenced willow and aspen areas to protect from elk grazing. They have gates for public access. If interested in ground-level images, you can look for Upper Beaver Meadows trailhead on Mapillary.
Is a lock the same as a Loch I wonder?
How can I join this illustrious organization , question mark is not working for some reason
Not gonna lie, those forests look a lot like the ones here in Southern Norway.
Mostly pine with some birch and aspen sprinkled in, ground cover is also the same
We have also similar in Netherlands. But we have wolves nowadays also again. I wonder why Scotland doesn't use wolves or other predators.
@@vk8812 because farmers. The farmers are terrified of wolves and wildcats taking their sheep
The Scottish dude had such a suiting voice. Almost made me sleep XD
I love the nature of Scotland, Wales, The Isle of Man, Ireland and Cornwall, they are all different and the feeling in each is Unique but they have all one thing in common, those places are all beautiful and vast in wildlife
Also all the Celtic countries
Agree. And i fell inlove with isle of man. One of the most safest place to live in or raise a family in my opinion.
England? 😂 named everywhere but the largest country of the British isles
@@laksyrowpolysdg3153 because it’s not on the same level of beauty as the others
@@user-pv8lp6ht3z well Cornwall is in England (Cornwall is a county not a country), I have been to all those places and places like Dartmoor, the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire moors, Northumbria are easily comparable. It's like saying America doesn't have great places like the Grand Canyon but Arizona does
hmm, im wondering about the research that proves that caledonian forest is the largest forest with pinus sylvestris as the dominant tree species. because if the claim in the video is that there are no larger areas of forest with natural pinus sylvestris domination, then that stetement is really trying to make one place look special above others, sure i understand that you want to bring attention, but the possibility of much larger areas dominated by pinus sylvestris is most likely the case. for example in my country lithuania, the southern part naturally grows pinus sylvestris as dominant species and the area it covers ranges from 400-800k thousand hectares ( depending on the definition of the boundaries ), and thats within small country with forested area cover of 33%, so i would likely imagine that much more massive areas and forests with pinus sylvestris as dominant species lie within finland/russia that are well above 1.5 million hectares.
anyways great britain does not have enough forested area to initiate enough government issued money to make large scale reforestation and conservation project, well atleast its very unlikely given the economical powerhouse of britain being industrial and farming.
Well, I guess we have some in Poland too but not sure how much is left. They cut trees like mad now for money 😔
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is not only the "dominant" conifer in the Caledonian forest, (as the video stated) it is the ONLY conifer. That is why the Caledonian forest is unique. In continental Europe, Scots pine is joined by other conifers, for example spruces.
I'm not sure what you mean by "great britain does not have enough forested area to initiate enough government issued money to make large scale reforestation and conservation project ". The fact is that there is huge scope and need for a very significant increase in the area of the Caledonian Forest, and even the UK and Scottish governments (who are usually several decades behind the times in ecological understanding) are at last beginning to take notice.
They're not trying to make it special above other areas in Europe, they're just highlighting its deforestation and need for restoration. Other countries with larger areas of forest are obviously more special in that regard. It's only unique because it's the only conifer. As you've pointed out, similar forests exist in other parts of Europe, but all areas are unique to an extent :)
Without predators have no balance in nature.
How can u mention the Caledonian Forest without mentioning Capercaillie 🦃 lol
Kala luz
there's not even an economic reason for having the deer numbers as high as they are. Hunting is less profitable than protecting our peat bogs for instance. Those look like they are going to worth a fortune due to their ability to trap carbon monoxide. Any farmer losing livestock can be adequately reimbursed. I don't see an argument against introducing the lynx for example at all. It's extremely frustrating.
Hundreds of thousands of people that will cry about a lynx killing their cat or dog or being scared to walk into nature because of it. Selfish people who think natire is purely for them are the reason why it is not done.
Start planting trees
Native trees 🌲
A little bit strange to name the wildcat „Scottish wildcat“ and the pinus sylvestris „Scott’s pine“. Both species are spread in Europe, nothing Scottish about it.
idk about the cat but the botanical world agrees on the common name of scots pine for pinus sylvestris. Common names aren't meant to be deeply analyzed nor do they give any real meaning to a particular species distribution. Theyre just common names.
Those kind of wildcats are only found in Scotland. A subspecies of European wildcat
Oh my gosh we should protect our wildlife for future generations to enjoy it? Oh my this is absolutely groundbreaking. I mean it's not like I've been hearing this for the past 20 years.
I'm totally with you on this as we're so used to hearing the same info but I'd also say that this video is more of an educational introduction to an ecosystem rather than addressing the steps we can take to protect it. It's certainly something that could be addressed in its own separate video maybe? Otherwise the timestamp becomes a bit too long for most viewers if its all in one ep.
@@arranmoran8342 I see your point. I just wish if they're going to be preachy about being environmental friendly they would have told us at the end of a small way that makes a big difference, that we could do.
@@davis9502 I see what you mean. I think it's a tricky one as its hard to pinpoint one thing that we can do to help that particular area...one that people would actually go and do. I do think that its the sort of video that initiates the initial interest/spark in people to look further into this place and whats going on there conservation wise/whats being done to protect it etc. Maybe its the sort of thing that really needs a push in policy to protect it?
SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND
im scottish
This quoting of a date of 5,000 years ago is actually not correct. The Romans were here 2,000 years ago and the whole place was a forest then. It is much more likely that the forest survived for a long time after the Romans. In the 15th century there were acts of the Scottish Parliament created to preserve the woodland of the country, which was perceived to be shrinking. People who know very little about Scottish history makes sweeping statements based on nothing really. They should stop and ask, and seek information from the records that exist, and from the lore which involves story telling, song and poetry. This will involve a language barrier because the bulk of the lore will be in Gaelic. However, it’s a very much alive language. Just do some research instead of reaching back to some made up 5,000 year old nonsensical assertion.
The 5,000 date is not nonsense: that was the approximate date of the maximum extent of the Caledonian forest. (Though the video is incorrect to state that the decline was caused by drier climate - the opposite is the case. The climate became cooler and wetter after that time, which was one factor that made it more difficult for pine to survive.)
Your statement, "The Romans were here 2,000 years ago and the whole place was a forest then." is not true.
For example, Bennet, "Our Pinewood Heritage" (1995) states, "Around 4,000 BC, the first farming folk arrived in Britain with their domesticated livestock. Gradually , forest and woodland began to decline, and the effect was most marked in the north and west, which were already marginal for tree growth; the additional pressure of free-ranging domestic animals may have been too much - woodland decreased and blanket peat spread further, and the landscape began to assume a tree-less aspect."
Correct! This 5,000 year nonsense is something that I’m also fed up seeing. The country was covered with forest into fairly recent historical times. And wolves were only finally wiped out in the mid eighteenth century. That is the turning point for Uber-overgrazing.
Additionally, why are Caithness and Sutherland not part of the former forest, especially when key surviving fragments are currently situated there. This entire thing is written and presented by English people with no real knowledge of our country. Well meaning people, of course, but not well versed.
Bring back wolves 🐺
put some wolfs and deers problem will be solved. americans did it and it was super big success.
there are talks of reintroducing wolves into the scottish highlands
Reintroduce wolves, cordon off large areas for saplings to grow for 30 years, limit human access. Boom - bigger forest :)
Reintroduce wolves, cordon off large areas for saplings to grow for 30 years, limit human access. Boom - 'United Nations Agenda 21' legislation is implemented.
Uhm just reintroduce wolves, bears and lynx- problem solved (?)
As usual, this isn't so simple because livestock farmers and gamekeepers oppose it. You can trace most ecological problems back to these two industries.
Europe's rarest habitat is desert ...
The only natural european deserts are found in Spain and very small one in Bulgaria
Too little, too late.
Im a highlander and I can tell u there is no lack of rainfall haha
🤣
Yeah, I am from Scotland too and thought the same thing.
Some countries all the people have to do a year in the military. All countries should have a similar rewilding plan. Imagine for ten years completely stopping fishing and clear cutting. At the same time rewild while letting species rebound a bit. In the states should be mandatory to live off grid for a week or two in the spring and fall. When it's ideal weather to do so. Camp in your backyard. Turn everything off except the frig. Who doesn't like camping? What an easy solution to eliminate 10% of emissions. Mandatory camping challenge.
I don't know what the people population and density is in Scotland, but the reintroduction of wolves in our own Yellowstone Park has solved many of the same problems your forests are experiencing. But! Big but! Wolves bring their own problems when they encounter livestock. This problem isn't solved as much as mitigated by Government reimbursement programs for each "owned" animal killed by the wolves. Somewhat mitigated is more like it. Wolves are very much like people. If a tasty food source is easier to obtain, well, the wolves are smart enough to understand that. Livestock is easier to kill. So the problem becomes; How is a wolf taught that killing livestock is a bad choice? It's not easy, but... what are the forests worth to the Scots? Large predators have always been in competition with people. They are smart, but not smart enough to solve the coexistence problem. That means; you and yours will have to work it out. I wish you the best. It's easy for me to accept the wolves and other predators, but that's because I'm not effected by their presence. That describes a lot of issues between people. Issues that can turn to war... So, politics. A market for the venison, and good wages for professional hunters, is another route. Whatever is done will be expensive. Hunters are the obvious choice due to the "Food Crisis" we're having. But where to find enough hunters in a country with such extreme gun laws? Nope, it won't be easy. "Nothing worthwhile ever is..." or so the saying goes.
Our population is roughly five and half million people mostly in the Central Belt (middle of the country) and the east coast the Highlands are less populated but far from empty we have two national parks one in the Highlands
The areas around the Caledonian forest have the same population density as inner mongolia. The issue is most farmers have a very wide range. The solution is simple, Allow more hunting alongside the wolves so wolves learn to avoid humans
@@grimnir8872 Good idea. Does this also teach the wolves to avoid sheep and cattle? How does that work? Do herds need to have a shepherd and dogs with them at all times? Do the wolves make the ownership connection? Here in the US, wolves become wary, but still prey on unattended livestock.
@@johnlshilling1446 Well one big advantage the UK has is it has alot of moorland, which is perfect for keeping lifestock herds safe because a shepard can have a wider distance to see and wolves really do not enjoy hunting when they can be spotted. Hunters then act as a buffer, who can cull desperate wolves willing to encroach in the same way they kill young deer on the edges of the forest.
@@grimnir8872 Plausible.. I hope it works. Predators do seem to be the answer. 🤔
But, there are always some people that just refuse to accept it... At least, that's the situation over here. A single dead farm/ranch animal is enough to send them into rage.
Release the wolves 🐺.
Just trans-locate some apex predators. Oh wait, your government's bureaucracy won't let you.
maybe in stead of eating cow and pig meat switch to wild deer, healthy and sustainable for the forest and scottish people..
SEÑORES REFORESTAR REFORESTAR REFORESTAR árboles nativos para que VUELVA el ciclo de vida. Los árboles regulan la temperatura en la corteza TERRESTRE. Por nuestros ANIMALES Flora y fauna. CÓMO TAN POCA VISIÓN? AHORA NO HAY EQUILIBRIO EN EL MUNDO? 2021 NO EXISTIRÍA EL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO. NO EXISTIRÍA EL CALENTAMIENTO GLOBAL. PRIORIDAD PARA TODOS LOS PAÍSES DEL MUNDO. JUNTOS PODEMOS.
Stop selling land to foreign investors, cut back on the amount of sheep, stop paying land owners subs for keeping the land bare.
the rarest ecosystem still belongs to northeastern Russia or most part of Siberia.
I don't know where you get the "facts" from. There is no evidence of such woodland. Trees cannot grow at those alpine heights, hence why the moorlands are 1000s of years old. Felling trees. Felling for what ? because even if trees could grow in environments where winds exceed 100miles per hour, then they wouldn't be big enough to do anything with. You start off the video about the Scottish lochs. All the major inland ones are man made for hydo electricity. So we’ve buried thousands of acres under water where the trees would have grown and the evidence shows this with tree stumps still preserved in the soil. Something thats not evident in the higher terrain soil. yet over on the islands again the peat lands that are 1000s of years old and are on the lowlands where trees haver been felled there is preserved evidence presenting itself when locals cut the peat. These so called barren tree less lands were developed way before mans involvement. Its not as if man ever felled millions of trees for sheep. These lands were like this back in the days of clans. These areas grazed by cattle way before the times of the lands being stripped of the clans and used for sheep.
I visited many of these areas of Scotland and have walked through Scots pine forest enclaves. I stress 'enclaves' because it seems like you're on another persons land when in these areas. The one thing that stood out was that there were always English people approaching me and asking me about who I was and why I was there.
My conclusion is that the forests would be totally fine if they were left to themselves, but English people have taken the land and are harvesting it and claiming it, while purporting to be conserving it. The inner highlands are almost devoid of actual Scottish people. England has systematically removed the indigenous people from most of the Scottish highlands. Now, if you want to see the Scottish highlands, you have to get permission from an English person.
That was the most striking thing I took away from travelling all around the highlands. It has mostly been wiped clean of it's historic culture, and nature.
Just imagine the state of if it the local Orcs kept their grubby mitts on it......it’d be empty Irn Bru cans and used needles as far as the eye could see.
Luckily as you say, decent folk now own the land.
Their everyone's land England has more population than Scotland so of course there's gonna be more English people who cares its not as if their foreigners we're all part of the UK, i see English people all the time in Wales and I don't care, there's a lot of Scots and welsh also living in England
@@captainl-ron4068 Lmao love this
Feel like life will be simpler when we start raising livestock on Mars. Think of it for a moment and tell me you don't think that would solve all the world's problems.
Super expensive. Probably easier for humans just to eat less meat and raise less livestock.
I'm sorry but that's ridiculous. Just stop eating meat. Nobody needs it.
@@TheFlippyNioa While that is the end goal you're better off telling people to eat less meat. Same way you're telling people to drive and travel less to lower emissions.
Just saying people should completely stop something often causes more resistance to an idea, rather than acceptance.
@@martijn9568 I am sorry but not eating meat may be the endgame for people like you but the majority of us are happy doing as nature intended us to do which is eat a varied diet of meat, veg and fruit. If you manage to get all omnivores to eat solely fruit and veg then maybe I will too but good luck getting coyotes, bears and jackals along with all other omnivores to stop eating meat.
B Isles? Downvote. The empire is gone.