We are incredibly proud to announce that The Future Forest Company’s reforestation site at Dumyat has won The Climate Change Champion Award at Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards 2023. The award, sponsored by CarbonStore, was introduced in 2021 to highlight the important role Scotland’s forests and woodlands can have in mitigating and responding to climate change.
Dumyat, a treasured location in the Stirlingshire and Clackmannanshire landscape, is well on its way to becoming a truly multi-use forest for the future. We have planted over 340k trees at the site, mainly native broadleaf and native Scots pine, to sequester an estimated 80,000+ tonnes of carbon over the next one hundred years, as well as extending existing woodland habitat networks and enhancing nature.
A range of nature projects are also underway at Dumyat, including the transformation of ecologically degraded grasslands and wetlands into wildflower and pollinator havens, and the creation of new wetland to provide habitat for wetland flowers, insects and birds. We are also protecting and enhancing existing habitats for endangered species including the iconic red squirrel, and the Northern brown argus butterfly.
Jamie Adcock, Senior Forestry Manager at The Future Forest Company, accepted the Climate Change Champion Award at The Royal Highland Show, saying, “This accolade is testament to the vision, planning and execution of the work we are undertaking at Dumyat. We are delighted that this site has been recognised by Scotland’s Finest Woods for our efforts in sharing our knowledge and experience about climate change.”
“On-site our team of experts have been actively working with groups of volunteers from the local community and Stirling University student groups, to deliver a range of talks and demonstrations on nature, climate change and reforestation, as we aim to provide an outdoor educational resource for all levels from primary school through to academic research.”
Consultation and engagement with local communities has been essential throughout the planning process for Dumyat, and we have engaged with groups including Stirling University, Stirling and Clackmannanshire Scottish Wildlife Trust and The Menstrie Scout Club. The inaugural Bikes, Bees and Trees rally, an ultra-distance cycling event with a strong focus on nature restoration and our climate, took place at Dumyat in April, and this month we hosted the Running Out Of Time Relay Race, Britain’s biggest climate relay where thousands of people are passing the baton from Ben Nevis to Big Ben to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle climate change.
It’s been an incredible journey so far at Dumyat and we are delighted to receive this recognition from Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards.
