National Tree

I hope that members will bear with me—I am suffering from a cold at the moment.

The naturalist Richard Mabey once wrote,

“To be without trees would, in the most literal way, to be without our roots.”

I am extremely pleased to bring to the chamber this debate, which welcomes the Scots pine—or Pinus sylvestris—as the designated national tree of Scotland. I thank all the members who have signed my motion and those who have stayed behind for the debate. I remind everyone that Forestry Commission Scotland has a reception in the garden lobby this evening, which I am hosting and which the minister will address.

I first encountered the idea of a national tree for Scotland in my role as a member of the Public Petitions Committee. In November 2012, a member of the public, Alex Hamilton—who I believe is in the public gallery this evening—lodged a petition that called on the Parliament

“to urge the Scottish Government, as a symbolic commitment to our woodlands and natural heritage, to proclaim the Scots Pine as the National Tree of Scotland.”

The campaign was endorsed by, among others, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the John Muir Trust. The committee considered the petition at the beginning of 2013 and sought the views of Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage. As a result, Mr Hamilton was successful in gaining the support of the committee, and my colleague Joan McAlpine brought the subject of a national tree to the chamber for a members’ business debate in April last year.

On the back of the petition and following the members’ business debate, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change instructed Forestry Commission Scotland to undertake a public consultation, which it ran from September to December. Respondents to the consultation were overwhelmingly in favour of a national tree of Scotland and of that tree being the Scots pine. I believe that the Scots pine is an excellent choice as the national tree, although some people argued that the rowan tree should also be a contender.

The Scots pine is an iconic and easily recognisable tree that has a distinctive head of evergreen foliage. Part of its suitability as the national tree undoubtedly lies in the fact that there are around 130,000 hectares of Scots pine in Scotland and that it is the most widely distributed conifer in the world, with a natural range that stretches from western Scotland to eastern Siberia, and from north of the Arctic circle in Scandinavia to southern Spain.

In addition, the tree has strong links with the history and culture of Scotland. It is a native species that is referred to in Gaelic culture and which made up part of the ancient Caledonian forest. The Scots pine also found favour during the Scottish enlightenment period, which saw significant new plantings by country estates.

Although it is important to note the suitability of the Scots pine as a symbol, we must not overlook the practical benefits. Designating the Scots pine as the national tree of Scotland would, we hope, result in greater numbers being planted which, of course, would be extremely welcome. The timber of the Scots pine combines good strength with light weight, it is easy to work with and it takes fixings well. It is therefore an excellent and sustainable material for construction and one that is suitable for interior and exterior joinery.

Such a symbolic designation has practical benefits for conservation, too. The Scots pine is an essential part of the rural environment that is home to some of Scotland’s best-known and treasured creatures, such as the capercaillie, the pine marten, the red squirrel and the wildcat.

Above and beyond the suitability of the Scots pine, the designation of a national tree is an important step forward in confirming the Parliament’s commitment to restoring and improving the condition of native woodland. The loss of woodland and associated open habitats is the loss of a fantastic natural resource. I am sure that all members agree that we must support and promote the designation to foster the management and regeneration of existing pinewoods, and to encourage the development of urban woodland. In addition, of course, our national tree will join the lion rampant, the saltire and the thistle as emblems of our country.

As recently as yesterday, the Public Petitions Committee discussed a petition by RSPB Scotland that calls for the golden eagle to be named as Scotland’s national bird. The committee awaits what we hope will be a positive response from the Scottish Government in due course.

I encourage all my fellow MSPs to add their support for the designation of the Scots pine as the national tree of Scotland. It is clear that climate change is a serious issue that will give us many challenges in years to come. Through such initiatives, Scotland can lead the way in reforestation, which will ultimately help to mitigate the effects of climate change, as well as to provide a sustainable supply of high-quality timber.

I look forward to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government continuing to give their support to the initiative, including formal designation in the coming months, and I again thank Alex Hamilton for bringing to the Parliament’s attention the need for a designated national tree. Had he not done so, we would not be at the stage that we are at today.

I, too, congratulate Angus MacDonald on securing this debate on a subject close to my heart. However, before I begin, Presiding Officer, I must apologise to you, fellow members and the minister as I will have to leave the debate early.

I am, of course, absolutely delighted with today’s announcement, not just because I led last year’s members’ business debate in which I asked the Government to consult on a national tree but because so many people—4,500, I understand—responded to the Government’s consultation. I know that the Government went out of its way to reach as many groups as possible, including children. That was a great thing, because the consultation itself helped to raise awareness.

I thank the minister for copying me into the letter to David Stewart, the convener of the Public Petitions Committee, who raised the issue in response to Alex Hamilton’s petition. Like other members, I congratulate Mr Hamilton on the success of his campaign. I also congratulate the organisations that supported him, such as the Woodland Trust, the Borders Forest Trust, Trees for Life, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the John Muir Trust among probably lots of others.

After the most recent ice age, pinewoods covered up to 1.7 million hectares of Scotland, but by 2000 only 18,000 hectares of that forest remained. The Scots pine is our only native conifer and has a special place in our hearts, our history, our landscape, our culture and the economy. Many poets, including Aonghas MacNeacail, Sheena Blackhall, William Hershaw and Robin Fulton Macpherson, have been inspired to verse by the Scots pine. Members who are interested can enjoy their work in the anthology of tree poems “Into the Forest”, which is edited by Mandy Haggith and was published last year. Jackie Kay, a poet whom I greatly admire, compared her Highland grandmother to a Scots pine, calling her

“tall straight-backed proud and plentiful”.

That beautiful description underlines why the Scots pine is such a wonderful addition to our range of national symbols such as tartan, the thistle and the lion rampant. The Scots pine lives for up to 600 years, its sap was prized in boat building and it played a vital part in our maritime history and ship-building tradition. It is also known as the tree of heroes and symbolises immortality.

Putting that romance and history aside, today’s announcement is, as other members have said, great news for the environment because the Scots pine and pine forests generally provide homes for species such as the capercaillie, the Scottish crossbill, the pine marten and the red squirrel. The biodiversity that other members have talked about is encouraged by the planting of more trees such as the Scots pine. I commend the Government’s ambition to increase Scotland’s forest cover from 18 to 25 per cent by 2050 and believe that the announcement will help to achieve that ambition. Woodlands also play a role in enhancing our sense of wellbeing. The social and economic research group at Forest Research found that woodland enhances our physical as well as our mental health, and it encourages outdoor activities. For example, the Galloway forest park, in my region, is the largest such park in Britain and contains a variety of tourist attractions including the barn owl haven and the red kite trail. In addition, forestry employs a great many people and is an important part of our economy. In the South Scotland region alone it supports 2,000 jobs. For all those reasons, today’s announcement is fantastic.

I end on a note of slight concern, however. The Scots pine is threatened by a number of tree diseases. The Woodland Trust has given us a briefing on that for today’s debate, which states that the Scotland rural development programme includes a new category of support for tree health that would support woodland owners who have lost 30 per cent of their woods to various diseases, allowing them to restock. However, the trust mentions that the tight CAP settlement for Scotland, which we have been discussing today, could threaten that and asks how that support is likely to be funded. Anything that the minister could share with the chamber in that regard would be very welcome.

It is not often that my spouse participates in and seeks to influence parliamentary business, but today I received an urgent email from Sandra, with her vote on the national tree. I am delighted to say that she said that, for her, number 1 was the Scots pine, number 2 was the silver birch and number 3 was the rowan.

That may of course say a little about my wife. She is quite close to the silver birch as Cairn o’ Mohr, one of our local non-vine-based wineries, produces a wonderful silver birch wine that is lightly pétillant and—for those who have a vivid imagination—reminiscent of the finest French fizzy wine.

Of course, the rowans, of which we have six at the bottom of the garden, are the traditional Scots guard against the witches coming in, so I perfectly understand why Sandra had them on the list. I am delighted that she was able, from afar, by email, to support tonight’s motion.

Jamie McGrigor compared the Scots pine to the Sitka spruce. Where I live in Banffshire, I am surrounded on three sides by Sitka spruce, and it is almost a biodiversity no-go zone because the forest floor is so impacted by the lack of sunlight. Badgers and deer come through the trees and a fox lives in them, but comparatively, in plant life terms, there is not very much.

The Scots pine, by contrast, encourages huge diversity. Among the diversity that is associated with it—perhaps it is no accident—is Felis sylvestris grampia, or the Scots wildcat. The word “sylvestris”, meaning “forest”, is an important part of the name. I was slightly surprised that Jamie McGrigor, in referring to the wildcat, did not remind us of the MacGregor clan motto, which is “touch not the cat but with a glove”. That is a good thing to say about the Scots wildcat.

Of course, there are lots of other species that have “sylvestris” in their title as well. Besides Pinus sylvestris, which is the Scots pine, there is Anthriscus sylvestris, or cow parsley, which can be found on the margins of our woodland; Malva sylvestris, or the common mallow, which again is found on the margins of forests—not in Scotland, perhaps, but elsewhere; Malus sylvestris, or the European crabapple, which is of course itself a tree; Angelica sylvestris, or wild Angelica, which lives in forest margins; Anemone sylvestris, or the snowdrop anemone, although that does not live much in forests; and finally Thymelicus sylvestris, which is a small skipper butterfly. Alas, the latter is not present in Scotland at all.

Diversity comes in many forms across the environment that we have in Europe. I would love to have the Scots pine in my garden but, growing as it does to 35m or 40m, I think that there is a remote chance of that. I am told that, in parts of Scandinavia, it can exceed 50m. It is a very substantial tree indeed and it can live for hundreds of years.

We may not have followed Canada and put the outline of a leaf as the main motif on our flag—in its case, it is the maple leaf—but I am delighted that we now have a national tree in Scotland and I very much welcome the fact that it is the Scots pine. Thank you, Presiding Officer.

I thank Angus MacDonald for bringing his motion to the chamber for debate. I share his enthusiasm for the designation of a national tree for Scotland. I am most grateful to members for their valuable speeches during the debate, and it is only right to acknowledge the contribution that Mr Hamilton made by lodging the petition with the Parliament and getting us to this point, as members said.

It is a shame that Joan McAlpine has had to leave, but I also thank her for leading a previous members’ business debate on the subject, which helped to influence the debate. Her motion invited us to recognise

“the significance of the Year of Natural Scotland”

and to create a legacy that would include

“the declaration of an official national tree after due public consultation”.

In closing that debate, I raised three questions:

“First, what is a national tree for? Secondly, what does it mean if we decide to adopt a national tree? Thirdly, what process should we go through ... if we were to choose and adopt a national tree?”—[Official Report, 22 May 2013; c 20206.]

I will address the last question first.

Members may recall that, at the time, a number of online votes were being run by, among others, the Woodland Trust Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to identify Scotland’s favourite trees, flora and fauna. As they were votes rather than formal consultations that were endorsed by Government, I asked the Forestry Commission Scotland to set up a formal consultation. It asked two fundamental questions:

“Should there be a national tree for Scotland?”

and, if so:

“what species would you like and why?”

After a three-month consultation that started on 3 October 2013 and concluded on 3 December 2013, we received, as Joan McAlpine said, more than 4,500 responses. In response to the first question, there was an overwhelming yes, with 95 per cent of everyone who was asked supporting the concept.

Following that endorsement, the people’s choice was the Scots pine—more than 52 per cent chose that majestic tree as a clear winner. For the record and for Sandra Stevenson’s benefit, I say that the second choice was the rowan and the third choice was the holly, which are both attractive trees. I quite understand why Sandra made the rowan one of her choices.

I return to the three questions that I posed in May. The first was: what is a national tree for? At its simplest, consultees said that a national tree is a clear symbol of our affinity with Scotland’s trees, woods and forests and of their importance to us all.

My second question was about what it means if we decide to adopt a national tree. It means that we have a clear symbol, similar to the renowned Scots thistle, that has been chosen for and by the people of Scotland and which will be a legacy for generations to come.

I remember with affection the launch of the consultation at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. We had poets, artists and a group of schoolchildren from Stockbridge primary school, who brought an energy, passion and enthusiasm to the proceedings that demonstrated the vision and longevity of the designation. Patricia Ferguson was right to identify the potential to use such an exercise to promote our environment and help people to connect with it.

The national tree is a symbol that can be used to promote and market Scotland and our magnificent environment—especially our trees, woods and forests. We should not forget that they cover 18 per cent of Scotland’s land, which is some 1.4 million hectares. That represents 45 per cent of the total forest resources in the UK.

A formal designation of the national tree of Scotland will take place in the coming months, as part of events to mark the year of natural Scotland. All members will have the opportunity to have their say.

Why is the Scots pine a great choice? I guess that the name has a lot to do with it for many people, but the Scots pine has a lot to offer, as a number of members have said. It is steeped in Scotland’s culture. As the date is close to Burns night, it would be remiss of me to overlook our national bard, Rabbie Burns, who mentioned the Scots pine—or the Scots fir, which is how it was known then, as Jamie McGrigor said—in many of his poems and songs.

The total area of Scots pine in Scotland is about 130,000 hectares, as Angus MacDonald said, which represents some 250 million trees. As other members have said, the trees are home to some of our most iconic species, such as the pine marten, the red squirrel, the capercaillie and the wildcat. The trees are also home to one of our unique birds—the Scottish crossbill, which is not found anywhere else in the world.

The Scots pine is the key component of our Caledonian native pinewoods, the remnants of which are all in the Scottish Highlands. The core area of that hugely important habitat is about 18,000 hectares, and we are actively working to see larger areas restored.

As Jamie McGrigor said, there are many old granny pines—that is the name that is given to very old Scots pine across the country, which are so old that it is difficult to tell their true age. I am a gentleman and I would never ask a lady her age, but Jamie McGrigor identified one such tree in Glen Loyne that is almost 600 years old. It was interesting to hear that there are older examples elsewhere in Europe.

We should not lose sight of the fact that the Scots pine is one of our most important productive tree species. It is valued for its excellent timber qualities and, as members have said, it is used in many historic and modern buildings across Scotland.

The designation of a national tree for Scotland will not only create a symbol and shine a spotlight on the great importance of Scotland’s trees but provide a stimulus for inspiration and innovation. The national tree is a reminder that forestry is a great success story in Scotland. We have a modern and vibrant industry that contributes some £670 million per year to the economy and more than 31,000 jobs.

I can announce—a number of members, including Ms Ferguson, picked up on this idea—that, to promote the national tree, I have asked Forestry Commission Scotland to make provision for a new grant to be created for innovative projects and events that raise the profile of the Scots pine, our new national tree. That will include a separate fund for schools, and more detail will follow in due course. It is vital to get the idea of a national tree into schools and to get schoolchildren conversant with it and what it stands for, because of the link to conservation.

Forestry Commission Scotland will explore links to new and on-going initiatives, such as a national tree day, national tree week and a Scots pine conference that is designed to explore the tree’s place in Scotland’s culture, our heritage and our economy. The fate of the tree has an important bearing on those matters. Unfortunately, the tree faces disease threats, as Joan McAlpine said. The Government is actively addressing that.

In 2014, the world’s spotlight is on Scotland, as we welcome the Commonwealth games to Glasgow and global golf fans to Gleneagles and as the people of Scotland have the opportunity to determine Scotland’s future in September. The Scots pine—with its rich colours, ancient history, vibrant ecology and valuable timber—is a superb and fitting symbol for our country. We know that it plays a huge role in tourism marketing and in marketing Scotland’s environment more generally.

I am pleased that the consultation respondents and the members here agree that the Scots pine is a worthy symbol to designate and that it will help to highlight the significance of our trees, woods and forests in Scotland.