The Millennium Forest for Scotland project was an initiative to restore the the green forests of Scotland in celebration of the turn of the new millennium. The goals of the project were simple if ambitious. The first goal was to restore a significant amount of the forestry in the Scotland environment and the second was to reestablish the link between local communities and the environment that surrounded them.

Projects

The initial work began in 1994 by The Millennium Commission and was quickly accepted by communities everywhere in Scotland. The individual projects making up the overall effort include wildlife conservation and habitats, a "Woods For All" program designed to help the disabled enjoy the forestry, a nursery center to grow new trees and actual tree restoration including planting and maintaining the forest.

Results

While the main goal and work of the project was completed in 2001, the spirit is still very much going strong with maintenance and continuous planting still going on. To date the project has restored over 22,000 hectares (1 hectare is about 2.5 square miles) and created 200 kilometers of new hiking trails.

Location

The forest itself is not in one single place. The project spanned across the whole of Scotland with many land owners and communities donating their time and money to restore the environment to its once pristine state. There are at least 80 separate projects working on over 400 different sites across the country.

Sources

Millennium Forest for Scotland homepage

World Wildlife Fund

Midlothian Council

Edinburgh City Council

Royal Scottish Forestry Service

National Trust for Scotland