April 2023

Rainforests!

Last month saw the launch of a major project to save Morvern’s rainforests, following many years of work by individuals in Morvern (particularly Alasdair, Gordon, and Donald), and major partners including the RSPB, Woodland Trust Scotland, Plantlife and the government agency NatureScot (formerly SNH) who are all part of the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest.  There was a drop-in at the hub in Lochaline and Ardtornish hosted several visitors to the peninsula including Guy Shrubsole the author of the Lost Rainforests of Britain and Kevin Cox, the chair of the RSPB, who both came to visit our croft.

There are some incredible pristine patches of Hazel and Oak rainforest here, dripping with lichens as well as ancient elm, willow, and rowan trees each with their own character and history. It was lovely to see someone as knowledgeable as Guy Shrubsole get as excited as he did, looking at the woods on the croft. He and Kevin are some of many visitors who have been blown away by what we have here in Morvern – much of which is exceptionally rare and precious.

One of the main reasons we bought Rhemore was the woodland. Alasdair has always had a passion for Scotland’s rainforest (since his holidays in Laudale as a child) and protecting it has become his life’s work. The Scottish rainforest was partly what drove him to push so hard for a community buy out of Killundine as he believed the Morvern community would protect it better than any individual landowner.

When I met Alasdair, he had spent the last five years collecting data on woodlands across the West Highlands for the 2014 Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (he spent another year doing this when we were first together). His knowledge of the West coast rainforests is incredible, and Alasdair moved to Morvern partly because of the woodland. The coast along the sound of Mull has the some of the best Hazelwood rainforest in the world, unique in the lichens it supports.  When Tim, the previous owner of Rhemore, which includes a stretch of this coast, told us he was looking to sell, we felt compelled to try and buy it so that we could try and look after it.

This is another way in which we feel connected to the late Betty Rhemore who is cited (along with Bibby MacDonald) in a 1992 survey on Lichens in Morvern by the botanists Alexander “Sandy” and Brian Coppins. At the back of the survey, they wrote “Our thanks also to Mrs MacDonald at Rhemore, and Mr and Mrs MacDonald of Drimnin Post Office, for permission to visit their land, their interest and their helpful conversations and past land-management.” Sandy went on to be chair of the British Lichen Society and Brian is considered a world authority on lichens. Alasdair has met them both a few times through his involvement with the Native Woodland Discussion Group. When he moved to Drimnin in 2012, they posted him a copy of this survey, so it is now in our possession. Sandy also told Alasdair how enthusiastic and proud Betty had been of her woods when they explained the importance of what was here to her. This pride and understanding are part of the reason those visiting the croft now find such a special place. It is a legacy handed down to us from Betty that we do not take lightly as its current custodians.

Owning a small patch of Scottish Hazelwood rainforest is an opportunity for Alasdair to share his knowledge and for us try to put theory into practice. One of our aims is to see how we can successfully expand the fragments of rainforest we have here on Rhemore ideally so that what we learn can be applied to rainforest in other parts of Scotland.