A new study led by The James Hutton Institute has highlighted the importance of protecting the UK’s Scots pine woodland by showing that 23 separate tree species would be needed to support even 41% of the biodiversity which is supported by Scots pine.

The study, which brought together experts from the Hutton, the RSPB, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Woodland Trust, assessed whether increased tree species diversity would improve the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in Scots pine forests.

Scots pine is the most widespread and commercially important of the UK’s three native conifers, providing a keystone for biodiversity and a softwood timber which is widely used in construction and joinery. However, diseases and the changes brought by climate change present a threat to this invaluable species and the woodlands it creates.