The River Dee Trust and Fishery Board celebrate the halfway point in the multi award-winning One Million Trees campaign, by planting the 500,000th tree - significantly ahead of schedule.
And the milestone is being marked by a commitment to step up the restoration of the river’s vast catchment, safeguarding nature, homes and businesses.
The tree will be planted on April 9 by two young conservationist sisters – 10-year-old Izzy and 13-year-old Abbie from Aboyne - on the banks of the Allt Cholzie Burn, a tributary of the River Muick which flows into the Dee above Ballater.
The Trust’s One Million Trees campaign was launched in 2020 and has become one of the largest nature restoration projects in the Cairngorms. The project quickly gathered momentum with support from communities, landowners and businesses. Young and old alike have gone to work, planting deciduous native trees across the Dee’s upper catchment.
Abbie and Izzy Plant the half millionth tree
Sandy Bremner, chair of the River Dee Trust, said: “It is amazing to hit this half million milestone, and I am confident we will reach our initial one-million target well ahead of the scheduled date of 2035. It is vital that we do. River temperatures are rising, droughts and severe floods are increasing, and these climate-linked changes are all leading to major pressures on our river’s biodiversity.
“By planting native woodlands along the riverbanks, we are restoring a landscape lost for 2,000 years and providing cooling shade for native species at risk of extinction, such as Atlantic salmon and freshwater pearl mussels.
“Today, we are also pledging to step up our work with partners to accelerate the delivery of landscape-scale restoration. The preparations to scale up are already under way. In time, these ambitious projects will have multiple benefits, including reducing the impact of floods which have devastated hundreds of homes and business, and ravaged the river’s biodiversity.”
River Director, Dr Lorraine Hawkins, said: “Having Izzy and Abbie, the next generation of conservationists, plant this pivotal milestone tree in this next generation of woodland we are creating, is very fitting.
“We are in a race against time to save endangered keystone species and ensure the future health and biodiversity of the unique and vulnerable river Dee and its wider catchment area.
“The engagement that the One Million Trees campaign has attracted has been phenomenal, but we are not there yet, and our wider ambitions are now far bigger, so we ask for the support of everyone who can help.”
Throughout the One Million Trees programme delivery, the River Dee Trust and Fishery Board have worked with landowners to find the best places to plant trees to reduce water temperatures and fit in with land uses. Only native trees are planted, including willow, Rowan, Birch, Alder, and Aspen to ensure they have the best chance of survival.