We love a good collective noun and there are lots of crackers for rooks, including congregation, storytelling, building, parliament and clamour. The bird's Latin name Corvus frugilegus means "fruit-gathering crow". 📸 Pics by George Anderson.🐦‍⬛

To support jobs across the nations and to protect our environment from new imported pests & diseases, we should only be planting trees that are UK & Ireland Sourced and Grown (#UKISG). The next Scot Gov should commit to meeting UKISG standards in tree procurement & work with industry to deliver.

Great to meet with #ScottishForestry Highland Conservancy team near #Ullapool this week, quite the view! The topic: establishing trees on marginal, upland areas. We talked tree species, provenance, natural regen vs planting & constraints such as exposure, soil minerals, peat & deer. Super useful.

🍂 #Autumn colour is just about hanging on across Scotland. 🧡What's your favourite thing about Autumn? Thanks 📷 Aileen Louden, David Nash & Anita Nicholson (all Woodland Trust Media Library).

Fantastic to visit Phil's wildlife #croft on the Isle of Skye last week 🌳 Phil is managing the woodland to maximise benefits for biodiversity, improve productivity and support enterprises such as a tree nursery, the production of wood fuel and the sale of hardy fruit trees🪵 👏 Inspiring stuff! 1/2

⚠️Hedgehogs and other hibernating creatures are at risk on #BonfireNight.🦔Please build your bonfire in an open space WELL AWAY from trees and hedges. 🔥Check before lighting to make sure there are no creatures hiding in there. 💦 Dampen ashes with water to avoid animal injuries.

It's clear our native and ancient trees need more protection. It's still too easy to chop them down or damage them - there are gaps in existing protections. New legislation could close these gaps and protect Scotland's native trees for the future. #MairTreesPlease #ManifestoAsk #ScotParlElection26

We're delighted a £250,000 gift from a supporter has helped us buy Glen Quey Moss - a 57 hectare area of bog and grassland that now makes up part of #GlenDevon Woodlands in central Scotland. The new site bridges a gap essentially connecting a network of 1200 hectares of conservation land...1/2

Today at Scottish Parliament, MSPs debate the Natural Environment Bill. This morning LINK was outside with the #ScotlandLovesNature campaign, representing red squirrels, Scottish wildcats, puffins and bees. 🐿️🐝 This Bill is our VITAL chance for legally binding nature recovery targets. 🌿🐾 #savenature

A gentle reminder not to dump your Halloween #pumpkins in our woods (or indeed anywhere!)🎃 Dumped pumpkins can disturb the sensitive balance of woodland soils. Plus removing the waste costs time & money better spent on vital conservation work. 🌱 Pumpkins belong in your food waste or compost bin.♻️🙏

The Scottish Government pledged to deliver a comprehensive National Register of Ancient Woodland in 2021. This commitment remains undelivered. A Register remains vital for clarity on where our ancient woodland is, so we can protect it. #MairTreesPlease #ManifestoAsk #ScotParlElection26

Brilliant to see this role advertised one year on from Scotland's Pinewoods Conference #PineCon24 in Lochaber. This role is vital to ensure meaningful collaboration of partners & landowners so that our precious ancient pinewood remnants are not lost forever, but recover & expand. 👇

We're big fans of #Hedgerows and #MobGrazing 👇. The next Scottish Government must support farmers and crofters to integrate more native trees & hedges into their land

Great to see #LochArkaig pine forest feature alongside a feast of Scotland's wildlife in the 4th & final episode of Hamza's Hidden Wild Isles tonight. @hamzayassin.bsky.social we're sorry you didn't manage to film those elusive wild boar in person. Come back soon! Watch👉https://buff.ly/gAHWwKF

😇Healer or Horror?👺 🌱 Though #Myth and legend play their part, there is no doubt that some plants in the UK can be dangerous. Think you can tell the good from the bad? Test your knowledge with our trick-or-treat plant #quiz👉

The next Scottish Government should require & incentivise the restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites on private & public land. Scotland needs commercial forestry but not at the direct expense of precious native woodland on which so many conifer plantations are located. #MairTreesPlease

Missing the #ArkaigOspreys now they've migrated? Fear not! We've put together a wee 2025 season summary for fans (featuring the voice of our very own George.) Full length vid 👉 buff.ly/cwT4X3l .Thanks players of People's #PostcodeLottery for your sustained support of all our work at #LochArkaig🙏.

👻 Things are getting spooky - even the trees! Let's talk about tree #Folklore. 🍂 Our lives have been closely linked with #Trees since prehistoric times. Swipe through to learn about their rich history 👉 If you’re looking for your very own mystery tree, head to our #TreeShop🌳 bit.ly/4n1EyrR

Can you help restore Scotland's precious temperate rainforest by 🥬Raising the profile of ancient woodland? 🥬Managing partner relationships & projects? 🥬Providing advice to landowners & managers? This really is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference. Apply 👉 buff.ly/VyWT9BL

Some of our community engagement team enjoyed a 'climate wellbeing' workshop in an autumnal Little Druim Wood #GlenFinglas in Sep. Thoughtful & fun activities supported a collective approach to dealing with the climate crisis. We highly recommend working with Rea, always uplifting! buff.ly/dhmTAwK

🔊 Calling MSc or an MRes students🔊 #AcademicResearch is incredibly important to complement practical rainforest restoration work. so we're delighted the @asrainforest.bsky.social research group has come up with 2 new dissertation topics for 25/26 👉

What's your favourite fun #Halloween craft activity? Our is most definitely painting mini pumpkins (out of conkers, naturally). Making a bat out of a loo roll tube comes a close second though😅. Go on give it a go. These and more spooktacular ideas ▶️ buff.ly/VjnOrFZ #OutdoorLearning

Scotland's deer population is too high for nature recovery & makes tree planting costly because of the need for fencing & tubes. By incentivising active deer management & building up venison supply chains, the next Scot Gov can support landowners to reduce deer numbers & help Scotland's woodlands.

This is a big week in the Scottish Parliament, with the Land Reform Bill at Stage 3 (Tue-Wed) and the Natural Environment Bill at Stage 1 (Thu). Let’s take a quick look at each in turn. First, the Land Reform Bill: a lost opportunity. 🧵 1/4

🔜 It's nearly #TreePlanting season! Fancy planting a tree? Come along to #Knightsridge Wood in #Livingston to help us replant native broadleaf trees.🌳 ⏰ Sat 29th Nov, 10am-2pm 🆓 Booking at 👉 buff.ly/ngWMIX5 📍 Knightsridge Wood 📷 Credit John Banks

Without fallen branches, rotting stumps & dead or decaying trees, our woodland ecosystems would soon run out of nutrients. It's reassuring that the majority of visitors in this study are positive/neutral about visible decaying trees in the landscape 👉 buff.ly/bL3OPEx Communicating the benefits vital

Lynx belong in Scotland. Evidence shows they play an important role in a balanced natural environment, predating on species .e.g. roe deer. The next Scot Gov should abandon its unscientific opposition to native lynx & work with farmers, orgs & communities to trial lynx re-introductions in Scotland.

Hear from 3 (very) experienced foresters with practical examples of #DeerManagement in different contexts - great insight for your woodland management planning 👏👇

Another nice output from TreE_PlaNat project @uktreescapes.bsky.social: a video on integrating natural processes into woodland creation has just been released www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0N2...

Great insight re the ecological consequences of woodland creation approaches.

📽️ Two farmers, from Lincolnshire and Cornwall, talked to us about their values and how they influence their decisions about trees. 🔗 Read some of the case studies 'Further paths to embracing trees on farms': www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications... Supported by Defra.

Great bit of radio featuring one of our croft woodland advisers, Laura McEwan as she helps crofters get native trees on their land.👏 Radio 4's On Your Farm.📻 👂👉 buff.ly/JtQnCSi #treesoncrofts #CroftWoodlands #CroftWoodlandsProject @pointsandwicktrust.bsky.social

Grants up to £1k available to help plant small stands of trees (up to 0.25ha) in the #ScottishBorders. The Borders #TreeGrant Scheme helps private landowners & community groups to plant parkland trees, field margin trees, riverside trees, orchards & trees in school grounds. Apply 👉

Too often, nature budgets take the first hit when the Scottish Government is looking for cash. That needs to stop. If we're serious, nature budgets must be increased to make nature restoration targets (including woodland creation) possible. #MairTreesPlease #ManifestoAsk #ScotParlElection26

Scotland needs legally binding nature recovery targets.

Kestrels will sometimes ‘mug’ barn owls, using their speed to steal voles that have been killed by the larger bird. They are the second most common bird of prey in the UK, behind the buzzard. Worryingly though, their population has halved since 1970. 📸 Beautiful shot by Rosanna Forbes.👏

Last chance to join the Dobie farming family for a #free walk & talk exploring the benefits of growing trees this Thurs 👣 🌳 👋 Give our Iain a wave whilst you're there too - he'll be chatting all things #Agroforestry 🗺️ Abbey St Bathans, Duns 📅 Thurs 23rd Oct, 1–4 pm 👉 Free tickets buff.ly/hBPqhRS

Kids out #TattiePicking? 🥔 🍂 If not then they can get out and get their hands dirty another way, with a few #Autumn crafts. Check out this blog, with ideas from simple leaf printing to spectacular super hero masks: 👉 buff.ly/yNEhY1Z Share your creations with us in the comments 👇

Nice work everyone.👏 We’re liking the wee glimpse of #ScotlandsRainforest in Skye too!🌳 #SeedCollection

Why do leaves change colour in the #Autumn? 🍁 It’s all about pigments – chlorophyll, carotenes and anthocyanins – and how they react to colder weather 🍂 Is autumn in full glory near you? Record full leaf tinting with the #NaturesCalendar project 👉 bit.ly/3Ihz6mz

The Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) is the most important fund for woodland creation in Scotland. It should be improved to include new standalone options for priority areas where it is currently inadequate - including for riparian, montane and urban settings. #MairTreesPlease #ScotParlElection26

🔊 Only 4 days left to apply. 🔊Great opportunity to join a small yet mighty team! 🌳 An exciting role engaging with policymakers to influence Scotland's direction on forestry, farming, land reform & wider land use policy & legislation. 🗓️ Closes 23 Oct More ▶️ buff.ly/mMiKevs #PolicyJobs #NatureJobs

One of our largest Highland properties #LochArkaig Pine Forest is a Nature30 site i.e. recognised as delivering biodiversity improvements now and in the future. If you own/manage land that is/will be delivering great things for nature, why not apply for Nature30 recognition too?👉

🌰 Are #Acorns are edible? 🐿️ They're not just squirrel snacks, humans can enjoy them too! 🍂 Make use of the mast year, find out how to prepare them safely and check out some delicious ideas, plus more fascinating facts. 👉 Read more: buff.ly/JyRfTCv #Foraging #NatureFacts #WildFood #AutumnVibes

A proliferation of Clustered Bonnets Mycena inclinata (we think). Commonly found across the UK in places where oak trees live (and die), these beauties were spotted in the hollowing stem of a spectacular ancient oak in Dumfries & Galloway. Eating definitely not recommended though! #FungiFriday

Yes! ⬇️ We know from experience that new woodland provides unique opportunities for communities and builds connections with trees & nature. Good to have even more evidence though 😊👏.

Wildlife cameraman (and Strictly legend!) Hamza Yassin was at Loch Arkaig Pine Forest earlier in the year in a bid to film elusive wild boar. We were sworn to secrecy, but the series, Hamza's Hidden Wild Isles has now dropped on BBC iPlayer. 👉 buff.ly/otiLKL8 #LochArkaig

How dapper is this dipper? These handsome birds walk right under the water in fast-flowing streams to hunt aquatic insects. They have a 3rd, transparent eyelid or 'nictitating membrane' enabling them to see underwater. A trait they share with ospreys and puffins. 📸 Great pic by Rosanna Forbes👏

Binding targets are important, and so is action to deliver them. The next Scottish Government should create a minimum of 18,000 hectares of new woodland every year, and at least half of that (minimum 9,000 hectares) should be native woodland. #MairTreesPlease #ManifestoAsk #ScotParlElection26

🧵 1/2 We support Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust's vision for West Tandlemuir. Their proposals for restoration and sustainable land management align with national and regional policy objectives on biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water quality and flood mitigation. 🎦 👉 buff.ly/41oqkvx