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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Borders Forest Trust, Environmental conservation organisation, Monteviot Nurseries, Ancrum.

Our vision for the south of Scotland is for a place where a rich tapestry of native woodlands and wild places can flourish, cared for by the local communities that live there.

02/11/2026

A big warm welcome to our Autumn 2026 Wilder Futures cohort! 🌿🧡

Last week, Hermione and the group met for the first of eight weekly sessions for our new course, Wilder Futures. 🌳

This nature-based employability programme is aimed at people interested in careers in ecological restoration, rewilding, or woodland management. Designed for those who may face barriers to entering the sector, Wilder Futures began in October and runs until Christmas. Through a varied programme of sessions, participants will develop practical land-based skills, gain certificates, meet inspiring professionals working across the sector, and begin building contacts for future opportunities. 🌱

Hermione and the group had an absolutely brilliant day, getting to know each other, speaking about struggles and dreams, and learning about tree ID and woodland ecology. 💚

📸 H. Toulson, 2026.

30/10/2026

A very special question at Carrifran ❤️💫

There's no doubt that Carrifran Wildwood is a magical place for many people. We were delighted to hear that the site has recently become part of one couple's story in a very special way.

During a recent visit, Cam surprised Meg with a proposal, choosing this remote upland valley as the setting for a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives.

For Meg and Cam, Carrifran is a particularly meaningful place. Cam is currently finishing a PhD monitoring vegetation change at rewilding sites. His work examines the impacts this has on the microclimates within a landscape, and then explores how this subsequently affects organisms currently, as well as under future climate change. Meg has helped with fieldwork on several occasions, and both love Carrifran and what this site represents. 🌿

Meg said:
"We hiked along the valley bottom close to sunset and pitched the tent next to the river at the end of the valley. The midges were out in full force when we got there, but Cam managed to persuade me to come out of the tent to get a photo together. Cam then proposed! In his engagement speech, Cam said he wanted to propose at Carrifran because, to him, it resembles hope for the future. The midges disappeared after a while, and we stayed up and watched the stars as it was a lovely clear night and the Milky Way was really visible. We both also saw an amazingly bright shooting star."

Please join us in wishing Meg and Cam a lifetime of happiness, and many more wonderful adventures together! 💚

📸 Photos courtesy of C. Goodhead, showing the couple's proposal, and the view of the Milky Way above Carrifran.

29/10/2026

We had a fantastic time (and amazing weather!) for our October Wild Heart volunteer planting day 🌱☀️

33 wonderful volunteers joined us in the sunshine for a day of planting along Wood Brae at our Talla site.

Wood Brae's name has a not-so-subtle clue to its wooded past ('Brae' typically meaning hillside, slope or a bank next to a river, and wood meaning, well, wood 🌳).

After being treated to a spectacular cloud inversion over Talla reservoir (see image 2), our fantastic volunteers traversed boggy ground to reach Wood Brae, and then planted over 1,500 native trees, including willow, aspen, hawthorn, rowan, blackthorn, juniper, bird cherry, downy birch, hazel, oak, holly and elder. 🌿

We stopped for lunch - and carrot cake - with views along the burn towards Talla's curious and characteristic 'drumlins'; egg-shaped glacial depositions formed millennia ago under moving ice sheets.

Huge thanks to our incredible volunteers, and to our funders including NatureScot through the and The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland through Destination Tweed UK.

And our thanks as always to the wonderful Rabbie's, who not only transport our wonderful volunteers, but also get stuck in with the planting! 💚

📸 Photos © A. Monaghan & N. Major, 2026.

23/10/2026

Happy Friday! 💚

It may be chucking it down here in the Borders today, but please take a moment to enjoy this gorgeous video of Carrifran Burn, taken earlier this week by our Trustee (and trusty pro-bono photographer) Colin McLean. 🌿🍂

See more of Colin's fantastic photography on his website: www.colinmcleanphotography.com.

📸 Video © Colin McLean, 2026.

21/10/2026

We're delighted to welcome a new member of the team, Nicholas, as our Wild Heart Site Manager!

Formerly Senior Woodlands Project Manager at TreeSurv, Nic has a long history with BFT – from starting volunteering with us in 2018, to managing the recent contract planting at Ericstane in his last role. 🌱

Nic brings with him extensive experience in land management and habitat restoration, as well as a background in engineering and architecture. He joins BFT to drive forward the vision for the Wild Heart, and to help restore local landscapes and connect communities to nature. 💚

📸: Nic planting trees at our Talla site in October 2026. Photo by A Monaghan.

19/10/2026

We've had our first tree planting day of the season!

Andy was recently out with a group of fantastic volunteers at Talla, planting along by the reservoir. Quite a mix of trees were planted - oak, hazel, birch, holly, bird cherry, elder, grey willow, hawthorn, blackthorn and aspen.

Tree planting season typically starts in the early Autumn, as this is the time when the trees are dormant and the ground is damp, allowing wee trees to establish well to their new home.

Have you tried tree planting with us? Want to get involved, or find out more about volunteering in the Wild Heart? Email Adrian at [email protected] - we'll be delighted to hear from you! 💚

15/10/2026

We recently had a wonderful day planting bog myrtle at Talla with some fantastic volunteers! 🌱🌿

Bog myrtle (Myrica gale) is an important part of Scottish upland landscapes. It has been absent from our sites for a very long time, so we are excited to be introducing it back into the ecosystem.

It gives food and habitat to a wide range of invertebrates: its leaves are used by some moth caterpillars, and its dense growth shelters small beasties. Its catkins also produce pollen, and so support pollen-feeding insects. 💚

Bog myrtle also helps sustain wetland habitats, growing in damp acidic conditions (peatlands, wet heaths, the edges of bogs).

It also has an interesting relationship with nitrogen! Like alder, bog myrtle is part of a group of plants that form a partnership with 'nitrogen-fixing' bacteria in their root nodules. These bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms the plant can use. Bog myrtle therefore brings biologically available nitrogen into nutrient-poor environments, enriching soils and influencing the surrounding plant community, enabling ecological succession of more species.

It also has a place in Scotland's natural and cultural heritage, being a characteristic shrub of many wet, open landscapes. It was traditionally used as an insect repellent or to flavour drinks; its aromatic leaves give a strong sweet scent when they are crushed*.

Want to get involved, or find out more about volunteering in the Wild Heart? Email Adrian at [email protected] - we'll be delighted to hear from you! 💚

📸 Photos © N. Major, 2026.

*Please don’t eat or use wild plants without being certain they have been correctly identified, and that they are safe for you to consume. 🌿

13/10/2026

Check out these gorgeous photos of our Gameshope site, taken by our trustee and generous pro-bono photographer Colin McLean while out on a walk with pals.

Colin said ''We had a wonderful walk up, enjoying the golden eagles - excellent repeated views of four flying and interacting together - such a privilege to see. And the burn was very full and its crashing best."

Gameshope has a distinct, steep, rugged, and Highland‑like character. Our recent work at this site has included riparian planting along the burn, and montane planting at Great Hill. 🌿

See more of Colin's fantastic photography on his website: www.colinmcleanphotography.com.

📸 All photos © Colin McLean, 2026. Shot on Fuji compact.

09/10/2026

We were thrilled to be a finalist in Scottish Land & Estates' 2026 Helping it Happen Awards, in the Conservation Award category!

The award highlights best practice in conservation work across Scotland, where land managers and rural businesses are protecting some of Scotland’s most iconic species and habitats for future generations to enjoy.

BFT were nominated for our pioneering landscape-scale work across Southern Scotland, rooted in community and restoration.

💚 From our founding in 1996, BFT now have over 3,250 hectares of land under restoration across the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway - an area larger than the city of Inverness.

🌳 2.8 million native trees have been planted, equivalent to over 10 trees for every person living in the South of Scotland today.

Our work has revived native woodlands, montane scrub, peatlands, wetlands, heathlands and wildflower meadows. Our community and outreach initiatives connect people of all ages and backgrounds to the natural world, fostering stewardship and providing pathways to nature-connection, and ensuring future generations can both enjoy and care for our environment.

Our hugest thanks to Scottish Land & Estates, as well as to our incredible volunteers, members, funders, supporters, landowners, contractors, colleagues and communities.

And a big congratulations to the other finalists: River Tweed Commission River Tweed News, Watershed Connections Atlantic Salmon Trust, and the category winner The River Dee Trust 💚

📸 Courtesy of Scottish Land and Estates, showing BFT's Development Manager Natalia Cunningham, and Chair James Ogilvie, receiving the finalist certificate.

05/10/2026

We had a wonderful day (and fabulous weather) last Saturday at the 2026 ! 🍏

Organised by Borders Organic Gardeners and hosted by Woodside Plant Centre & Birdhouse Tearoom, the festival was a great celebration of orchards, local produce, and woodland culture 🍎

Thank you to everyone who came to say hello and chat all things 'tree', we were delighted to see so many faces - familiar and new! 💚

Address

Monteviot Nurseries
Ancrum
TD86TU

Telephone

+441835830750

Website

http://www.bordersforesttrust.org/

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