The Great Trossachs Forest NNR

27/04/2026

Our neighbouring landscape-scale nature restoration project, Wild Strathfillan, is presenting a Rainforest Rapid Assessment workshop in Crianlarich on 16th May led by Dr Oliver Moore, Plantlife's bryophyte and lichen specialist. Use the link below for more information and for booking...
https://forms.office.com/e/GjkG0MyDfJ

23/04/2026

Pearls of the Trossachs
Join TGTF project partner Butterfly Conservation on Wednesday 13th May from 10am to 3pm to discover the Pearl-Bordered Fritillary... a FREE workshop in The Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve, led by Anthony McCluskey, Butterfly Conservation’s Conservation Manager (Scotland)

The Pearl-bordered Fritillary is one of our most threatened butterflies. Until recently it was believed to be extinct within the Trossachs, but was rediscovered around Loch Katrine a few years ago. Volunteers are needed to take part in surveys to find this species so that habitat management work can be undertaken to help conserve it. This event will have two sections. In the morning we will meet to learn about the species, including identification, habitat needs and survey locations. Then we will split into groups (each led by an experienced staff member or volunteer) to look for the butterfly in areas where it has never been spotted here. Please note that a good level of fitness will be required, as the searches will take place on slopes with uneven terrain.

Date: Wednesday 13th May, 10am - 3pm
Location: Loch Katrine (near Callander). Full location details will be sent to anyone who books.
Booking: Booking is essential - use the link below https://forms.gle/JrV24hH5fA5QMx9p9
If you are unable to attend but would still like to take part in surveys here, contact Anthony on [email protected]

This work is being supported by Forestry and Land Scotland, partners in The Great Trossachs Forest project

photo: Iain Leach

15/04/2026

Please note the the deadline for submissions has been extended to 12 noon, Wednesday 6th May 2026. Please submit any queries by Thursday 30th April

🌲 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 – 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁
The Great Trossachs Forest NNR is a 200‑year partnership project transforming heavily grazed hillsides and plantation forestry into a rich, diverse mosaic of habitats, alive with wildlife. Since the project began, the change has been remarkable - the landscape is healing, and a dynamic ecosystem is bouncing back to life.
Now, we’re inviting suitably qualified or experienced consultants/facilitators to help guide the next stage of this transformational journey.
📄𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 – 𝟭𝟬‑𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻
Working on behalf of the TGTF Partnership, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Countryside Trust seeks to appoint a consultant to co‑develop an agreed, costed plan of priority actions for the next 5 years, informing a further 5‑year programme of activity.
⏱ Contract period:
• Anticipated start: May 2026
• Completion: 19 October 2026.
A detailed work brief is available, outlining required outputs, process, timescales, award criteria, and assessment procedure here https://tinyurl.com/mr498wax
❓ Queries:
Submit questions to Craig Whyte, Project Coordinator
📧 [email protected]
🗓 No later than Thursday 30 April 2026
📨 Tender submissions must be received and submitted to: [email protected] by:
🕛 12 noon, Wednesday 6th May 2026
If you’re passionate about landscape‑scale restoration, collaboration, and lasting ecological impact, we’d love to hear from you.
🌿 Join us in shaping a wilder, healthier future for The Great Trossachs Forest NNR

25/03/2026

Here and on the apparently barren hillside beyond, Great Trossachs Forest partner Forestry & Land Scotland continues to roll out its ‘seed islands’, a series of 7x7m plots containing the planted saplings of native tree species, including oak, hawthorn, blackthorn, aspen and wild apple. Seed islands allow wildlife to move through the landscape, reducing the need for larger fenced enclosures which create barriers. As herbivore grazing pressure on the hill is reduced to a more sustainable level, the maturing trees will spread their seed across the landscape, super-boosting the return of a more natural and diverse woodland mosaic.

04/03/2026

The returning light and warming temperatures of March brings hints of spring to the still-leafless forest. The songs of blackbirds, song thrushes, dunnocks and chaffinches provide a soft prelude to the season ahead. Signposted paths, like this one on Primrose Hill, offer year-round access into the heart of the great forest. Enjoy the new season, but beware of forestry operations, and please follow the signs that are there for your safety

18/02/2026

On a crisp late January day while all else lies still, great torrents of winter’s rain thunder down glens, feeding Loch Katrine, which supplies the Glasgow area with fresh, clean water. As it develops, The Great Trossachs Forest will safeguard this vital supply, stabilising soils, holding more water and slowing run-off, reducing the impact on water treatment works.

17/02/2026

Even in the coldest, darkest, wettest months, there’s much to appreciate in The Great Trossachs Forest. The woodland mosaic, with its mix of forest, heath and wetland, lies dormant, poised to spring into life with the returning warmth and light, ready to take the next annual step in its 200-year ‘nature restoration’ journey

30/10/2025

Hidden Wonders of the Rainforest: A Day Among Lichen & the Magic at Loch Katrine

On a bright, crisp autumn day by the breathtaking Loch Katrine, The Great Trossachs Forest hosted another inspiring lichen & bryophyte workshop. Led by Dr Oliver Moore, Plantlife’s inspirational bryophyte and lichens expert, attendees explored the secrets of the temperate rainforest’s sub-world and the dazzling diversity of flora that hides from plain sight across the bark of hazel and holly to the branches of birch and oak.

The Great Trossachs Forest project aims to create new woodland and to connect it with the old, but it takes many generations for a full assemblage of lower plants and fungi to develop. We hope that some of the workshop attendees, recent and future, can help us monitor the new woodlands as well as these priceless survivors of the past.

Watch this space for future workshop opportunities, and come discover the hidden wonders of The Great Trossachs Forest.

27/09/2025

25/09/2025

25/09/2025

Follow the link to register for our Rainforest Indicator Workshop advertised below