62 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Scots Pine (Pi?ius silvestris). 



Of all our conifers, Scots pine alone is indigenous to this 

 country. In various parts of the Highlands there are still 

 remnants of the original natural forests. The largest in extent 

 is the Abernethy Forest in Strathspey, of which a considerable 

 portion was cut for war purposes. As regards the size 

 of the individual trees, the most notable is the Glenmalie 

 Forest in Lochaber. It consists of a fairly narrow belt, which, 

 until recent fellings, extended for over 10 miles near Loch 

 Arkaig. Some of the trees felled during the past few years 

 contained up to 250 cubic feet (quarter-girth). The Balloch- 

 buie Forest, Balmoral, is interesting from the point of view 

 of elevation. Some of the best portions of it, e.g. Glenbeg, 

 are over 1200 feet above sea-level. 



Some reference must be made to the existence of different 

 growth types of this species. Even a casual observer will note 

 differences between the trees in our natural forests and those 

 generally found in Scotland and England. It is fairly certain 

 that many of the latter have been grown from foreign seed 

 of not too good a type. The natural forests are not all of 

 one type, but appear to graduate from the ordinary form to 

 what is known as the Strathspey type. The principal differences 

 between this type and the ordinary one are : — 



1. It has shorter and stiffer needles. 



2. The crown of the tree is smaller and more cylindrical. 



3. The branches are thinner. 



4. The bark is thinner. 



It is interesting to note that there are areas of this Strathspey 

 type in Northern Sweden. It is believed that the trees have 

 been grown from seed received at one time from Strathspey. 

 From descriptions given in Swedish and German journals the 

 trees appear to have remained true to type in their new home. 

 An investigation into growth form in this country is required 

 in order that we may obtain the best type. 



Scots pine regenerates itself naturally, to some extent at least, 

 on most heather ground. The regeneration is systematically 

 carried out in Strathspey by the gradual removal of the old 

 trees. In many cases, e.g. near Boat of Garten, a very complete 

 young crop is obtained at the end of 10-15 years. It is fairly 

 certain that this species could be obtained naturally in many 



