The Dumfries & Galloway Tree Planting Grant Scheme is now open for applications. This supports native tree planting across the region with grants of up to £1,000. Recipients last year varied from farmers and landowners through to community groups and schools, all of whom benefitted from the flexible and easy scheme to make their small scale tree planting ambitions come true!

Funding has now been secured from the Glenkens & District Community Fund to build on existing work, supporting a further series of public events on the site and to contribute towards the establishment of a new car park.

The events are either designed for under 8-year-olds or over 8-year-olds, and aim to give our region’s young people the ability to enjoy and better understand our Coastal Woodlands.

‍A wooden life-size figure has been crafted to sit on the new picnic bench at the top of Waterside Hill. Before she is installed on the hillside, she will tour the Glenkens through May 2026, igniting discussion and storytelling activities for all ages!‍

All are invited to join musicians, sound artists, and storytellers between 1.30am and 3.30pm on the banks of the River Urr to celebrate World Rivers Day and to look back at 12 months of community activity in the Glaisters Bridge Community Woodland.

Through the school summer holidays a programme of ‘Coastal Woodland Adventures’ events have been delivered along the Solway Firth. Aimed at a wide range of ages, these were based in five of our most special woodlands. Topics covered varied from tree ID and bug hunts through to bushcraft and survival skills.

July sees the launch of the 2025/26 Dumfries & Galloway Tree Planting Grant Scheme, offering support to small scale tree planting projects across the region.

Friday 23rd May saw 40 people join the formal ‘unveiling’ of three new benches at Glaisters Bridge Community Woodlands, near Corsock. The creator of the benches, Phil Daube, told the story about their inspirations and construction, and the unveiling ceremony included poetry from artist Helmut Lemke.

Through the 2024/2025 planting season, a total of 73 small scale native tree planting projects have been supported across the region through the Dumfries & Galloway Tree Planting Grant Scheme.

There is only one apple that is considered ‘native’ to the UK, the Crab Apple (Malus Sylvestris). The Crab Apple’s tendency to hybridise with other, non-native varieties means native, ‘wild’ trees are rare. Previous work has identified that Galloway hosts a major proportion of the UK’s wild Crab Apple Trees.

Dumfries & Galloway hosts a significant proportion of the United Kingdom’s commercial woodland creation schemes. With discussion ongoing on the national stage regarding land use change, the ‘Woodlands Plus’ project aims to add local value - employment, biodiversity or public access - to three forestry sites in the region.

Supporting native tree planting across the region with grants of up to £1,000, scheme recipients last year varied from farmers and landowners through to community groups and schools, all of whom benefitted from the flexible and easy scheme to make their small scale tree planting ambitions come true.

Saturday 15th June was a milestone for the Glaisters Bridge Community Woodland Site, near Corsock. New paths have been cut enabling access around the site and 250 trees were planted by a band of volunteers.

Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands is a new initiative looking to support trees, habitats and the people that depend upon them across the region. With support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and a whole range of partners, the Summer Programme of Events sets out to look at trees in many different ways, celebrating what we know and don’t know about our woodlands.

Volunteers are sought to come and try their hand at tree planting, and can hear more about plans on the site. Tree Planting will be between 11am-3pm on Saturday 15th June, with light lunch provided for those on site at lunchtime!

Experts increasingly admire the population of native crab apple trees in Galloway. But why are they here, and why does this matter?