Volunteers Plant Hundreds of Trees at Borders Reservoir

Volunteers have come together at a Scottish Water reservoir in the Borders to plant hundreds of native trees at the site.

Over 20 volunteers from the local community and Scottish Water took part in the event, which was led by the Woodland Trust at Knowes Dean Reservoir near Galashiels, with around 300 saplings being planted ranging from downy birch and hazel to holly and rowan.

The work will improve biodiversity at the site, as well as helping to store carbon and forms part of the wider woodland creation programme that Scottish Water is delivering across the country.

Scottish Water Reservoir Ranger Josh Makin helped organise the event and said: "It was fantastic to work with the Woodland Trust for this event and to have so many members of the public coming together to help us plant trees at Knowes Dean Reservoir.

"We loved working with the local community and the energy that everyone involved brought to the event was brilliant so a big thank you to all that volunteered their time to help."

Scottish Water Project Manager Stephen Garbett added: "This is one of the smaller sites we are targeting this year but these 'wee woodlands' are really important in terms of linking up vital habitats, acting as a stepping stone for wildlife movement and providing food, shelter and breeding sites for a variety of species.

"We are also carrying out work at another Borders site at Talla Reservoir where we have made a strategic 300-hectare land purchase and are delivering a large-scale woodland creation project over the coming years to improve the resilience of the water catchment.

"These projects ensure that we are managing our land responsibly in the face of increasing biodiversity and climate change crises, and it is great to see this one being brought to life at Knowes Dean with help from the local community."

Simon Ritchie, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the Woodland Trust, said: "This was a wonderful event - we were lucky enough to have good weather, all the volunteers were very motivated and in good spirits, and within a few hours there were several hundred saplings planted at this beautiful site.

"We look forward to hopefully working together again with Scottish Water where the opportunity arises in the coming years and it is great to see how their woodland creation programme is continuing to develop and progress across the country."

Scottish Water visitor management rangers patrol the most popular reservoirs, engaging with local communities on key topics such as the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and water safety. In addition to these duties, the rangers coordinate a range of on-site initiatives, with volunteer tree-planting becoming a core part of the team's remit.