A story that is told in pictures alone is somehow very satisfying. Nobody needs to be a wordsmith to get the message across. When Chris Puddephatt sent me his latest images of Assynt’s elms I saw a perfect example of a tree’s story in the wider landscape.

As you zoom out from a single elm next to a waterfall at Liath Bhad you are taken from a green oasis of Atlantic rainforest to a rugged mountain landscape bereft of trees. You appreciate the elm as a survival against the forces that have removed the forest that once covered the hills.

Taking a more optimistic view, and following my last post, you also appreciate the potential for native forest to recover, if deer numbers are managed down to a point where they are in balance with the wider ecology and trees begin to regenerate naturally. What an uplifting thought…

Elm 5
Wych elm (Ulmus glabra) at Liath Bhad.
Elm 4
A glimpse of the wider landscape.
Elm 3
An almost treeless slope where crags have enabled a few elms to survive.
Elm 2
The trees become tiny specks and almost disappear.
Elm 1
The wild drama of the landscape is revealed and the elm cannot be seen.
NRF RBGE 6
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This project is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.
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Acknowledgement: Thanks to Chris Puddephatt for all the images used in this post.