LONGER READ: Charity keeps branching out in Inverness-shire to fill skills gap
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Conservation experts at Trees for Life are not only rewilding areas to help nature, Federica Stefani finds out they are helping trainees grow as well
Hidden beside the banks of the River Moriston, on the road leading to Skye, Dundreggan is a growing green haven.
Since the estate in Glenmoriston was taken over by conservation charity Trees for Life in 2008, the area has turned into a base where a variety of tree species are nursed and replanted in the conservation estate and other locations.
Collaborating with landowners and Forestry and Land Scotland, they set up some other 44 planting sites, with the purpose of rewilding areas that have been stripped of their vegetation by human activities and time in the effort to transform them into thriving places for local flora and fauna and contribute to alleviating the climate crisis.
However, the charity is not only focusing on the growth of plants and trees, but also of individuals.
Skills for Rewilding, a new traineeship project introduced last year and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, allows five apprentices each year to live in the Dundreggan Conservation Estate for 12 months and learn the arts and crafts of the rewilding trade on-field.
Applicants can chose among four specialisms covering different aspects of rewilding: tree nursery and horticulture, deer management and estate maintenance, conservation and landscape planning or community engagement.
Paul Greaves, training programme manager, said: “There is an acknowledged skills gap and more people with practical skills are needed in the environmental sector.
“We have got lots of experience here that we want to pass on to people wanting to work in this field.
“There is a growing demand for this type of scheme as people are more aware that the environment needs restoration.”
This reflects in the success of the traineeship programme, which received 300 applications this year.
Apprentices work together with Trees for Life’s team, as well as being involved in various opportunities of work experience with other organisations such as RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage and Reforesting Scotland.
“It’s great to work with people that have 30 years of experience in the field, it feels like you are constantly learning,” said Heather Ward (25), a deer management and estate maintenance trainee.
With accredited qualifications, Skills for Rewilding can be an intense learning experience.
Tree planting and horticulture trainee Louise Cameron (25) said: “It involves lots of practical skills. We spend a lot of time in the tree nursery, but also collecting birch seeds at Glen Affric, as well as working on horticulture theory.
“We are also experimenting on new techniques such as mycorrhizal symbiosis, where we use spores from a fungus to help certain roots grow.”
Trainees also appreciate the wealth of transferable skills that come with their daily tasks.
Ms Cameron added: “I am also learning how these organisations work, it’s interesting to see how the decision-making process works, where funds come from, and how to negotiate with landowners.”
Community engagement trainee Graham Wallace (22) has worked with many charities in the past and appreciates being able to mix his social background with his passion for conservation.
“I have always been a people person and I like to work with vulnerable groups so, for instance, you could work with people suffering from mental health issues in an open and relaxed environment that is nature.
“I would like to get back into charity work or into education after: I don’t come from a conservation background and I’d like to build on what I learn.”
Mr Greaves said: “Last year’s trainees were happy and found their way into other environmental organisations.
“We’d hope to continue with the scheme, and we are looking into funding possibilities after 2020.”
Applications for next year’s traineeships will open in spring – no previous experience is required and entries from young people, career-changers and women looking to work in historically male-dominated roles are encouraged.
