The River Dee Trust and Fishery Board celebrate the halfway point in the multi award-winning One Million Trees campaign, by planting the 500,000th tree – significantly ahead of schedule. And the milestone is being marked by a commitment to step up the restoration of the river’s vast catchment, safeguarding nature, homes and businesses.
The tree will be planted on April 9 by two young conservationist sisters – 10-year-old Izzy and 13-year-old Abbie from Aboyne – on the banks of the Allt Cholzie Burn, a tributary of the River Muick which flows into the Dee above Ballater.
The Trust’s One Million Trees campaign was launched in 2020 and has become one of the largest nature restoration projects in the Cairngorms. The project quickly gathered momentum with support from communities, landowners and businesses. Young and old alike have gone to work, planting deciduous native trees across the Dee’s upper catchment.
Sandy Bremner, Chair of the River Dee Trust, said: “It is amazing to hit this half million milestone, and I am confident we will reach our initial one-million target well ahead of the scheduled date of 2035. It is vital that we do. River temperatures are rising, droughts and severe floods are increasing, and these climate-linked changes are all leading to major pressures on our river’s biodiversity.