Aim

Kick-start the transformation of a former commercial forestry plantation into a thriving native woodland owned and managed by the community.

In 2026, Skye charity the Broadford & Strath Community Company purchased Broadford North Wood on behalf of the community.  The wood is currently an inaccessible forestry plantation. We want to transform this and an adjacent site already in community ownership to create a thriving Community Woodland that will benefit nature, people and the environment. Our plan is to extract as many plantation trees as possible from the 30ha site, and restructure the woodland to create a more biodiverse habitat. This will involve replanting with mixed native species and leaving areas of peatland and wetland for recovery and natural regeneration. The native species will as far as possible be grown from locally sourced seeds, nurtured in our own Community Tree Nursery.

This project is a vital first step in realising the long term plan. Working with volunteers from all backgrounds we will:

• Test ways to protect the woodland from deer overgrazing through low-cost tree protection measures such as brash fencing, cactus guards and mini ‘exclosures.’
• Remove invasive species like Salmonberry and Rhododendron.
• Conduct habitat surveys including wildlife recording (e.g. bats, moths, birds), vegetation survey, and peatland mapping. This work will inform the woodland management plan.
• Continue supplying locally sourced trees through seed collection and planting as part of the Community Tree Nursery.
• Create opportunities for the community such as volunteer training sessions and events.

How will this make a difference?

There are a number of changes we expect to see at the end of the project:

• An established body of volunteers with the skills and enthusiasm to support future development and management of Broadford Community Woodland.
• Improved community capacity and knowledge to protect and enhance our local environment.
• Improved habitats to support biodiversity in target areas.
• BSCC has better knowledge of appropriate techniques for low-cost tree establishment, biodiversity restoration and INNS removal that we can ‘scale up’ to inform the next stage of our woodland regeneration.
• Other community groups have learnt from our experience and can replicate as necessary in their own areas.

In the longer term, this will help establish a natural woodland with a range of habitats, helping to reverse biodiversity loss and combat climate change, and inspire other community woodland creation and biodiversity projects in Skye and beyond. Our community-owned woodland will thus fulfil its potential as a natural resource and community asset and deliver lasting benefits for our environment.

Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation

Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation (HIEF) is a Scottish Charity, number SC043026, working to protect and restore nature in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. They channel funds from people who share our passion for the natural environment of the Highlands & Islands to provide vital funding and support to grassroots projects working to protect and restore nature.

Conservation Collective

HIEF is a member of Conservation Collective: a global network of local foundations on a mission to protect and restore the wild places we all know and love. By contributing to this project, you are making a donation to Conservation Collective, and the funds will be restricted for this purpose.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 3rd November 2026 at 11:39am