The Great Wood of Caledon
- Lilly
- Oct 17
- 5 min read
(This article was first published in the Maine Woodland Owners newsletter.)
As Roman legions advanced into the northernmost reaches of their empire, the reports were dire - savage tribes and dense impenetrable forests. This fabled landscape would become known as the Great Wood of Caledon - Scotland’s legendary Caledonian Forest.
Most experts believe that a large forest did exist in Scotland, but it wasn’t likely to have been a singular, uninterrupted woodland. It would have reached its pinnacle about 5,000 years ago... which doesn’t back the Roman account since they were traipsing around Caledonia in the 1st Century AD - 3,000 years after the peak of the Caledonian forest.
Why the exaggerated account from the legionnaires? It was most likely propaganda. The great Roman conquest, brought to its knees in the far reaches of Brittania…that would need a PR spin, and an impenetrable forest could have been just the thing. It certainly sounded better than “we turned back because the locals were too much for us to handle.” And it wasn’t without precedent as they had suffered a stinging defeat previously in the 9AD Battle of Teutoburg Forest in what is now Germany. If a dense forest had foiled them once, it could be a plausible excuse for Caledonia too.
So, it would seem the Romans fibbed. But the archaeological record does show evidence of an extensive forest, home to a particularly well-known tree… Pinus sylvestris. The Scots Pine is the national tree of Scotland, the only native pine in the British Isles, and the most widely distributed conifer in the world. Contrary to popular belief, this species was not alone - the Great Wood would also have included oak, elm, ash, alder, birch and rowan.
The pines were, however, the largest and longest-lived species in the forest. As their prevalence diminished, venerable pines were used as landmarks and burial markers. Some standing trees still bear legends. In 1691, the Reverend Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle published his book 'The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies – Uncovering the Secrets of a Mystical Underworld'. It transpired that the fairies didn’t take kindly to having their secrets told, and they trapped his soul in the great pine on Doon Hill. Folks still visit the Doon Hill Fairy Tree in hopes of receiving blessings from the fairies - while watching out for the reverend’s ghost of course.
Much like the people of Scotland, the Scots Pine is hardy and tenacious. It is known as a pioneer species, which means it's one of the first to establish itself in poor ecosystems such as rocky hills, eskers, sand, bogs and swamps.
And just like the Scottish diaspora the tree is prolific and survives in a range of harsh climates, from Siberia to the Mediterranean, to right here in Maine. There’s no definitive record on when the first Scots Pines came to the New World, but it was most likely during the colonial era. It has since spread across the northern US from New England to Minnesota and is even found in Hawaii. Its uses include sawlogs, pulpwood, Christmas trees, wind breaks and erosion control.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Canada had a crisis of soil erosion after huge swaths of native forests were cleared to make way for agriculture. Woods were out, fields were in. Many of these areas were abandoned as drastic deforestation eventually rendered the land useless. After consulting with experts in Europe, Ontario foresters turned to the Scots Pine for help in their reforestation efforts. The pines proved successful at solving the problem thanks to their hardiness in poor soil.
After World War II, the Christmas tree industry was on the rise, and private landowners began planting Scots Pines in Canada. They were popular due to their needle retention, fast growth, lovely color, classic shape, and stiff branches well suited for holding ornaments. By the 1950’s however, they had fallen out of favor and plantations were abandoned. Firs such as Balsam, Douglas and Fraser emerged as the preferred tree. This left Scots Pines to mature, and many of today’s stands began as Christmas tree plantations.
But a new problem emerged from this success story: native species had a hard time reestablishing under the pine canopies and competing with their root systems. Scots Pines can also be a vector for diseases and pests, facilitating their spread to vulnerable native species. And so it went from hero to most wanted, now finding itself among the five worst invasive tree species in Canada.
Plantations of Scots Pines gave rise to straight, well-behaved trees but it's a different story “in the wild.” As naturally occurring trees age, their shapes are defined by the elements and they acquire their own uniquely quirky personalities. In Scottish landscapes that still shelter old pines, they rise like bonsai, twisting and bending as they stubbornly thrive despite the wind and harsh elements. These gnarled, weathered sentinels are a stark contrast to the straight trees groomed for the Christmas tree industry across the pond.
Pinus sylvestris is a lovely tree. Its needles twist and cluster in pairs, giving off a classic, cozy pine aroma. As the trunk rises towards the sky, sometimes gracefully and sometimes awkwardly, a beautiful coppery orange bark emerges, while lower towards the base the mature scaly bark takes on a weathered gray color.
So, what of Scotland’s Great Wood? The myth of the impenetrable, nationwide forest stubbornly lingers on despite evidence to the contrary. It was first disputed in the 1860’s but the legend has held for centuries, a romantic notion of a bygone era. Whatever the span of its former greatness, only a shadow remains. Over the millennia a cooler, windier, wetter climate took its toll. Human activity had an impact as well, but the forest declined more naturally then many have believed.
The Great Wood lives on in the whispers on the map, in places such as Glen Geusachan, “the glen of the little pinewood,” which hasn’t seen pines in over a century. We will never know the true extent of the Caledonian Forest, but we do know the Scots Pine is a keystone species on which many others depend. Rewilding efforts are underway across Scotland, with many a spirited debate about the best plan for a reincarnated Scottish forest.
Only a few dozen pockets of the ancient forest remain in Scotland, with a handful of venerable Scots Pines presiding stoically over their sheltered glens. Mature old timers (over 300 years old) are affectionately known as “Granny Pines,” with the oldest located in the heart of Glen Loyne in the Highlands. A conservative estimate from the St. Andrews Tree-Ring Laboratory dates the tree to 1458. But even at 565 years old, it's still not the oldest specimen of the species in the world. That honor belongs to a 750-year-old tree in Finnish Lapland. As for the oldest known Scots Pine, some sources reference an 1880 newspaper article that tells of a pine on a riverbank in Ostrobothnia, Finland which had 1029 rings when it fell.
Maine’s Scots Pines are youngsters in comparison, but one day we just might have some granny pines of our own. Clutching their ancient ancestral secrets, with whispers rustling through their needles from Caledonia and beyond.
(For more information on the Caledonian forest I highly recommend The Great Wood by Jim Crumley)
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