AN important long-term research study on the survival of the Caledonian pinewood by the late forest scientist Bill Mason will be published posthumously this month. 

The paper – a continuation of periodic studies of a Caledonian pinewood site beginning 76 years ago – offers some hopeful insights into the prospects of the threatened habitat, which now covers only two per cent of its previous extent and is severely fragmented.

The publication will come a month after the creation of a new Caledonian Pinewood Partnership formed to support  its restoration.

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Bill died in June 2024 after submitting his paper for peer review, and – after Forest Research’s chief scientist Chris Quine agreed that the review process should continue – Bill’s colleague Victoria Stokes worked to respond to peer reviewer comments and steer the article to publication. It appears likely that the project was his last major piece of research writing, part of an illustrious and decades-long scientific career.

The study - which will appear in Scottish Forestry, the journal of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society (RSFS) - focuses on pinewood plots at the Black Wood of Rannoch, and finds an ‘ongoing recovery of tree cover in all plots’ with the success of seedlings and saplings regenerating, and an old-growth structure maintained.

Positively for efforts to save the ecosystem, Bill wrote that the results showed that ‘the slow recovery of Caledonian pinewood remnants is possible, provided that there are sufficient trees to act as a seed source for regeneration and that browsing pressure is reduced’.

"It is a privilege for us to bring to publication one of the last research projects of Bill Mason, who was an RSFS member and a deeply respected and fondly regarded contributor to the journal, as well as a giant in the field of silvicultural science," said Gavin McGregor, editor of Scottish Forestry. "When I let Forest Research know that Bill had submitted a paper shortly before he died, Chris Quine – I think very rightly – said that Bill would not have wanted any soft or special treatment for his work in the circumstances, but instead that it should be put through the usual rigorous peer review.

Bill was widely respected across forestry circles Bill was widely respected across forestry circles (Image: FJ/stock)

"We are very grateful to the reviewers for their feedback and to Victoria Stokes and Glenn Brearley for responding to that input and completing the process, making it possible to bring this important work on the Caledonian pine forest to the scientific community. It is just one part of a remarkable legacy Bill has left."

Forest Research chief scientist Chris Quine said: "Bill’s final paper will add to the considerable body of carefully crafted silvicultural research for which he is renowned. 

"It is poignant that the paper involves the analysis of the latest results from plots established in 1948, the year he was born. 

"The work reflects many of the qualities with which Bill was associated – revealing his determination to make good use of hard-won long-term data (in this case six assessments spanning more than 70 years), his careful attention to context and analysis, and the skills and wisdom he applied to discussing the results and identifying their current-day application to forest management. 

"The paper ends with a rationale for, and encouragement of, further monitoring and an optimistic prognosis. Hopefully it will inspire others to continue such research and attend to the future of our pinewoods." 

RSFS president Wilma Harper added: "Bill Mason was a welcome, valued and frequent contributor to Scottish Forestry over many years. We are grateful to his colleagues in bringing this final paper to publication."

The article, titled A long-term study of stand recovery in a Caledonian pinewood: the ‘Brown’ plots in the Black Wood of Rannoch, will be published in Scottish Forestry’s Autumn/Winter 2024 edition, which is sent to RSFS members in the week beginning 25 November. Members will be able to read it online some days earlier by logging in to the RSFS website.