THOUSANDS of acres of land in northern Scotland is primed to return to nature as a project to restore the ancient woodland which once held sway across much of the country gets underway.

A survey of an area three times the size of Inverness has been completed and will form the basis of restoration efforts in the coming years by the Woodland Trust Scotland.

During the past two years two specialist project officers from the eco group have surveyed 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) of what was once ancient woodland sites at two areas in the Great Glen and the Cairngorms.

Work has already begun to bring restore 1,000 hectares of forest, with plans to allow nature to flourish on a further 2,200 hectares also being germinated.

And it is hoped that the project, which will take decades to grow to its full potential, will spread its branches over other areas as time goes by.

Woodland Trust Scotland is also working with consultants RDI Associates Ltd to engage woodland owners and bring them onboard, opening up their lands for restoration.

Ancient woodland is identified as wooded areas that are older than 1750 years, and include places which have been planted over with fir and spruce plantations in recent years.

Senior Ancient Woodland Restoration Project Manager Peter Lowe, said: “Ancient woodland restoration is one of the Trust’s top priorities. It’s a long-term process that can take decades to achieve because our approach involves gradual and selective change to the existing woodland over several years.

“It’s particularly important to ensure that these woods are in a process of restoration now because so many plantations on ancient woodland sites are coming to maturity and we need to agree their future management before they are felled.

“There has been a lot of interest from landowners who are interested in ensuring that these sites are well managed, both on ecological grounds and also because it is an important part of certification for sustainable forestry."

The restoration project revolves around thinning down tree cover on the land and allowing nature to take over, bringing back native species that thrive in Scotland's climate.

The project encourages trees to colonise areas along with bushes and undergrowth species which gain an opportunity to sprout once the blanket of shade which is a hallmark of conifer plantations recedes.

The Trust's restoration project has been made possible through help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Forestry Trust and the MacRobert Trust.

One group working with the Trust is Cawdor Forestry Ltd, which manages woodland on Logie, Altyre, Dochfour and Cawdor Estates. 2,000 hectares of plantations on ancient woodland sites across these estates are being surveyed for potential restoration.

Steve Conolly, managing director of Cawdor Forestry Ltd said: “Restoring ancient woodland where there is the potential to do so and it is compatible with other objectives is an important part of achieving forest certification. Certification demonstrates sustainable management and helps to ensure that estates can continue to market timber effectively.

“We’re pleased to be working with the Woodland Trust Scotland to benefit from their expertise and advice on restoration.”