Cairngorms National Park launches initiative to save aspens

Trees for Life said Aspen was an integral part of the ancient Caledonian forest that once covered much of the Scottish Highlands.

They said it provides a range of biodiversity benefits as it is home to a wide range of rare fungi, lichens, mosses and moths, and its foliage feeds more than 60 species of insects.

Aspen is highly prized by beavers, who returned to the Cairngorms last year, 400 years after they were driven extinct in Scotland.

It is also an important defense against climate change because it grows quickly and dies young, meaning it effectively stores carbon.