Millennium Forest Project

 This is a Scotland wide initiative involving over 80 native woodland restoration projects, which seek to restore Scotland's lost forests and improve their value for people.

It is funded via the Millennium Commission from the National Lottery. Chisholme successfully applied for a substantial grant which allowed the hire of a professional contractor who prepared the planting positions for the new trees; graded a track (now known as the Millennium Walk) through all the shelter belts to be replanted; dug drainage channels in some of the very wet areas and also created a small pond by partially damming a natural stream.

Tree Planting

Since 1998, large numbers of volunteers from all over the world have come to Chisholme each spring to plant trees, again purchased with the help of the MFS grant. In subsequent years the work has included 'beating up' the previous year’s planting, i.e. weeding the seedlings, repairing any damage and replacing losses. To date over 30,000 trees have been replanted. All shelterbelts have been, potentially, restored. As well as this, bridges and duckboards built from Chisholme timber have been added to the Millennium Walk; a small tree nursery has been established and some of the dry-stone walls (dykes) acting as boundaries have been repaired.

'This project, which was initiated under the umbrella of the Borders Forest Trust, has been described as one of the best examples of community led Millennium Forest for Scotland projects.' (Extract from the Borders Forest Trust newsletter September 1999).

Watch a video about the Forestry Fortnight 2012