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We have led what is considered to be the very first translocation of an epiphytic moss in Scotland to help save the species.
Aspen Bristle-moss was once thought extinct, and although it was rediscovered at a few sites in Scotland in the early 2000s, it is still very rare.
So when a tree that was holding the largest population of Aspen Bristle-moss in the country fell, it meant that soon a huge portion of this incredible species would be lost.
Our conservation team in the Cairngorms, led by Senior Ecological Advisor Sam Jones, jumped into action and started exploring how they could help save it.
This led to what is believed to be the first-ever documented translocation, where a species is taken from it’s home and moved to a new safe habitat, of an epiphytic moss, which is a moss that grows on a living plant such as a tree, without harming it.
Without intervention, the moss on this tree would die as the bark started to decompose and other species moved in to outcompete it. This meant it was a race against time to save the Aspen Bristle-moss that was on the tree – but it also gave the perfect opportunity to explore whether this technique could be used to help increase the population of the whole species.
We have been working with Aspen Bristle-moss as part of our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World project.
Last year, thanks to training we organised to ID the rare moss, numbers at one site where it is found in Scotland, tripled in just one afternoon.
Continuing our work, we wanted to protect the moss on the fallen tree, but also test whether translocation might be a viable method in the future, to help the species recover.
With support from the landowner Wildland and help from a variety of national and international moss experts, we tested 4 experimental methods of translocation across 19 Aspen trees within 2 km of the fallen tree: attaching bark, netting moss, placing it into small drilled holes and wiping fragments directly onto bark.
We will be closely monitoring the site to see which approach works best.
The trial also highlights a wider problem: much of Scotland’s Aspen resource is ageing, and in many places there has been little natural replacement because of grazing pressure.
Even where young Aspen are now returning, it will take decades for those trees to support specialist species such as Aspen Bristle-moss, and it is crucial to protect the scarce mid-aged Aspen trees
We hope the results of this trial will help guide future conservation of rare mosses and Aspen woodland.
Work on this species is funded by NatureScot, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the Swire Charitable Trust.
With thanks to Simon Dures for the photography and videography.
Senior Ecological Advisor Sam Jones testing different translocation methods.
Multiple methods were trialled.
Tweezers were used to move the tiny parts of the rare moss.
The fallen tree was home to Scotland’s largest population of the rare Aspen Bristle-moss.
It is believed to be the first ever translocation of its kind
This exciting new project will create more possibilities to save Twinflower populations.
Thanks to Training to ID a rare moss species, numbers at one site where it is found in Scotland, tripled in just one afternoon!
The peat-rich Flow Country, which our Munsary Peatlands are part of, has been given the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.
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