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Find out everything you need to know about managing Twinflower, whether you already have this pinewood plant on your site, or you are considering translocating it.
Twinflower Linnaea borealis is a pinewood plant that survives in the best of our native Scots Pine woodlands, this beautiful wildflower clung on in the native, open, pine woods of Scotland. Find out more about Twinflower here.
Sadly the clearance of these native woodlands before the 1930s resulted in severe losses of the species. Continued habitat destruction and changes in woodland management have also lead to declines in populations. Remaining patches of Twinflower survive in fragmented habitats, which means that the plants are unable to cross-pollinate.
However, we have an ambitious vision for the future: It is 2040 and we are on the path to creating: “within Scotland an ecologically and evolutionarily dynamic population of Twinflower, capable of producing outcrossed seed of high fitness, and able through this seed production to recruit new outcrossed clones locally, disperse seed to neighbouring patches, and establish new populations at suitable sites via natural colonisation.” [1]
Many more Twinflower patches are known to be thriving in Scotland, with hundreds producing viable seed in abundance, and seedlings widely establishing. Connectivity is at the heart of this, with corridors planned within and between pinewoods, providing optimal habitat for Twinflower to thrive, and a long-term view recognising the need to adapt in a changing landscape. All practitioners and land managers are engaged with the Strategy, can see the change, and are stakeholders in this vision.
Without intervention, the delicate pink blooms of the rare Twinflower could disappear from Scotland.
There are around 500 Twinflower patches remaining in the country and as few as 725 genetically distinct individuals, making each patch a precious and crucial resource.
The species which pollinate Twinflower do not travel far. Patches more than 100m apart will not be cross-pollinated, particularly when suitable woodland is not contiguous. Nearly all wild Twinflower patches have no neighbours within 100m, and so they do not produce viable seed.
This means across most of Scotland there is no new generation, and what remains are declining remnants.
Mature Twinflower is resilient and may survive in most pine woods without clear fell.
However, for Twinflower to thrive and for seeds to establish, a native woodland of varied age structure, with moderate levels of shade, and ideally some grazing or other disturbance is needed.
Connectivity between patches and woodlands is also key to encouraging natural restoration of Twinflower.
The restoration of Twinflower in Scotland is a task taken on by a wide range of partners. To date, Plantlife, alongside 6 other organisations/groups, has performed 116 Twinflower translocations in Scotland.With the support of NatureScot, and the Cairngorms National Park, we also ran the 2nd Twinflower conference in May 25, attended by over 40 partners. There we planned the next stages of our work together, and following that produced the Twinflower Strategy.
Our mission is to support a dynamic, Scotland-wide strategy for Twinflower recovery, informed by research and consistent data, effectively coordinated and communicated across current and future restoration work.
By 2040 the Twinflower restoration community will:
We are continuing our work with this amazing species, as part of our Resilience and Recovery, Helping Rare Species Adapt to a Changing World Project. You can find out more about the other plants we are protecting in Scotland, through the project here.
Now, we are aiming to get more practitioners and land owners in the know about Twinflower, trained up, and onboard with pine woodland restoration and translocation. Plantlife aim to support other project partners and land managers to drive Twinflower recover on land under their management.
Over the next few years our focus is on expanding the resources and support available to practitioners and land managers to manage Twinflower and to perform their own translocations. A few highlights of this work include establishing a new Twinflower nursery in Strathspey in partnership with RSPB to support other nurseries in Scotland, and partnering with universities to model Twinflower habitat suitability across Scotland.
Work through the decision tree below and follow onto the outcomes to get more advice.
BSBI (Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland) is the organisation which maintains botanical data for the UK. Identifying and contacting your local county recorder would be the first step to check if there is Twinflower supported by the land you manage.
Find out more here.
You can find our full guide below.
Twinflower will not survive if all woodland in which it resides is felled. Where a patch is known to exist, avoid clear felling within a minimum of 20 metres of the patch, and ideally, leave a 50m buffer strip of woodland around it.
If a site has been clear felled but a patch is subsequently found please contact Plantlife.
Mature Twinflower can survive in dense knee high shrubs under pine, but it will not thrive in this habitat, and seedlings will not establish. Ideally, canopy cover of between 60-80% is optimal, with moderate levels of grazing or other disturbance in the woodland to create niches for seed and fresh growth. Periodic cattle grazing in woodland is ideal when possible.
Find out more in the Twinflower Handbook below.
In the best of circumstances where a patch is healthy and producing seed, the creation of a plan for dispersal and wider woodland connectivity should be the priority. This includes assessing how a site might in future connect with other patches. Plantlife are aiming to lead on this work long term, alongside habitat suitability modelling.
Focus on disturbance, managing the woodland canopy, and where relevant controlling non-natives. Some patches may decline even in apparently good habitat as they are old and have not been able to reproduce, while others may be in irreparable habitat (e.g. typically under clearfell). In these cases, contact Plantlife so that cuttings can be preserved in a Twinflower nursery.
The key requirements for a Twinflower patch to survive and thrive are detailed in the Twinflower handbook, which can be seen below.
Twinflower Restoration Handbook
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