Drumbrae FAQs

Curious about what's happening at Drumbrae? Here are some helpful questions and answers.

At Drumbrae, we are planting approximately 500,000 trees, which includes over 25 different species, both broadleaf and conifer species. 

  • Broadleaf trees include silver birch, sessile oak, alder, aspen, rowan, elm, cherry, hazel and hawthorn.  
  • Coniferous trees include Scot’s pine, Norway spruce and Douglas fir. We are not planting any Sitka spruce.  

In our woodland design you can find more detail on the different woodland types and mixes.

It’s important that the right trees are planted in the right places, and we take several factors into consideration, including ground conditions, soil types and future climate change projections.    

There is also open space within the woodland design to allow for a range of habitats, to protect local archaeology, and viewpoints. Approximately 56% of the site will be planted with trees, with 44% of the site remaining unplanted. 


We want to give every tree the best possible chance to establish and grow. Ground preparation helps with this, and it usually involves some form of cultivation. When preparing the ground for planting, we want to create a raised, weed free planting position for each tree.  

At Drumbrae we have used mounding, which is a more environmentally friendly approach than other techniques such as ploughing as it disturbs less soil. Different mounding techniques are used at different parts of the site, depending on terrain and ground conditions.  


Fences are required to protect the young trees from roe deer.  Roe deer are herbivores, and will feed on tree shoots, leaves, herbs and woody plants. Many of the tree species we are planting are particularly appealing to deer, making them vulnerable to browsing.   

By keeping the deer away from the young trees, the fences allow the trees to establish themselves without damage. The fences will be removed once the trees are established and less vulnerable, in approximately 10-15 years’ time. Without fencing, each tree would need individual protection with tree tubes, with requires more resources and has a bigger visual impact on the landscape.  


Throughout the consultation process there was a strong desire from the local community to keep the main access route to Dumyat from Sheriffmuir Road free from any gates. To achieve this, the fence was positioned along the north side of the core path.  

Several factors influenced the fence’s placement, including ground conditions, topography, ecological constraints, archaeology and cultural heritage sites. Additionally, we prioritise placing fences in lower areas of the hillsides to minimise the visual impact on the skyline. 


We used a variety of methods to gather feedback about potential gate locations.  

This included: 

  • site surveys to gather information from people visiting Drumbrae 
  • public engagement events where attendees were encouraged to mark out their preferred routes 
  • using online recreational heat mapping tools like Strava 
  • using existing OS maps.   

We used this information to help decide gate locations, whilst also considering terrain, ground conditions as well as ecological constraints and archaeological sites.   


You can find more information on our main Drumbrae webpage including the woodland design, archaeological survey, ecology report and public consultation results.  

There are also some short videos covering a range of topics available on our website:  

 Discover more - videos | Social Responsibility and Sustainability 


This article was published on