After more than four years of digging, sawing and hacking, an invasive plant species has been cleared entirely from a recognisable Scottish woodland.
A group of around 50 volunteers have put in a mammoth effort to protect Perthshire's Kinclaven Bluebell Wood from the non-native Rhododendron ponticum bush.
The shrub, which thrives in Scotland's forests, threatens other native plants by shutting out light and slowly choking the rich biodiversity of the country's woodlands.
The species was first brought to the UK in the 1700s and was widely planted in parks in Victorian times.
But the Kinclaven Woodland Working Group has now put an end to the thick mass of the plant across the six acres of the site famed for its plentiful bluebells each year.
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The volunteers put in nearly 2000 hours on the task - the equivalent of one person working full time for an entire year.
Woodland Trust Scotland site manager Jill Aitken explained that the group needed to be very thorough to ensure the plant would not return.
Speaking about Rhododendron ponticum, she said: "If left uncontrolled, it will eventually dominate a wood to the exclusion of all other plant life.
"As this is a very lovely oakwood with lots of native plants, we were very keen not to allow that.
"It is an amazing service our volunteer working group has delivered.
"This stuff is really difficult to get rid of. If you leave the least little bit in the ground it will grow back. It has taken a lot of time but they have finally beaten it.”
The task was made possible with the help to the People’s Postcode Lottery, which has raised more than £21.9 million since 2010 for the work of the Woodland Trust.
The removal of the invasive bush or 'Rhodie bashing' is a common conservation task but such an outright victory over the plant is rare.
Volunteers were also restricted by the time of the year in their conservation efforts with clearance work only able to take place between September and March, to avoid disturbing nesting birds.
Covid restrictions also cut down the time the volunteers had to attack the non-native plant.
It was not the only invasive plant that was cleared with volunteers also tackling the non-native Himalayan balsam.
Ian Riches who leads the volunteers of the Woodland Working Group said: “It has taken a long time so it was all the more satisfying to hack out the very last bush. While it has been hard work the team is very sociable and we generally have a great time.
"It keeps us fit and even in the midst of all the sawing and bashing – this wood is a stunning place to be. You go to bed tired but happy.”
The team has become such a well-oiled rhodie-bashing machine that the Woodland Trust is now seeking to use their skills elsewhere in Scotland, such as the Loch Arkaig Pine Forest in Lochaber.
Over the years the hardworking team developed their own methods of dealing with the bush which entails processing the rhododendron and separating it into leaf-based and wood-based materials.
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These are neatly stacked in the forest and over time will be overwhelmed by moss and other vegetation.
However, work is far from over in Kinclaven with new volunteering tasks already lined up including removing vole guards and non-native spruce saplings.
Laura Chow, head of charities at the People’s Postcode Lottery, said: "We're delighted support from our players helps the Woodland Trust ensure their woods are welcoming and free to access right across Great Britain. W
"Well done to all of the volunteers at Kinclaven Bluebell Wood for their efforts in removing the Rhododendron ponticum, making space for native species to return.
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