Scottish Water has planted thousands of native trees on land at two South Lanarkshire sites, helping to boost biodiversity and lock up carbon.

The project, which is part of a wider woodland creation programme that Scottish Water is delivering across the country, has seen almost 29 hectares of land planted with native broadleaf saplings such as ash, oak and birch around Glengavel Reservoir and a further 10 hectares at the now decommissioned Dunside Reservoir, both near Strathaven.

The reservoir ceased operations in 2009, with work carried out in 2023 to draw the water down to empty, relocate the fish population safely and breach the dams before reinstating the natural meandering watercourse.

Both schemes will improve biodiversity at the sites, while helping to lock up around 22,820 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the next 60 years.

In addition, the new trees around Glengavel Reservoir will help protect the source water quality at the reservoir in the face of climate change by helping to stabilise the soil surrounding it, resulting in less organic material being washed into the reservoir and making the treatment process simpler.

Scottish Water project manager Steve Garbett said:

“We have significantly increased the scale of our woodland creation programme across Scotland this year, helping to ensure that woodland and natural habitats across Scottish Water land are thriving.

“Not only is this essential to tackling the biodiversity crisis, it also helps to lock up carbon and maintain the quality of our water supplies by stabilising the soil surrounding our lochs and reservoirs.”

General Manager Zero Emissions at Scottish Water, Elise Cartmell, added:

“Over the 2024 to 2025 planting season we have planted almost three times the amount of new woodland as we did the previous year and it is brilliant to see more of our projects being delivered at a local level across Scotland.”