Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) is a critically important species throughout Europe, both ecologically and economically, and is the cornerstone of Scotland's pinewoods. At CREAF we take part in a pioneering research on how to recover from extreme droughts, led by the University of Stirling.
Through research conducted on young Scots pine trees and Diprion pini, a sawfly common to conifer forests in the Northern Hemisphere, scientists have shown, for the first time, how trees take steps to protect themselves against insect infestation even before eggs are laid on them.
Scots pine is the tree species with the greatest latitudinal distribution between Siberia and the Iberian Peninsula. The death of these pines due to drought does not affect CO2 emissions from forest soil.
