Rooted in Community: Volunteering in the Wild Heart
Ecological restoration revitalises our landscapes, rebuilding natural habitats and healthy ecosystems to benefit both wildlife and people. Borders Forest Trust (BFT) accomplish this work with the help of a team of amazing volunteers, many of whom have helped to achieve the aims of the Reviving the Wild Heart of Southern Scotland project, part of Destination Tweed.
Community and volunteering have been central to the work of BFT since its beginning. The Trust’s origins lie in pioneering community-led woodland restoration projects, including Wooplaw near Galashiels, recognised as the UK’s first community woodland. Together with the visionary Carrifran Wildwood project, Wooplaw helped inspire the creation of BFT and establish its enduring commitment to empowering people to play an active role in restoring and caring for the landscape.
Today, that community-focused ethos remains at the heart of everything the Trust does. With more than 500 people registered on its volunteer database, BFT benefits from a dedicated network of individuals who contribute their time, skills and enthusiasm to nature recovery across the Scottish Borders.
Volunteers play a vital role in the management and restoration of BFT’s Wild Heart sites including planting native trees, removing invasive species, taking down redundant tree guards and fencing, undertaking bird and butterfly surveys, and helping to monitor the health and diversity of habitats. These practical conservation activities are essential to creating resilient, connected landscapes that support wildlife and help restore the landscape of the Upper Tweed.
Impact
The scale of this contribution is significant. During the 2025/26 planting season alone, volunteers helped plant more than 25,000 trees across the Wild Heart landscape, demonstrating the collective impact that volunteers can have when they come together with a shared purpose.
The benefits of volunteering extend far beyond the environmental gains. For many participants, volunteering provides opportunities to build confidence, develop new skills, improve wellbeing, and connect with like-minded people. It can also act as a stepping stone to further education, training and employment in the environmental sector. This is reflected within BFT itself, where previous and current members of the team working on the Wild Heart site first became involved with the Trust as volunteers.
But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what some of our volunteers had to say:
‘I always come away feeling inspired, and also more hopeful about the potential for reversing the damage (in the landscape)…This is largely down to the dedication and passion of the BFT team’
‘I find time spent in BFT activities worth-while and rewarding and support BFT’s effort to encourage inclusivity amongst their volunteer community’
‘It’s great to be out with other people in the beautiful countryside and very much feel you can make positive change.’
Borders Forest Trust
Are you interested in volunteering with Borders Forest Trust? You can register your interest and sign up to hear about specific volunteering opportunities by emailing Adrian at volunteer@bordersforesttrust.org.
This project is supported by funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Fallago Environment Fund and other funders.