Thank you Torbjörn – yes, sorry, the West Highlands of Scotland (I searched for UK forestry – your site came up which confused me).
Is a method ever used in Sweden where land is fenced off from deer and trees allowed to grow naturally, or by seeding? In Scotland (as far as I know) you can only get a grant for planting small trees, not seeding. Planting is expensive and difficult on rocky and boggy ground and must be done by contractors.
Most of our land is more than 500 m from trees, and many of the nearest trees are sitka and sycamore, so seeding would be helpful because native trees are desirable/fashionable.
I will contact the Uni that you mention. Do you know anyone there?
Best wishes, Patrick