![]() “What’s the Japanese word for stress?” I asked. “When I’m out here, I don’t think about things,” he said. Since he began lollygagging in the woods and picnicking on octopus, Ito’s shoulders seemed to be unclenching by the minute. They’ve even coined a term, karoshi, meaning death by overwork. The Japanese would make great Boy Scouts, which is probably why they make such fervent office workers, logging longer hours than almost anyone else in the developed world. Like many Japanese day hikers, he was carrying an inordinate amount of gear, much of it dangling from his belt: a cell phone, a camera, a water bottle, and a set of keys. Most of us were urban desk jockeys, including Tokyo businessman Ito Tatsuya, 41, standing next to me. Elfin, with noticeably large ears, he told us to breathe in for a count of seven, hold for five, release. Kunio could have been one of the seven dwarves. We looked like earthlings transfixed by the light of the beamship. “This way they are able to become relaxed.” To help us along, Kunio-a volunteer ranger-had us standing still on a hillside, facing the creek, with our arms at our sides. ![]() “People come out from the city and literally shower in the greenery,” our guide Kunio explained. ![]() Tooth fungi are particularly associated with Caledonian forest.The Nature Cure Looking at pictures of nature can be enough to make you feel better. There are also a number of hoverflies, beetles and flies (such as the bumblebee robberfly, which relies on dead pine) with restricted distributions. Look out for thatched mounds of pine needles indicating the presence of wood ants (seven species can be found in Caledonian forest). Rare plants can be hard to spot, but a bit of effort may be rewarded with a sighting of twinflower, creeping lady’s-tresses or one-flowered wintergreen. Crested tits like holes in standing deadwood, while capercaillie (the world’s largest grouse, reintroduced in the 19 th century) is found in old forest with dense undergrowth. Look for characterful old “granny” pines growing in more open conditions - check the deep crowns for crossbills (including the endemic Scottish crossbill – our only endemic bird). Pine martens are more readily spotted, generally at dedicated feeding stations, and red squirrels are relatively easy to find. Although wild cats are unlikely to be seen, just knowing they are present adds to the wild feel of the habitat. However, a natural tree line is very rare, and the upper limit of the habitat is generally dictated by grazing pressure rather than climate.Ĭaledonian forest is home to some of our most charismatic species. Pine regenerates readily if grazing pressure is not too high, and natural transitions to surrounding heathlands and wetlands are widespread. It can be hard to distinguish natural forest from planted areas. Many stands are quite even-aged, a result of timber extraction and the prevention of regeneration, while sparser areas with older, larger trees can result from thinning. Timber management and grazing are the key factors shaping Caledonian forest today. This continued, intensifying with increases in sheep farming following the removal of crofters in the 18 th and 19 th centuries and the development of red deer stalking, until only isolated areas were left in remote locations. However, felling and climatic changes during the Neolithic period (around 4000 years ago) started to reduce the area. ![]() In the Highlands, the harsh climate meant that, whereas further south pine was replaced by broadleaved species, here some 1.5 million hectares of predominantly pine wood persisted. Pine was one of the first species to colonise the Highlands after the last ice age. ![]()
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