WOODLAND volunteers have been piloting a Scottish sapling rescue season this autumn and winter.

Inspired by a visit from Dutch group Meer Bomen Nu earlier in the year, Leadburn Community Woodland (LCW) and Lothian Conservation volunteers recently collected beech seedlings from Neidpath wood and transplanted them to Penicuik Estate.

An LCW spokesperson said: “Meer Bomen Nu visited to promote the idea of rescuing unwanted saplings and replanting them in a bid to combat climate change.

“Thirty-six volunteers from Lloyds Bank helped us to clear the new raised bog at LCW of saplings and to pass 400 of them, both birch and willow on to Glenrath Farms.

“We have more transplanting to do at Penicuik Estate later in the winter and also at Barns Estate in early spring next year.”

Representatives from Meer Bomen Nu will be at Leadburn Community Woodland at 3pm on Friday, December 1 and and are being joined by representatives of Urgenda, a Dutch foundation aiming for “a fast transition to a sustainable society”.

Meer Bomen Nu will give a presentation later that evening, in Eddleston Village Hall, from 5 to 7pm of its English language version of the Treefinder app.

LCW charity Christmas trees go on sale at the layby next to the A703 on Saturday and Sundays from November 25 to December 17.

The entire profit from the sale of the Christmas trees goes to charity.

An LCW spokesperson said: “Meer Bomen Nu will attend the morning session of our Christmas tree sale on December 2.”