Almost 10,000 trees were planted in the Scottish Borders in 2024-25 thanks to our Borders Tree Grant Scheme.
We run the initiative in conjunction with Borders Forest Trust to encourage the planting of native landscape trees and will be launching the 2025-26 Scheme at the Border Union Show on 25 July.
Grants of up to £1,000 are available for farmers, landowners and non-profit organisations such as schools and charities to plant trees in the coming autumn/winter season. The trees enhance the landscape, capture carbon, increase wildlife habitat and biodiversity and provide many additional benefits.
Hedgerow trees, parkland trees, tree lines, copses, riverside trees and orchards are all eligible for potential funding.
More information on how to apply can be found on our Borders Tree Planting Grant page. Or come along and visit us in person on Stand 8, Block 1 at this year’s Border Union Show.
The Borders Tree Grant Scheme is funded by Scottish Forestry, Woodland Trust Scotland and Scottish Borders Council.
Derek Robeson from Tweed Forum and Hannah Cockett from Borders Forest Trust. (📷 Lloyd Smith)
We’re very proud to share that Dr Derek Robeson, Conservation Manager at Tweed Forum, has been made a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS) of Great Britain.
This prestigious award recognises Derek’s decades of work with farmers delivering environmental projects on the ground as well as his passion for integrating farming, forestry and conservation and for sharing his knowledge with schools and university students.
Derek’s expertise and knowledge are second to none. He’s an invaluable part of our team and richly deserves this recognition.
The latest Tweed Matters is packed with updates on what we’ve been up to over the last year. In this edition we feature another award win for our UNESCO-recognised Eddleston Water Project, celebrate our 2024 Tweed Forum River Champion and showcase our new catchment models, as well as all the usual project updates and other news from the Tweed Forum team.
We are looking to recruit up to 3 new Trustees to join our Board. Whether you are an experienced Trustee or wanting to take up a new way of contributing to this important, varied and dynamic area of work, we want to hear from you.
Tweed Forum is registered charity with the remit to “promote the sustainable use of the whole of the Tweed Catchment through holistic and integrated management and planning”. In close partnership with our members, Tweed Forum works to protect, enhance and restore the rich natural, built and cultural heritage of the River Tweed and its tributaries.
Working at both the strategic and project level, our priority is to achieve tangible work on the ground that delivers multiple benefits. Since our inception as an informal liaison group over 30 years ago, we have grown to become a leader in the field of integrated land and water management at both the national and international level.
Our new Trustees will ideally have skills in one or more of the following areas:
• Land management including soils, regenerative agriculture, forestry • Natural capital markets and metrics • Ecology and river/wetland restoration • Education • A Construction/civils background • Tourism/hospitality • Media/PR/marketing • HR
As a Trustee you will have the chance to be part of a team that: • Contributes actively in developing the strategic direction of Tweed Forum and associated issues • Ensures Tweed Forum acts in accordance with its governing document, charitable and other relevant legislation or regulations
Candidates from the English part of the catchment are particularly welcomed. Appointments will officially be made at our AGM in September 2025. Note that this is an unpaid role.
We’re delighted to welcome Jane Gibson to the Tweed Forum team as a new Project Officer tasked with helping river woodland creation across the Tweed catchment as part of the Riverwoods Blueprint Project.
In collaboration with landowners, partners and local communities, Jane will be working to expand riparian (river) woodlands and contribute to a range of river restoration, wetland creation and educational initiatives. Planting the right trees in the right riverside locations at the right scale can unlock a host of environmental benefits, from enhancing biodiversity and improving water quality to reducing soil erosion, slowing flood waters and capturing carbon.
Riparian trees are particularly important for the Tweed’s world-renowned fishery to counter the effects of climate change and habitat degradation. As temperatures rise, the trees provide shade to help cool rivers and reduce thermal stress for fish. Thriving riparian woodlands also support populations of the invertebrates that feed young salmon and trout.
Raised in the Borders, Jane has a strong background in environmental and forestry work. Her post is funded by Tweed Forum, the River Tweed Commission and the Riverwoods Blueprint Project, which is led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.
It’s been exciting to see water flowing into a newly re-meandered section of the River Breamish in Northumberland (pictured below). This work is part of one of the UK’s largest river restoration projects which we’ve been working on in partnership with the LIFE WADER nature recovery group, the Environment Agency, Natural England and Harehope Estate.
Like many river channels in the UK, this section of the Breamish had been straightened and modified over the centuries to make room for intensive farming. This disconnected the river from its floodplain leading to problems including reduced biodiversity, a decline in freshwater species and an increased flood risk downstream.
The project is restoring the river to a more natural state (see visualisation below), reconnecting it to the floodplain and bringing a huge range of benefits for water quality, habitats and biodiversity. This includes enhanced conditions for salmon and trout populations at every stage of their life cycle in the river.
The Breamish is a tributary of the River Till and this work is a key element of the River Till Restoration Strategy, which has been guiding restoration efforts across the River Till SSSI and SAC since 2013.
It was that time of year again as, this week, members of the Tweed Forum team welcomed around 1,200 primary five children to our education zone as part of the Border Union Agricultural Society’s Schools Countryside Day 2025. Pupils from every school in the Scottish Borders region are invited to come along to this special day to learn about farming, food production and rural life, and we have been joining in the fun regularly since the event got underway in 2013.
Our zone included our always popular, bespoke catchment models as well as our brand new exhibition panels, which proved a great addition to our outreach and engagement resources. Hamish, Jane and Emily (below, from left to right) delivered a great programme for the kids, including a tangible demonstration (via the catchment models) of the benefits of restoring our landscapes to a more natural state; benefits such as reducing flood risk and reversing biodiversity loss. Thanks to the Society for hosting us and to the children for being as enthusiastic as ever!
Our Eddleston Water Project has received another important accolade – a Gold Standard Award from the River Restoration Centre!
The award was given in recognition of the project’s monitoring and evaluation work, and the influence it has achieved by sharing the benefits of natural flood management techniques. It is the first of only two UNESCO Ecohydrology Demonstration Sites in the UK and is helping shape policy discussions on flood risk management and biodiversity recovery both nationally and internationally.
The project is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership with local farmers and landowners, Scottish Borders Council, the University of Dundee, SEPA, Edinburgh Napier University, British Geological Survey and the surrounding community.
We’re delighted that our important work is being recognised and that it continues to influence and inspire other organisations and policy makers.
Tweed Forum Trustee Prof. Chris Spray (second from left) and staff members Luke Comins (third from left) and Hamish Robertson (second from right) join colleagues from CBEC Eco-Engineering and JBA Consulting in accepting the RRC UK River Prize Gold Award
Over the past 14 years, this unique, multi-partner river restoration and natural flood management project has been collecting evidence of how nature-based solutions can enhance flood resilience, improve biodiversity and help river environments adapt to the effects of the climate crisis. The support of local farmers and landowners has been vital, enabling us to introduce the subtle changes to existing land management practices that are central to the project.
Beyond its local impact, the Eddleston Water Project is gaining global recognition as a model for climate adaptation and sustainable river restoration. As the first of only two designated UNESCO Ecohydrology Demonstration Sites in the UK, the project contributes to international research on nature-based solutions and is helping shape policy discussions on flood risk management and biodiversity recovery.
The Lake Wood site on the Eddleston Water – where several natural flood management measures are working to reduce flood risk for downstream communities and improve biodiversity
Our TweedWATCH education initiative is hosting a series of interactive events in and around the river at Old Melrose Estate during British Science Week (7-16 March) to inspire future generations about nature, science and conservation.
An Advance Higher Biology Day, run in collaboration with RHET, will give Berwickshire High School students hands-on fieldwork experience, learning from experts at Tweed Forum, BugLife and the Tweed Foundation. From invertebrate identification and moth conservation to wildlife observation and learning about electrofishing, students will explore the fascinating science of nature. This is a pilot event and it’s hoped that other similar sessions can be organised for Borders schools in future.
The event will provide an invaluable opportunity for young people to develop real-world environmental skills and perhaps inspire future careers in science and conservation. We’re delighted to be working with RHET on this important pilot.
Tweed Forum Education and Engagement Officer, Jenny Holmes, takes local school pupils hunting for minibeasts as part of the TweedWATCH education initiative
Our British Science Week programme also includes a visit to Old Melrose Estate by pupils from St Boswells Primary, who will be given an introduction to minibeasts. Burgh Primary will take part in a Tree & Biodiversity Day in their school grounds. We hope our events for younger children will encourage curiosity and a desire to engage with nature.
