What Trees for Life does

Trees for Life is a registered Scottish charity (SC021303) and company limited by guarantee (SC143304) founded in 1992/1993, headquartered in Forres, Moray, with the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre in Glenmoriston, Inverness-shire. It is the leading rewilding charity in the Scottish Highlands, focused on restoring the Caledonian forest — only about 1% of the original 1.5 million hectares of Caledonian Pinewood remains. Core operational assets include the 10,000-acre Dundreggan estate, a specialist tree nursery producing native and rare montane species (woolly willow, downy willow, dwarf birch, aspen via experimental grafting and hand pollination), and multiple species reintroduction programmes including the Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project (259 squirrels across 13 sites since 2016), the Glen Affric Beaver Reintroduction (2025), and the Lynx to Scotland consultation coalition.

The organisation co-led the 500,000-acre Affric Highlands 30-year landscape rewilding initiative with Rewilding Europe (spun off as an independent charity in 2025) and operates the world's first Rewilding Centre, offering visitor experiences, An Nead café, An Spiris accommodation, and educational programming. The commercial arm Trees for Life Enterprises Ltd (SC463269) handles retail, hospitality, and ticketing at the Rewilding Centre.

Trees for Life's revenue model is a hybrid charity/visitor-economy mix: FY2022-23 total income of £4,162,000 was split across trusts and foundation grants (£2,037k), individual donations including Gift Aid (£1,054k), corporate partnerships and business sponsorship (£623k), products and merchandise including Dundreggan venison and timber (£409k), and other income (£39k). Supplementary revenue streams include the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre visitor services, the Athnamulloch Bothy rental, and Woodland Carbon Code-accredited carbon credits on 50,000+ tonnes of sequestered carbon. The Dundreggan Tree Nursery supplies rare planting stock to partners including National Trust for Scotland and Woodland Trust Scotland, and a Tree Seed Collection Project with over 100 volunteers enhances native tree supply from western Scotland. The board is chaired by Nigel Fraser; CEO is Steve Micklewright, with a leadership team spanning operations, nature restoration, fundraising and marketing, finance, people services, and the Rewilding Centre directorship.

Name

Trees for Life

Legal name

Trees for Life

Website

https://treesforlife.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Trees for Life is a Scottish rewilding charity that restores the Caledonian forest through native tree cultivation, species reintroductions, and visitor experiences at the world's first Rewilding Centre in the Scottish Highlands, funded by donations, grants, and commercial activities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Forestry (800), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Post-Planting Maintenance (Weeding, Mulching, Fertilization, Irrigation) (AFAMACAG), Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL), Forestry & Public Lands Administration (State/National Forests) (BPAIAMAF), Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services (IMAMAJAM)

Keywords

• Conservation services
• Rewilding programs
• Native tree cultivation
• Species reintroduction
• Habitat restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Forres

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations from thousands of supporters worldwide, including regular giving, one-off donations, appeals, and Gift Aid. The organization's 2022-23 financial year saw £1,054,000 in donations.
2. Trusts and Foundations Grants: Grant funding from charitable trusts and foundations sharing the vision for Caledonian forest restoration. 2022-23 income: £2,037,000.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Business support through corporate partnerships, sponsorship, and tree planting programs. 2022-23 income: £623,000.
4. Products and Merchandise: Tree planting programs, ethical merchandise sales, private tree sales from nursery, and Dundreggan venison and timber. 2022-23 income: £409,000.
5. Rewilding Centre Visitor Services: Revenue from Dundreggan Rewilding Centre including visitor experiences, An Nead café, An Spiris accommodation, events, tours, and activities.
6. Accommodation Rental: Rental income from Athnamulloch Bothy in Glen Affric when not used by volunteers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Trees for Life is a Scottish conservation charity that restores the Caledonian forest and associated ecosystems in the Scottish Highlands through tree planting, native species propagation at the Dundreggan tree nursery, and species reintroduction programs (red squirrels, beavers, lynx). It operates the world's first rewilding centre at Dundreggan, offering visitor experiences, accommodation, café, educational events, and conservation volunteering (Rewilding Weeks). The charity funds this work through donations, grants, corporate partnerships, and ethical merchandise sales.

Product overview

Trees for Life operates as a conservation charity offering a portfolio of rewilding programs and visitor experiences rather than a unified technology product. Core offerings include the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre (world's first rewilding centre with visitor experiences, café and accommodation), the Dundreggan Tree Nursery (specialist native tree cultivation), and large-scale species reintroduction programs (Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project, Lynx to Scotland consultation, Beaver reintroduction). The organization runs the Affric Highlands 30-year landscape rewilding initiative and Tree Seed Collection Project in partnership with Woodland Trust Scotland. Supplementary offerings include Rewilding Weeks (volunteer programs), Plant a Tree/Grove donations, the Caledonia Wild newsletter, and an ethical merchandise shop. Revenue streams include donations, trusts and foundations funding, business partnerships, and retail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Affric Highlands: A 30-year initiative to create a vast nature recovery area of over half a million acres stretching from Loch Ness to Scotland's west coast, restoring woodland, peatland and riverside habitats.
• Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project
• Lynx to Scotland

Products and services

• Dundreggan Rewilding Centre The world's first rewilding centre located at Dundreggan Estate, offering visitor experiences, An Nead café, An Spiris accommodation, events, tours, and educational programs about rewilding and the Scottish Highlands.
• Dundreggan Tree Nursery Specialist tree nursery at Dundreggan growing native Scottish trees, particularly rare or hard-to-grow species including local provenance woolly willow, downy willow, dwarf birch, and aspen, with focus on montane and niche tree species for mountain woodland restoration.
• Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project Conservation program that has reintroduced 259 red squirrels to 13 new sites across the northwest Highlands since 2016, with populations established at Shieldaig, Coulin, Plockton, Inverewe, Reraig, Attadale, Letterewe, Lochaline, Spinningdale, Golspie, Arisaig, Drimnin, and Ratagan.
• Plant a Tree / Grove Donation
• Rewilding Weeks Week-long volunteering opportunities at Glen Affric, Dundreggan, and the tree nursery for people to participate in growing and planting trees, monitoring wildlife, and supporting vital restoration work.
• Ethical Merchandise Shop Online shop selling ethical merchandise supporting Trees for Life's rewilding work, with products including private tree sales from the nursery, Dundreggan venison, and timber.
• Corporate Partnerships Program Bespoke business partnership programs including corporate sponsorship, tree planting, employee engagement opportunities, and CSR partnerships. Contact via [email protected].
• Lynx to Scotland Consultation Six-year consultation project in partnership with Scotland: The Big Picture and The Lifescape Project to build acceptance for Eurasian lynx reintroduction to the Scottish Highlands, involving community engagement and compensation mechanism development.
• Beaver Reintroduction in Glen Affric Species reintroduction project releasing beavers into Glen Affric in the Scottish Highlands, marking the return of beavers to Scotland's landscape after a 400-year absence. Coordinated with Forestry and Land Scotland.

Quantifiable outcome

• Red squirrel range increased by over 25% in Highlands following reintroduction
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rewilding EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership in the Affric Highlands initiative - a 30-year plan to create a vast nature recovery area of over 500,000 acres. Rewilding Europe brings European rewilding network experience and expertise to the Scottish Highlands project.
• NatureScotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScotland's nature agency; collaborates on improving the country for nature; partners in Caledonian Pinewood Recovery Project; funds mountain woodland restoration through Biodiversity Challenge Fund; supporter of Dundreggan Rewilding Centre
• Forestry and Land ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency responsible for Scotland's forests; collaborated on Caledonian Forest restoration at Glen Affric and other Highland locations; co-coordinator of Glen Affric beaver reintroduction with Trees for Life
• Scottish ForestrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Government agency for forestry policy, support and regulations; provides support through collaboration and information sharing in Caledonian Pinewood Recovery Project
• Woodland Trust ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration to encourage landowners to restore forest; partners in Tree Seed Collection Project and Wild Pine Project; works with landowners and crofters to provide support
• National Trust for ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on remote West Affric Estate; established new native woodland in fenced exclosures; Trees for Life tree nursery provides rare montane willow planting stock for NTS Ben Lawers work
• RSPBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership at RSPB Corrimony reserve in Glen Urquhart; volunteers have worked with RSPB since 1999 as part of major forest restoration programme
• Scottish Rewilding AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder members of network of over 20 organisations working to rewild land and sea in Scotland; ensuring better understanding of rewilding benefits and government/public engagement
• Scottish Environment LinkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember networking with other environmental organisations and influencing Scottish Government; contributes practical forest restoration experience to proposed policy changes
• Stop Climate Chaos ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of diverse coalition of over 50 civil society organisations campaigning together on climate change
• Alliance for Scotland's RainforestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoluntary partnership of more than 20 organisations committed to collaborative action for Scotland's temperate rainforest benefit
• Beaver TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Glen Affric beaver reintroduction project managed by Forestry and Land Scotland in partnership with Trees for Life
• Rewilding EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of Affric Highlands initiative and funder through Rewilding Europe; brings European rewilding network connections and expertise
• Conservation Volunteers International ProgrammeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDedicated to helping sustain some of the world's greatest landscapes, cultural sites, and biodiversity; brings volunteers to Trees for Life Conservation Weeks
• Responsible TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvider of ethical and environmentally-friendly holidays lists Trees for Life volunteer Conservation Weeks
• Saving Scotland's Red SquirrelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project delivery across northwest Highlands
• Scottish Wildlife TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project
• AECOMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Natural Capital Laboratory concept; exploring extending Digital Natural Capital Accounting approach across Affric Highlands area
• Conservation CapitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScoped business potential for Affric Highlands; researched nature-based economy sectors and stakeholder engagement
• Scotland: The Big PicturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner in Lynx to Scotland project conducting six-year consultation for lynx reintroduction to Scottish Highlands
• Woodland Trust ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year collaborative Tree Seed Collection Project to enhance availability of native trees from western Scotland including temperate rainforest; funded by Woodland Trust Scotland with support from Postcode Lottery players

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Woodland Trust: The UK's largest woodland conservation charity, directly comparable to Trees for Life as a nonprofit focused on native tree planting, forest restoration, and woodland carbon across the UK. They co-fund and partner with Trees for Life on the Tree Seed Collection Project, and both compete for the same donor and corporate partnership segments.
• Scottish Wildlife Trust: A Scotland-focused conservation charity managing nature reserves and running species recovery programmes; partner to Trees for Life on the Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project. Directly comparable in mission, donor base, and Scottish operating geography.
• Rewilding Europe: A European rewilding charity co-developing the Affric Highlands initiative with Trees for Life. Directly comparable in rewilding methodology, landscape-scale approach, and species reintroduction expertise, but operating across multiple European countries rather than UK-only.
• John Muir Trust: A Scottish conservation charity protecting wild land through land ownership, restoration, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable in Highland focus, land management approach, and rewilding programmes, with overlapping donor and volunteer segments.
• Rewilding Britain: A UK-wide rewilding advocacy and membership charity promoting rewilding projects across Britain. Directly comparable as a rewilding-focused nonprofit, although focused on policy and convening rather than direct land management like Trees for Life.

Broad incumbents

• RSPB: The UK's largest nature conservation charity, with a much broader portfolio spanning birds, habitats, and policy. Comparable as a UK conservation nonprofit competing for similar donor, corporate partnership, and legacy income; partner to Trees for Life at RSPB Corrimony reserve.
• National Trust for Scotland: Scotland's largest conservation charity managing historic properties and landscapes; partner to Trees for Life on Ben Lawers montane willow planting and remote West Affric Estate. Comparable as a major Scottish conservation organisation with similar donor base and visitor centre infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Beaver Trust: A UK charity dedicated to accelerating beaver reintroduction and coexistence; partner to Trees for Life on the Glen Affric beaver project. Comparable as a species reintroduction nonprofit with overlapping expertise, though narrower in scope.
• The Lifescape Project: A Scottish conservation charity co-leading the Lynx to Scotland coalition with Trees for Life. Comparable as a niche conservation nonprofit focused on missing species and rewilding, but with a smaller operational footprint.

Regional players

• Forestry and Land Scotland: Scotland's national forestry agency managing public forests and co-delivering Caledonian forest restoration and beaver reintroduction with Trees for Life. Comparable in forest management activities but operating as a government agency with public funding rather than donor-driven charity model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Dundreggan
• Facebookfacebook.com/treesforlifeuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trees-for-life
• Instagraminstagram.com/treesforlifeuk
• Xx.com/treesforlifeuk

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trees for Life