Trees are an essential part not just of Scotland's landscape, but its identity too. Ancient oakwoods, thickets of shimmering birches or lonely clumps of gnarled Caledonian pine all count among the most atmospheric places in Scotland. This volume is a portrait not just of the forests as we encounter them today, but their part in Scotland's story, from the Ice Age to the great woodlands planted by the Dukes of Atholl and the blanket spruce plantations of the post-war years. Written with a blend of myth and archeological evidence, this text provides glimpses of the great personalities and a taste of environmental and economic controversies.