These innovative pellets contain native fungi that form a symbiotic relationship with tree roots, enhancing nutrient uptake and water retention. This technique has been shown to increase tree survival rates by over 20% and reduce the need for fertilisers.
Scottish Water will implement this method at 10 of its woodland creation sites to assess its impact on tree growth and carbon sequestration.
By adopting this innovative approach, Scottish Water aims to create more resilient and sustainable forests while contributing to carbon reduction efforts.
Dr Mark Williams, Scottish Water’s Head of Sustainability and Climate Change, said: "We are always looking for innovative ways to help us reach our net zero targets and along with peatland restoration and sustainable land management, woodland creation in the right areas is a key part of efforts to balance emissions we cannot eliminate.
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"We are excited to trial these Rhizopellets across a range of our sites, where we will hopefully see the benefits in terms of stronger trees that do not require fertiliser, as well as an increase in the amount of carbon captured by the woodlands."
Scottish Water Project Manager Stephen Garbett added: "Often, the sites we have identified for woodland creation have not had trees planted on them for some time, which means the natural mycorrhiza fungi is no longer present at these locations.
"By reintroducing these vital complementary relationships to the soil when we plant the saplings, we are aiming to strengthen the success rate of these projects. The pellets also reduce the need for fertiliser at these sites, which are often located around drinking water sources, so there is the added benefit of helping to protect the water quality."
Rhizocore Technologies CEO, Dr. Toby Parkes, said: "Mycorrhizal fungi play a key role in the healthy functioning of forest ecosystems. They provide nutrients, retain water, improve soils and protect the trees from disease.
"They are also completely reliant on trees for their survival, so on most tree-planting sites the symbiotic fungi that support trees are not present and we should be aiming to establish their mycorrhizal partners at the same time.
"For those reasons, we are incredibly excited about our partnership with Scottish Water and the impact we can have together on woodland creation, biodiversity improvement and carbon draw down both above and below ground.
"We have had fantastic results for customers who replace fertiliser with our Rhizopellets and we are looking forward to seeing similar growth on the Scottish Water sites as their trees, and our fungi, establish and thrive."
