Aspen Bristle Moss Moved in Emergency Bid to Save Rare Scottish Population  - Plantlife

Plantlife Scotland has carried out an emergency translocation of a rare moss Aspen Bristle Moss Nyholmiella gymnostoma after a fallen Aspen tree put the species’ Scottish population at risk.

Without intervention, the moss on this tree would die as the bark deteriorated and other mosses outcompeted it, creating a time-critical chance to test whether it could be translocated.

The moss, which is known at just three sites in Scotland, was moved onto nearby living trees after a storm brought down an Aspen supporting as much as 5% of the known Scottish population.