History of flora

Though little trace remains of the natural vegetation which must once have covered the valley floor, it is possible to infer the original woodland cover from evidence gathered elsewhere. The comparatively rich, deep, alluvial soils on the valley floor probably supported a mixed broadleaved woodland dominated by oak, ash and elm, with alder and willow more prevalent along the margins of watercourses and in less well-drained areas. The upper slopes, with thinner, poorer soils probably supported a mixed woodland of birch, rowan, pine and juniper. This would normally have given way above the natural tree-line to upland heath dominated by heather and blaeberry, though hereabouts this line lies at about 550 m. (1,800 ft.), some way above the summits of the adjacent hills.

There are traces of fairly extensive prehistoric settlement in the vicinity - cup-and-ring markings on stones on the Braes of Taymouth, the stone circle at Croftmoraig, Dun Mac Tual hill-fort on Drummond Hill, the crannogs on Loch Tay for example - all which must have involved clearance of the natural woodland, whether for agricultural purposes or to provide raw materials for building and fuel.

Clearance continued until the time of General Roy's military survey of c.1750, which shows a broad scatter of relict (probably largely birch) woodland on the Braes of Taymouth, while Drummond Hill appears to be without any natural woodland cover - a situation which seems to be confirmed by a painting made in the 1730s, attributed to James Norie and Jan Griffier II. There is good evidence that some native trees and seeds were being collected locally in the 18th and 19th centuries for replanting within the policies - of Scots pine, birch and rowan for example. Native species continue to regenerate naturally today in spite of management regimes which tend to discourage the development of natural woodland - extensive grazing and commercial forestry for example.