The area burned by wildfire in Galloway Forest Park in April was reportedly the size of Edinburgh, and could be seen in satellite images. Image available under the Open Database Licence. © OpenStreetMap

A burning beech was spotted by RSFS President Wilma Harper on her morning run at Costorphine Hill on 13 April. Firefighters arrived ten minutes after her 999 call, which potentially prevented a much larger fire. © Wilma Harper

A burning beech was spotted by RSFS President Wilma Harper on her morning run at Costorphine Hill on 13 April. Firefighters arrived ten minutes after her 999 call, which potentially prevented a much larger fire. © Wilma Harper

RSFS members enjoyed a field visit to Glenferness Estate near Nairn on 3 April, organised by Northern Region, to learn about diversification of a traditional Highland estate. © Gareth Phillips

The 3 April RSFS field visit to Glenferness Estate included a look at the magnificent Douglas fir trees grown from some of the first large seed imports of the species. © Gareth Phillips

The Balmerino Sweet Chestnut in Fife coming into leaf in late April. Situated in the grounds of a ruined Benedictine abbey, the veteran has a girth of 6.3m, with cores taken by the National Trust for Scotland ageing it at up to 435 years (rather ruining popular tales of it being far older). © Gavin McGregor

First Minister John Swinney opened a high-tech new timber frame construction facility in Irvine, operated by Alexander Timber Design and owned and run by Glennon Brothers. The facility uses Sitka grown in Scotland and processed at the company’s Troon sawmill.