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The Lost Forest: BrewDog's Mammoth Reforestation Venture

BrewDog aren’t known for doing things by half pints. Once mavericks of the drinks industry with their outrageously strong craft beers, they decided in 2020 it was time to shock the world with their dedication to sustainability. Planting a million trees in Madagascar and becoming the world’s first carbon negative brewery wasn’t enough; they’ve bought a forest, and it’s set to become one of the biggest reforestation and peatland restoration projects the UK has ever seen!

The Lost Forest is a 9,308 acre plot of degraded land in Kinrara, situated in the stunning Cairngorns National Park in the Scottish Highlands. Long ago it was carpeted in lush woodland and precious peatlands, and in their mission to become the world’s most environmentally friendly brewery, BrewDog are determined to restore the land to its former glory.

Passionately invested in their forest’s potential, they’re on a mission to plant a million trees and restore acres of natural peatlands, both of which will help reduce enormous quantities of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere: ‘Our carbon is our problem, and reducing our emissions as far as possible is our #1 priority.’ It’s not just about carbon, either. The forest’s restoration will help hundreds of smaller ecosystems thrive, providing an environment that will help protect endangered species of flora and fauna. 

Equally important as the trees, restoring peatland is a particularly complicated project, but BrewDog are proud to announce it’s already off to a strong start: ‘peatland restoration commenced in Autumn 2021, and work has been hitting all target dates so far. 190ha of peatland restoration has been completed to date, and over the next 2-3 years there is a further 300ha of potential peatland to restore, all of which will effectively sequester carbon from our atmosphere.’

Of course, planting a million trees is no small venture, but the Lost Forest is growing strong: ‘our 9,308 acre site in beautiful Aviemore is well on its way to becoming one of the fastest afforestation projects in Europe (…) Tree planting commenced on schedule in March 2023 and over 500,000 trees have now been planted in the Lost Forest! A minimum of 40,850 trees are to be established by natural regeneration, although we expect this figure to be higher as the afforestation projects develops.’

We can’t wait to see the Lost Forest grow, or what the world’s first carbon negative brewery do next!

Find out more about BrewDog and be sure to pick up their unbelievably tasty alcohol-free beers, currently on an irresistible offer!