Before human intervention and deforestation the trees growing below the tree line were of the broad-leaved deciduous type. A lot of these were lost to farming and 'management'. Subsequently the forestry commission have planted needle leaved evergreens which, although being able to grow at a slightly higher altitude that the prior deciduous forests, have nowhere near replaced the lost forests of Great Britain. Saying that open moorland has been lost to forestation is misleading as in general there is now more open land than forest. Re-foresting is merely trying to get redress the loss of forest and is fighting a losing battle.

DtG