Cases / Natural-capital land · United Kingdom · 2020–2025
Scotland's natural-capital land rush
Nature's voice · report
135,168 of the trees planted on my land died.
92,456 Scots pine (50–56% of those planted) and 42,712 broadleaves dead at Kinrara (FOI).
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
- No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Companies bought estates to plant forests and offset emissions. Estate prices rose about 87% in a year; at one flagship site more than half the young pines died.
+157%Woodland carbon unit price
£11.01 (2020) → £28.32 (2025).
£11.01 (2020) → £28.32 (2025).
What?
Companies and investment funds bought Scottish estates to plant forests and offset emissions, among them BrewDog, which bought the Kinrara estate in December 2020 for £8.8m as its "Lost Forest". At Kinrara 50–56% of planted Scots pine had died by September 2023, and the estate was sold in October 2025 for an undisclosed price. Scottish Land Commission
Where?
Scottish estates, including BrewDog's Kinrara estate (about 9,300 acres), abrdn's Far Ralia, Aviva Investors' Glen Dye and Wildland's 13 estates. Parkswatch Scotland
When?
BrewDog bought Kinrara in December 2020; prices rose in 2021; the pine deaths were recorded by September 2023; Kinrara was sold to Oxygen Conservation in October 2025. Parkswatch Scotland
Who?
Gained
- Estate sellers — Estate prices were about 87% higher in 2021 than in 2020; nearly half of buyers were companies, funds or charities, and 64% of sales were off-market (Scottish Land Commission). Scottish Land Commission
- BrewDog — About £2.7m in public woodland grants for Kinrara (up to £1,229,496 awarded in 2022, £690,986 paid by April 2024, plus £1.5m agreed for stage 2).
- Woodland carbon unit sellers — The average unit price rose from £11.01 (2020) to £28.32 (2025), +157%; reported unit sales were worth about £31.4m (estimate, voluntary disclosures only). Woodland Carbon Code
- Owners of commercially managed woodland, including abrdn, Aviva Investors and Wildland — Woodland is outside income and corporation tax, timber is exempt from capital gains tax, and land and trees qualify for inheritance-tax relief; the value per estate is not quantified in any source. GOV.UK
Lost
- Community land buyers — Priced out by the rise in estate prices, according to the Scottish Land Commission. Scottish Land Commission
- The public — Pays through woodland grants and tax relief; the total value is not quantified. GOV.UK
Harmed
- Young trees at Kinrara — 92,456 Scots pine (50–56% of those planted) and 42,712 broadleaves dead by September 2023, according to freedom-of-information data.
Why?
Buyers stated climate and nature aims: BrewDog's "Lost Forest", abrdn's purchase of Far Ralia to offset emissions, Aviva Investors' target of 1.4m tonnes of CO₂ at Glen Dye, and Wildland's rewilding.
How?
Buyers acquired estates, planted woodland with public grants, and registered carbon units under the Woodland Carbon Code, while the land and timber carried income-, capital-gains- and inheritance-tax advantages. Woodland Carbon Code
In proportion BrewDog's public grants of about £2.7m equalled about 31% of the £8.8m it paid for Kinrara (estimate).
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
BrewDog bought the Kinrara estate in December 2020 for £8.8 million as its "Lost Forest". Other buyers included an abrdn trust, Aviva Investors and the Danish investor Anders Holch Povlsen's Wildland.
The Scottish Land Commission found estate prices about 87% higher in 2021 than in 2020; nearly half of buyers were companies, funds or charities, and 64% of sales were off-market.
Commercially managed woodland is outside income and corporation tax; timber is exempt from capital gains tax; land and trees qualify for inheritance-tax relief.
BrewDog received about £2.7 million in public woodland grants. Freedom-of-information data show 50–56% of Scots pine planted at Kinrara had died by September 2023. The estate was sold in October 2025 for an undisclosed price.
- 2020BrewDog buys Kinrara (£8.8m)
- 2021Estate prices +87% in one year
- 202350–56% of pines dead at Kinrara (FOI)
- 2025Kinrara sold; national planting 8,470 ha vs 18,000 ha target
What was said
Claims, in the words of those who made them.
“Income Tax and Corporation Tax do not apply to woodlands managed on a commercial basis.”
How it looked
What was shown, beside what was recorded.
Shown
- A "Lost Forest" restored
- Emissions offset by new woodland
Recorded
- More than half of planted pines dead by 2023
- Planting at 47% of national target (2024–25)
- Community buyers priced out, per the Land Commission
Who gained
Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.
Reached nature or the ground
Not published
Peatland restored (company figure)—
745 ha; no cost figure.
Gained elsewhere
Not totalled
Public woodland grants to BrewDog£2.7m
Reported woodland carbon unit sales value (voluntary disclosures) estimate£31m
Currency: GBP · Window: 2020–2025. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What nature saw
Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
Pine mortality at Kinrara
50–56%
About 92,000 trees, plus 42,700 broadleaves
National planting vs target
47%
8,470 of 18,000 ha (2024–25)
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
Money
- None on record Peatland restored (company figure) — 745 ha; no cost figure.
Court
- None on record No court case on record.
Record
- None on record The Kinrara resale price.
- None on record The value of tax relief per estate: not quantified in any source.
Did the harm stop?
Not applicable: the claimed purpose was planting, which fell short.
Who paid?
Communities seeking to buy land, according to the Scottish Land Commission; the public, through grants and tax relief.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project✓ Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers✓ Standard-setters and registries
Government and regulators
- Scottish land prices and natural capital investmentScottish Land Commission · 2022-04-12
- Woodland owners: tax guidanceGOV.UK · current
Press and investigations
- Oxygen Conservation's purchase of BrewDog's Lost Forest at KinraraParkswatch Scotland · 2025-10-04
Standard-setters and registries
- UK carbon pricesWoodland Carbon Code · 2025