Woodland Trust Scotland (WTS) has completed the purchase of the 240-hectare (600-acre) Maryland Farm site as part of its bid to create a new native woodland near Glasgow.

The organisation acquired the site following an 18-month fundraising campaign, which was backed by a number of celebrities - such as Robbie Coltrane and Carol Smillie. Lang Craigs aims to provide an accessible area of woodland for Glasgow residents, with the views from the upper slopes overlooking Loch and Ben Lomond and the River Clyde.

It is hoped the project - the largest native woodland creation site within the Central Scotland Green Network - will lead to a flourishing young area of forest within 12 years. WTS director Carol Evans said: "Years of grazing have dulled much of its magnificence but offers fantastic opportunities for native woodland creation.

"We aim to plant 200,000 native trees such as Scots pine, rowan and birch, of which 50,000 will be planted by local school children and the public."