Woodland Trust Scotland (WTS) has launched a major £1.5m fundraising campaign to help the organisation acquire 240 hectares (593.1 acres) of land near Dumbarton.

The trust aims to purchase the land and create a new native woodland, but revealed that it only has a limited amount of time to reach a deal and help contribute towards its ambitions to create a woodland legacy for Scotland. Located to the north of Dumbarton, WTS' plans for the creation of a native woodland on the site would provide accessible green space for residents of the town, as well as for the wider area of Glasgow and west Scotland.

Schools and the local community will also be given the chance to take part in tree planting activities as part of the forest scheme, which is expected to take 12-15 years to be transformed and will provide a long-term use as an outdoor education facility. WTS' Andrew Fairbairn said: "This is an ambitious project for the Trust. Not only do we want to create new native woodland, we also want to create an area that will become a thriving home for wildlife and an area where we can give children the opportunity to be involved and learn about the wonders of nature.

"[Native woodland] is one of our best habitats for wildlife but, surprisingly, is a scarce resource with only 4 per cent of native woodland cover across Scotland and less than 2 per cent in the lowland areas."