In the highlands it seems to be the case. Also lack of predators for wild deer. New trees get eaten and none reaches maturity.

Wild deer are the big issue. There's a small but vocal community pushing for wolf reintroduction, but that has it's own challenges. Scottish land law is extraordinarily complicated and archaic, it remain solely to prevent extinction of a far more damaging animal: the Edinburgh Lawyer.

I'm rarely as concerned about northern forests though. Fir trees count for half, or less, IMO. Without beech, silver birch, oak and yew the forest is fake.

Bring back the wolf, I say.

Farmers, then Vikings, then Weather, Then MORE farming, then the English, then World War 1.