Thinly scattered (6)
I believe the answer is:
sparse
'thinly scattered' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for sparse that I've seen before include "Thinly scattered, not dense" , "Thinly dispersed" , "Thinly populated" , "Thin on the ground, scarce" , "Meagre, thin on the ground" .)