We're reaching the steepest part of the A82 next week.  This is part of our steep ground felling programme on the hillside overlooking Loch Ness. The next phase of work, which will run from April until the end of June, will see large Douglas firs removed from a slope with a gradient of almost 90 per cent in places. Making it the most challenging phase of the project to date. Our Planning Manager Ian Allsop said; “harvesting is generally a hazardous business. Factor-in bad weather and it becomes trickier still.   But add to that some incredibly steep ground and you are faced with a ..read more

Forestry is adapting — and it needs to! We face challenges ranging from extreme weather events and physically difficult operating conditions to invasive species and disease.    That’s why we’re always on the lookout for creative solutions to help us work better, like using lasers to map the land or drones to stabilise steep slopes.  Let’s take a look at a few of the exciting projects we’re currently working on.  Cutting-edge laser technology LiDAR (light detection and ranging) uses lasers to measure distances to objects with incredible precision.   It can ga ..read more

We recently provided logs the length of a double decker bus to a specialist carpenter for a full-scale log house.  The house is being constructed by Bedrock Buildings Ltd. and will be moved to a plot of land in Tomich where it will be rebuilt in early summer.   The finished structure will use a total of 52 massive, 100-year-old Douglas fir logs.  The logs were harvested by highly skilled contractors at Duffy Skylining as part of our A82 steep ground harvesting programme as they’re getting too large for the landscape, causing a potential risk for landslips along the popular tou ..read more

The low stone walls and earthen banks of a post-medieval township were recently discovered in Glen Brittle Forest on the Isle of Skye during an environmental check ahead of harvesting. Likely dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, the township comprises a range of houses, byres, barns and corn-drying kilns. The buildings were located within a mature conifer plantation of predominantly Sitka spruce that was planted in 1977, with many sites partially masked by windblown trees. We recently commissioned a detailed survey by AOC Archaeology. Before their fieldwork, the archaeologists first look ..read more

Our nursery at Newton is a hub for innovation. We’re currently redesigning the nursery to modernise the infrastructure and ensure we can produce trees for our long-term planting goals. To make sure we’re working as efficiently as possible, our teams at Newton trial new methods and technologies every year. Some of this technology is based on existing agricultural machinery and is being adapted to forestry. From smart fields to self-driving tractors and machines that plant trees, here are a few updates we’ve been working on at Newton. Glasshouse to grow our saplings We will soon have a glassho ..read more

5 to 11 February marks Children's Mental Health Week, an opportunity to start conversations and raise awareness. To mark this important week, we're taking a look at some of the work being done by our community rangers to support young people's mental health. Spending time outdoors can boost your mood, lower stress levels and improve overall mental (and physical) health. That’s why our community rangers work hard to provide opportunities for children and young people to connect with the natural world. It might surprise you, but this is actually a large part of what they do, as Community Ranger ..read more

To celebrate our archaeological learning resource The Bare Bones being nominated in the Current Archaeology Awards 2024 ‘Research Project of the Year’ category, we thought that we would shine a light on another intriguing type of Neolithic chambered cairn – the Bargrennan cairn. Several of these cairns can be found on Scotland’s national forests and land, including the White Cairn in Galloway and the Bencallen Cairn in South Ayrshire. The White Cairn of Bargrennan measures around 14 m in diameter and still stands about 1.4m in height. It’s passage and chamber are clearly visible. The White C ..read more

Our CivTech challenge to improve wildlife management has reached the next stage.  Earlier this year we asked for help to solve two problems we face with deer management. Unfortunately, we didn't get enough interest in one of the challenges but we are excited to move forward with challenge 9.3. This looks at how we can help wildlife rangers identify the exact location of every animal larger than 5 kilograms in a specified area in real time. This will help us to improve our overall forest management and ecological restoration. This Accelerator Stage was officially launched by Richard Lochh ..read more

Choosing a real tree for the holidays can be a great, sustainable option. But did you know that how you dispose of your tree afterwards can make a big difference to its carbon footprint? If you’ve got a pot-grown tree and the space to do so, you could try planting it out in the garden or repotting it into a bigger container and leaving it outside until next year. If your tree has been cut, why not try turning it into something new? 1. Get crafting Old Christmas trees can provide great base materials for fun craft projects. The wood from your old tree could be used for coasters or candle ..read more

Allan MacDougall has been awarded the Imperial Service Medal for 48 years of dedicated service. Allan was awarded the medal at Glenmore Forest Park after retiring last year. Working in Glenmore since the 1980s, he has welcomed thousands of visitors, sharing his incredible knowledge of the place. Allan was brought up in Strathmashie and joined the Forestry Commission on 15 July 1974, when he was just 17 years old. Working in the squad under Forester Jim Ogilvie, his very first job was cutting grass and bracken to allow young trees to establish — while also carefully avoiding nipping the ..read more