Inverinate Forest History circa 1951-52
Document is courtesy of Inverness, Ross and Skye Forest District and staff at their Fort Augustus office.
The history of the 1233 acre forest is presented in a series of typed and handwritten papers with no evidence of author or authors’ names but most likely compiled by district officer R O Drummond and perhaps added to by R A Innes. This is one of the few such Forest Histories (albeit but a draft) that have been recovered from the Northern Conservancy and fit the format of those seen in the East Conservancy leading to the supposition that these were compiled as a result of a Scotland if not UK wide edict.
The author goes into some detail on the acquisition, physiography, geology, soils, vegetation, climate and risks in a readable fashion covering the two acquired areas at Inverinate and Dorisduan. They have also gone to great lengths to compile tables of areas and species planting by years, similarly for the numbers of trees and species used in beating up from 1932 – 43. In addition a set of tables has been provided for selected stands of each species showing top height growth, mean height and breast height diameter measurements with details of site vegetation, soil, altitude and exposure. There is a special mention of a measurement experiment where larch trees appear to have influenced the growth rates of Norway spruce planted immediately adjacent. Soils are described in detail from three soil pits dug on the same site. There is no mention of the building of the timber forestry houses or of Forest Worker Holdings.
The table on supervision is only in hand printed form and lists Conservators, State Officers, Divisional Officers, District Officers and Foresters with their periods of service from 1927-1952. The names include:
J Fraser, J A Dixon, F Scott, D Spraggan, A Watt, J T Fitzherbert, J Meldrum, H C Peirce (Beresford Pierce), AL Orr Ewing, R O Drummond, R A Innes, J M Fergusson, A Murray, D M MacLeod, W Murray, C O Mackintosh and M P Scott. A visit by Sit John Stirling Maxwell in 1928 including his comments on the rigid layout of rides on the steep hillside visible from the main road is noted.
In all it is a valuable summary of how Inverinate Forest was formed and established. Any comments from people or their families who worked in this particular forest would be very welcome.
Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports