Forestry Commission - First 10 Years in Scotland
The images and details are courtesy of the first ten Annual Reports and the Journals of the Forestry Commission.
The table and map above shows the names of the Forestry Commission forests where new planting or replanting of felled woodlands had begun after Nov 1919 and up to Sep 1929 (Click on large image to see more clearly). The one exception is the former Crown forest of Inverliever which was formed before 1919 but has been entered here as if starting in 1919 even though it was not transferred into Forestry Commission ownership until Apr 1924.
The combined annual planting and restocking programmes achieved by years are as below:
Sep 1920 - 543 ac
Sep 1921 – 1982 ac
Sep 1922 – 4190 ac
Sep 1923 – 4008 ac
Sept 1924 – 3844 ac
Sep 1925 – 4247 ac
Sep 1926 – 4978 ac
Sep 1927 – 7154 ac
Sep 1928 – 7077 ac
Sep 1929 – 7691 ac
At the time the Forestry Commission were guided or driven by the original Ackland Committee’s national land acquisition and planting programme targets and expenditure limits which were very challenging indeed and by 1929 they had fallen a little behind. The picture is a little complicated by the fact that Ireland was initially within the national forestry programme but that all changed after April 1922 when Forestry became the separate responsibility of the Irish Free State and the Northern Ireland administrations. Following this date the national figures recorded only the totals for England and Wales (generally combined) and Scotland (some programmes recorded separately).
The attached PDF includes a table which shows the names of the forest units which were started in each of the years from 1919 to Sep 1929. It is interesting to note how some forest names were dropped and were probably incorporated into larger purchased areas in nearby locations and called a different name. As at Sep 1929 there were 65 official forest units spread over three divisions in Scotland. The figures in the boxes below the financial years represent the achieved new planting programme by forest in acres that year or if in brackets the replanted area of recently felled woodlands. The planted area total, including areas restocked, for the first ten years totalled a modest 45,714 acres in Scotland but its annual programme was increasing rapidly and was close to 10, 000 acres in 1931.
Also included in the boxes are the names of the forester in charge (in red writing) where these are known. The records to hand are far from complete and do not record names below Forester Grade II with the result that the names of gangers and Foremen are seldom noted. This is particularly unfortunate as it appears that some early forests were managed by Foremen and is one explanation why forests such as Borgie from the start in 1919 to Sep 1929 has no record of a person in charge. A few individual Forest Histories or Working plans are to hand which provide a little more detail.
Purchase of land after a modest start increased rapidly in Scotland and by the end of the first decade the total land holding was over 267, 000 acres. It should be remembered that this included large areas of unplantable land on hill tops as well as land that was being used for agriculture and grazing and other uses.
To aid search facility Forest names on PDF: Borgie, Port Clair, Inchnacardoch, South Laggan, Craigmyle, Gagie, Inverliever, Monaughty, Glentress, Newcastleton, Glenduror, Slattadale, Achnashellach, Glenrigh (Glen Righ), Kirkhill, Culbin, Montreathmont, Glenbranter, New Galloway, Tentsmuir, Auchininnes, Drummond Hill, Edinsmuir, Ratagan, Glenhurich, Glenmore, Glenurquhart, Screel Hill, Teindland, Ardgartan, Barcaldine, Culloden, Glenshiel, Salen, Torloisk, Benmore, Bin , Creag nan Eun, Creag Phadraig, Kemnay, Nevis, North Strome, South Strome, Bennan, Blairadam, Closeburn, Dalbeattie, Deer, Drumtochty, Findon, Glenfinart, Glengarry, Inverinate, Kessock, Midmar, Ordiequish, Dornoch, Edgarhope, Eilanreach, Greskine, Balblair, Clunes, Fearnoch, Lael, Lennox, Loch Ard, Roseisle, Scootmore, Clashindarroch, Tulliallan Nursery, Craibston Nursery, Seaton Nursery.
Foresters surnames on PDF include: McEwen, Cameron, Gunn, Mason, Robbie, Spraggan, Graham, Macintyre, Reid, Mackay, Mackenzie, McClymont, Rutherford, Kennedy, Hannah, MacConnel, Mitchell, Anderson, Calder, Paterson, Shaw, Watson, Ross, MacAlpine, Macintosh, Rose, Fraser, Drysdale, Grant, Clark, Stewart, Murray, Allan, MacRae, MacMillan, Warren, Sinclair, Lamb, Watson, Donald.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports