Black Isle District Annual report 1950
The document is courtesy of Inverness, Ross and Skye Forest District and is contained in the PDF. See button bottom right of image.
The annual report for year ending September 1950 most likely written by District Officer Mike Long covers a large number of individual forests areas including Glenurquhart, Urray, Boblainy, Guisachan, Strathconon, Craigphadraig, Battan, Millbuie, Kilcoy and Kessock.
Forest nurseries mentioned are Mount Eagle, Red Tank, Millbuie, Blackstand, Littleburn and Belton (the latter two in Kilcoy Forest). Of note also is the information that 6 forestry houses were built at Stathconon and 4 at Munlochy for Kilcoy Forest probably all being Swedish or Finnish style timber houses. As a result of this building the bothy at Strathconon was closed.
The report is set out in headings and under:
The year’s Work – concerns about acute shortage of labour in many forests
Plantations made in year – mild winter enabled completion of planting programmes and that rabbits were causing severe damage in some areas.
Previous plantings – comments on beating up and slow growth of Sitka spruce in some localities.
Plant supply – complaints from foresters except from those of supplying forest about small plant sizes!
Seed sowing and lining out – many comments on seed germination, the role of ‘wasteland’ and established nurseries etc
Plantation work- ploughing is just mentioned but not types or areas although for one rocky site the present equipment available was inadequate and suggested that perhaps Blane’s Kilifer might have dealt with the area.
Nursery Practice – noticeable attempts at mechanisation with some machines not working.
Experiments and Research – Mike Long suggests development of a machine with large wheels, four wheel drive, four wheel steering such as manufactured in Italy and used in the western desert during the war to pull guns. What machine was this?
Fire Protection – much concern about the indiscriminate lighting of fires all over the place! Suggestion from John MacKenzie of adding ‘sprinkler roses’ along the line of fire hoses into the hose junctions. Diagram provided.
Groups: Forest Nurseries, Forestry Areas, Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports