Annual Report Dingwall District (West) 1977-78
The report is courtesy of Inverness, Ross and Skye forest District and lists the main activities and comments on the work for year April 1977 – March 1978. The document was written up by George Dey (District officer) from individual forest reports submitted from the foresters in charge of Skye, Torrachilty, Achnashellach and South Strome Forests. The reports from the first two forests are not available for this year. The full reports are in the attached PDF.
The documents begin with a note from Conservancy Office on forest areas. Names listed are some of those in the Conservancy Office (60 Church Street, Inverness) and is written by R B (Eric) Urquhart who may have been assistant to T S B (Tom) Macbeath (Admin and Finance Officer), copied to same and to A F (Alan) Mackay (Assist Conservator Harvesting and Marketing), Arthur Christie (Assist Conservator Forest Management), Alan Flynn (Conservancy Estates Officer), Peter Malcolmson (Conservancy Civil Engineer), Norman Munro (Acquisitions Officer), Howard Bell (Recreation and Tourism Officer), Jack Fraser (Clerk of Works), Ray Harrison (Conservancy Mechanical Engineer) and David Waugh (Ploughing Forester).
George Dey’s report for his District for 1977-78 lists the following on training Courses:
Frank Thom, Lael Forest on Cable Crane
Bob Murdoch, Achnashellach Forest on Occasional Speakers
Keith Mills, Achnashellach Forest on Chain Saw
Notes on the years work in New Planting, Harvesting, Protection and in Recreation the opening of the new Caravan Site at Balmacara with 50 stances. The downturn in the economy and effects of heavy imports of paper and sawn wood had reduced the programmed intakes of sawlogs to mills and pulp wood to Fort William Pulp Mill. Some harvesting workers had to be put onto other work. Specially noted was severe snow storm of 28/29 January on the east of the District and wider afield causing road, power and farm chaos, loss of stock and human life.
Noteworthy was the mention of the declining use of horses to extract timber at Lael and the training of a skidder operator there. Concrete platform floated out from Kishorn and no sign of repeat order.
The South Strome Forest report appears to have been written by Freddie McCreadie.
Bob Murdoch’s report for Achnashellach Forest lists the names of forest staff that had undergone training on a mix of High Tensile Spring Steel fencing, Ultra Low Volume spraying, Chain saw, skidder and Harvesting windblow courses. Initials for first name only – P Russell, J Goldly, C Murdoch, J MacLennan, A MacRae and R MacKenzie. He alos mentions collecting Scots pine cones from (Native Caledonian pine?) by use of shot gun!
Any comments, correction of names and additional information very welcome. Please use the box below.
Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports