Windblow Scotland Forests 1968
This Forestry Commission booklet is courtesy of Dave Stewart whose father George was a forester for many years in the Forestry Commission.
This booklet with multiple contributors is an important historical record of the effect on the forests of one of the periodic gale force (and stronger) events that Scotland experiences. This event in January 1968 was notable also in that it passed over or close to the Central Belt and caused significant structural damage.
The total volume of timber windthrown is recorded as over 1.6 million cubic metres broken down by county, private and public forest areas.
The windblow action group formed consisted of:
T Y Gibson (Chairman) - Home Timber Merchants’ Assoc of Scotland
Tom Smith - Home Timber Merchants’ Assoc of Scotland
Dennis B Crawford – Scottish Woodland Owners’ Assoc Ltd
David Brierton - Scottish Woodland Owners’ Assoc Ltd
John Wharam (Secretary) – Forestry Commission
George G Stewart (Assessor) – Forestry Commission
James L Davidson (Assessor) – Forestry Commission
The sections of the booklet are as follows:
Introduction by Brian W Holtam
Meteorology by A I Fraser
Damage to the Forests – Statistics by A M MacKenzie and R K Martin
Windblow Group Formation and Actions by Dennis B Crawford and George G Stewart
Forestry Commission Aid by John Wharam
Marketing by Tom Smith and James L Davidson
Harvesting by Tom Smith, David Brierton and James L Davidson
Transport by Tom Smith, David Brierton and James L Davidson
Pathology and Entomology Protection by D A Burdekin and D Bevan
Replanting by E J M Davies and R H Adam
Damage to Forest Factors by S Andy Neustein
Summary of Main Conclusions by Brian W Holtam
Other people mentioned include Tom Robbie, L A W Jenkins, John A Dickson, F C Hummel, E G Richards, F A Bishop, R C Stern Mrs M Allison, R B Williams, R G Sangster, D M Macarthur, A I Anderson, Tom Weir, B S Thompson.
Any first names very welcome as are any comments and any recollections of the dramtic events.
Groups: Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports