Supervision issues with management of Corrour Forest 1971
The image has been provided by Stephen Newsom, Aberdour, who has typed up a note written by his father Geoff Newsom. Geoff had been Head Forester at Corrour Forest from 1968 to end of 1971.
This note appears to list all the management issues that Geoff felt was not being fully taken account of by senior staff in his role as Head Forester at Corrour Forest. As a one man band he had little leeway or option to being on hand for the many daily issues that cropped up. His office and house was at Torlundy, Fort William, a distance of 20 plus miles to the work sites. There was no opportunity to meet the squad in the mornings as they came from Strathmashie Forest, yet a further 20 miles distant. There were no work stores or telephones at Corrour Forest. The Torlundy Office was a busy one with two District Officers, a Chief Forester and two foresters, Area Engineer, Superintendent of Works, two Engineering Assistants and a Workshop manager supported by only three admin staff.
Under operations, Geoff mentions Ploughing (Sitka spruce ground , doubtful suitability) perhaps points to species choice issues. In the Special responsibilities – Rhododendrons would refer to the condition in the deeds that an Advisory Committee was required to monitor and advise on management of the collection of rhododendrons and rare trees at Loch Ossian. Actions to be carried out by the Forestry Commission.
The word Edinburgh may refer to the University and their continuing management of some of the woodlands.
Road liaison would normally be quite straightforward but planting progress was perhaps faster that the road building progress and long walk in distances for workers and supervisors could have been an issue. The actual road formation was usually a fairly quick operation but the construction of a reasonable running surface for light vehicles and workers vans was often well behind with only 5 ton tippers available to carry gravel material from the Torgulbin area flood plains. The Torgulbin source of running surface gravel was a real problem as lorries ran over the entire completed surface to deliver the gravel to the far extending work front. Results were deeply rutted roads in wet weather and almost impassable for light vehicles.
It may have been a condition of the land sale that a road had to be constructed in a reasonably short period from Torgulbin to Corrour Square.
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