Glenloy Forest – Lochaber - provisional forest map circa 1988
The map was recovered from shed at Newton Nursery which acted as a storage area for Forest Research who used the maps to locate forest and tree experiments in the field.
This area of just over 1000ha was acquired in 1931 from Locheil Estate and planting would have commenced fairly soon after. The better quality ground in much of this forest area ensured a quick tree crop establishment and by the time of this map survey some of the earliest plantings may well have been felled and replanted particularly in the south eastern fenced enclosure containing Compartments 5309 – 5313. Here the restocked areas were planted in the 1989s. A narrow fringe of trees on the higher slopes of Comp 5309 is labelled as planted in 1932.
Moving up the glen the planting years of 1934 – 1936 can be identified south of River Loy and 1937- 1940 on the north side. Sitka and Norway spruce predominates indicating better soils. Some Forest Worker Holdings and agricultural land is annotated. The writer recalls that there was an active thinning programme ongoing in the late 1960s and early 1970s carried out by forestry workers that included two Macpherson brothers. The head forester at the time was Tom Galt who later was transferred up to Dornoch Forest and nursery.
On the western extremity of the forest an area is annotated as an SSSI and native SP referring to the Native Scots pine remnant. Steven and Carlisle mention that this area consisted of scattered pines mixed in with broadleaved species such as birch and rowan and that the Forestry Commission had attempted to regenerate the woodlands with natural regeneration and with seed sowing (Macdonald 1952) but met with little success.
The Gairlochy Wood included as an inset into the main Glenloy map (located at the foot of Loch Lochy) may well have been part of Clunes Forest on land acquired from Locheil Estate in 1946. The planting years are hard to identify but are around 1948-1953.
Any further details on any of the above are very welcome.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Maps of Forest and Woodland Areas