Lorne Forest District Map – Former Glencoe and Glen Duror Forest Areas updated to 1991 – Map 1
The map was recovered from a 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 map is a snap shot in time as at 1983-1991 and covers the areas known as Glenachullish (north area of map) and part of the glen area of Glen Duror Forest. Glen Duror Forest (Compartments 3001-3062) was first recorded in 1920 or 1921 under the charge of forester J M Reid and extended then to over 8000 acres of land much of it high elevation hill ground. The original Glen Duror Forest area compartments were allocated the numbers 3001- 3299 and in the 3300 sequence in this forest map survey.
Keith Miller (former Lorne District Manger) recalls:
“At the lower end of Glen Duror and close to River Duror at Auchindarroch can be noted various buildings and yards and the original base for Glen Duror Forest. This was where the Forest Office was located and also a major forest depot and a row of four forest workers’ houses. One was occupied as a hostel by a group of Polish 'Displaced Persons' working for FC after the war and unable to return to their homes under Communist occupation post war.
In the northern area of this forest stock map where the compartments are numbered in the 3300 series was the Forest known locally as Glenachullish. Located in Compartments 3309 and 3310 (Buildings and Yards) was an office and houses most likely a new version for the enlarged Glencoe Forest following its takeover of Glen Duror and Loch Etive Forests in 1972/3. Note that Glencoe Forest first appeared as a Forest unit only in 1950 and this area here was originally part of the Glen Duror Forest. There are remnants of original planting being carried out in 1928, 1929 and 1933 onwards.
Bill Mason was the last Chief Forester in post here, before the reorganisation around 1984 which combined Forests and Forest District staff into functional positions. Bill became District Forester
(Operations) in the new Lorne FD and most of the other Chief Foresters in Lorne Forest District retired or transferred out around that time (Hugh Mclarty at Barcaldine, Ian Campbell at Fearnoch, and Jim Burns at Glenorchy). The dust from that had hardly settled when I took over the District at Malcolm Macpherson’s retirement in autumn 1986”.
The historic forester staff names in Glen Durer that are recorded as at: 1921- J M Reid; 1950 - L Sinclair, D A Robertson and at Ballachulish A Campbell and K A Beaton; 1960 – L Sinclair, G W Blake, J Cramb; 1965 - L Sinclair as Head Forester, C W Hart, Forester and G S Heddon Trainee Forester.
Any more details and workers names would be very welcome - See large image link below.