Achanellan Forest – Loch Shiel – Sunart Forest - Strontian Forest District
The map was recovered from shed at Newton that acted as a storage area for Forest Research who used the maps to locate forest and tree experiments in the field.
This area was acquired from the Department of Agriculture in 1973 and totalled over 1200ha. Access was difficult as no roads were built initially and early work commenced above Polloch with the early planting in 1975 before the work programme moved westwards. A bit less than half of the area was fenced as one enclosure initially (Comp 136-142) with a helicopter used to distribute part of the very steep top line. Chris Sharp and Dougie Reid carried out some of the early fencing above Polloch. An open motor launch was transferred from the north west of Scotland and moored at the mouth of the Polloch River. This was used to distribute some material fence material along the loch side and also to ferry forest workers out to the more distant work sites. The Muskeg, a tracked load carrier, was used extensively to carry out fuel for the ploughing tractors, fencing material and, during the planting season, thousands of young trees. Initially the work teams from Polloch and Strontian undertook the fencing and new planting work but in later years the team based in Salen and Acharacle worked there for parts of the year. The early mounted tine ploughing was carried out by Ian Balloch and Jocky Thomson and probably with Bob Macbeath and Jock Banks from time to time. The western part of the acquisition was completed in two further fence enclosures Comp 143 – 148 planted
The earliest planting year appears to be 1975 above Polloch and then proceeded in stages westwards until 1983. The higher elevation Coire an’t Suidhe on the eastern end was completed in 1984/85.
Any more details and names would be very welcome.
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Groups: Maps of Forest and Woodland Areas, Sunart Ardgour and Morven