Slasher Magazine Summary: Publication No. 319 - Winter 1985
The scanned images of the Slasher were produced by and courtesy of the Forest Research library staff based at Alice Holt, Surry, where the original copies are located.
The content summary below was very kindly compiled by Diane Birkett, Bedfordshire. See PDF attachment link below the text to view the full document. A total of over 400 issues were produced between 1948 and the final issue in 2009.
Nature Conservation Aims: Reasonable Balance Needed in Land Use
The Forestry Commission is giving additional emphasis to its policy of positively encouraging nature conservation, with the appointment in every conservancy of a senior officer with special responsibility for environmental matters. Dr John Morton Boyd is the first Conservation Consultant to be appointed.
American Orders Boost Seed Sales: Acorns Lead Way to Another Harvest Bonanza
A continually growing export order book is boosting Forestry Commission seed sales to record levels. Throughout Britain there was a good crop of acorns, but in other parts of Europe yields were poor. The ultimate destination of many pine seeds will be North America where Christmas tree growers are keen to obtain seed from Scots pine grown in east England.
Picture: Acorn harvest in the New Forest.
Wales Appoints Community Forester
The Forestry Commission has appointed John B. Griffiths as its first ever Community Forester, acting within the Rhondda Borough.
Picture: John Griffiths.
Challenging Year Ahead
Forestry Commission Chairman Sir David Montgomery says 1984 has been a year of considerable turmoil. 1985 has the promise of a more settled and stable year.
Safety: Aiming for Improvement
The number of accidents and accident frequency within the Forestry Commission in 1983 was the lowest since records were first kept, but despite that, forestry remains third in the industrial injury league behind coal mining and construction.
Keeping an Eye on Our Wildlife
Dr John Morton Boyd, Director (Scotland) of the Nature Conservancy Council will take up his new appointment as the Forestry Commission’s Consultant on Wildlife Conservation on 1st February.
Picture: Dr John Morton Boyd.
Election for The Birdman
A long involvement with ornithology has led to Rod Leslie (Work Study, Thetford) being elected to the council of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Forest History - In Black and White
The Forestry Commission has purchased a unique collection of 10,000 photographs from former employee Valdemars Blankenburgs of Bellingham, which records the history and development of Kielder Forest. The collection is to be stored in the Northumberland County Record Office at North Gosforth, where it will be catalogued by County Archivist, Mr Robin Gard.
Pictures: (1) The railway line between Kielder and Deadwater Station before the Second World War. (2) The same area with forest. (3) Lord Robinson after cutting the first tree planted by The Forestry Commission. (4) Mounces in 1949 where larch was being planted as a firebreak.
Picture on page 1: Valdemars Blankenburgs.
Kielder- And How it Started
The story of Kielder where 60,000 people visit each year.
New Order to Curb Threats of Imported Insect Pests
The Forestry Commission is taking further steps to curb the threat of insect pests being imported into Britain through controls announced in a new Plant Health Order, which comes into force on 1st January 1985. Plant Health Officer Gordon Campbell warns of the increasing threat of pests.
Lochaweside Captures Civic Trust Commendation
The Forestry Commission’s forest cabin holiday development and village hall at Lochaweside, Argyll, has won a commendation under the Civic Trust’s Award Scheme for 1984.
Picture: Lochaweside.
David Marshall Lodge Wins Top AA Award
Four top awards in the Automobile Association’s search for Britain’s best picnic sites have gone to the Forestry Commission. They are the David Marshall Lodge picnic site at Aberfoyle, Perthshire; Bwlch Nant-Yr-Arian, Rheidol Forest, Dyfed; Beechenhurst site at Forest of Dean, Bolderwood site in New Forest.
Pictures: (1) A picnic site at David Marshall Lodge. (2) Rheidol Forest’s Welsh winner. (3) William Holden, John Fletcher, Bill McLaughlan and Howard Hart with the awards.
Chainsaw Hugh Sharpens His Champion Image
Hugh Duffy, who works with the Forestry Commission in Mull, has become the Chainsaw Champion 1984 at the National Tree Felling contest held at Forest of Ae, South West Scotland.
Picture: Hugh Duffy with the Trophy and prizes.
Superlatives by the Handful: Model Forest is a Topper at Liverpool.
Over 600,000 people visited the Forestry Commission’s “Model Forest” at the Liverpool International Garden Festival. Visitors and judges praised the “Model Forest” and it received an award for the “Most Original Theme” at the festival.
Picture: (1) The “Model Forest”. (2) Recipients of the awards.
Europe Takes a Fancy to Our Firs: Export Boon of Nobles.
The Forestry Commission is exporting Noble fir branches, which are in demand on the continent for festive decorations, due to the colour and the capacity for needle retention.
Pictures: (1) A stand of Noble firs, from which branches have been cut. (2) Selected branches being cut. (3) Marketing Officer Sandy Greig with foliage that will be on sale in Germany. (4) Weighing and tying branches.
Rosebowl Win for Steve
In possibly the last golf outing held under the auspices of the East Scotland Golf Club at Banchory Golf Club, the Rosebowl was won on the best handicap score of net 63 by Forester Steve Stables of Speyside Forest District. His score of 68 was also the best of the day.
Sheila Takes a Soaking
Sheila Horsburgh, Clerical Officer, Lothian and Tweed Forest District, Peebles, has left the Commission after 17 years’ service. She has taken up an appointment with the Peebles Hydro Hotel. As a departing gift, her colleagues gave her a soaking in the River Tweed.
Mini Fun on the Hill With a View
Questions were to be answered by competitors in a mini-marathon organised by two Fife policemen and “walked” over eight miles of forest track on Drummond Hill, Kenmore.
Picture: Donald Fraser, Head Forester, Drummond Hill, Kenmore, with some of the participants at Drummond Hill.
Retired
George Murray, Commissioner, Admin & Finance, has retired after four years’ service with the Commission.
Cyril James, Coed y Brenin, has retired after 34 years’ service with the Commission. He joined the Commission in the early 1940s and rejoined in 1947 after War service, taking leading roles in a range of forest operations from nursery work to harvesting and restocking. In later years, he was involved in recreation management and amongst other activities, acted as host and guide to numerous school and public visits to the Visitor Centre at Maesgwm, Coed y Brenin.
George Francey MBE, Chief Forester, has retired after over 40 years’ service with the Commission. He started in the squad at Loch Ard. After War service, he went to Benmore Forester Training School and worked in Loch Eck, Loch Katrine, Ardgarten, Lochgoilhead, Inverinan and finally in Inverliever Forest to oversee the forest’s felling and restocking, the Dalavich Holiday Houses, the Lochaweside Cabin Development and the pre-school training of young foresters. On his last working day after lunch with his fellow foresters, George planted a tree. Assistant Conservator, FM, Richard Toleman was rumoured to be satisfied with the end result.
Dugald MacInnes (Dougie MacInnes), has retired after 33 years’ service with the Commission.
Picture: Dugald MacInnes at his retirement presentation with Alan Mackay, Assistant Conservator H&M.
Struan Stewart, Forest District Manager, Moray Forest District, has retired from the Commission. He is taking a post as Plant Procurement Officer with Fountain Forestry.
Picture: Struan Stewart, colleagues and friends at his retirement presentation.
Eric Crofts, Forester, Silviculture (N), Kilmun, has retired after 32 years’ service with the Commission.
Ken McConnachie, Head Forester, has retired after 31 years’ service with the Commission. He spent much of his career with the Commission in Glenlivet.
Charlie Batt, Forester, Orlestone, has retired after 36 years’ service with the Commission in SE England.
Beatrice Stewart, HEO, Estate Management Division, Headquarters, has retired after 42 years’ service in the Civil Service, mostly spent with the Commission.
Noel Blatchford, Principal Research Communications Officer, Alice Holt, has retired after joining the Commission as a Forest Officer in 1953. He spent five years in South Wales followed by seven years in Dorchester, moving to Alice Holt in 1966. He introduced computerised technology to the Research Information Section which includes the main FC Library.
Ian Paterson, Glenbranter Forest West (S), has retired after 17 years’ service with the Commission. He began his service at Lochgoilhead and later transferred to Glenbranter.
Australia here I come… A poem from Mr G.B. Newsome, who retired in September 1984.
Picture: Ian Paterson at his retirement presentation with Bob Selmes, Forest Manager.
Bert Maw, Storeman/Clerk, Dalby Workshops has retired after 36 years’ service with the Commission. He joined the Commission in 1948 after War Service with the RAF.
Darcy Black, Chief Forester, Dunkeld, Perthshire, has retired after over 41 years’ service with the Commission. He started his forestry career at Cawdor Estate in 1943 and attended Glentress Forestry Training School from 1946-1949.
Hamish Park, Chief Forester, Tummel, Perthshire, has retired after 38 years’ service with the Commission. He started his forestry career in 1946 by attending Glentress Forestry Training School from 1946-1949.
Picture: Mike Green, FDM Tummel, Hamish Park, George Taylor, Darcy Black and Arthur Cuthbert, FDM Tay.
Tom Baird, Head Forester, Huntly, has retired after 37 years’ service with the Commission. After War service, he went to Allean Forest in Strathtummel, where he learned his craft, before moving to Glentress Forestry School, Peebles. His first posting was to Glenurquhart under the aegis of George Munro. Tom moved on to Skye, managing Glenbrittle Forest for four years, then to Ardross Forest and Huntly, which he joined as Clashindaroch and saw through the amalgamations to its present shape.
Jack Riddell, Chief Forester, Culloden, has retired after 37 years’ service with the Commission.
Ken Gabriel, has retired. After starting work at Benmore W(S) in 1954, he went to the Lynford Forester School, then to Wykeham to get his basic training in research under John Weatherell. After four years at Mabie S(S), he returned to Wykeham where he soon became Head Forester and for the next 15 years, was responsible for all Silvicultural Research in the North York Moors and the Industrial Pennines. Ken helped to establish the 1959 trial plantations in the Hebden Royd area.
Picture: Ken Gabriel planting a tree.
Colin McLean, Chief Forester, Genetics Branch, has retired after 35 years’ service with the Commission. He entered forestry as a trainee on the Forest Worker Training Scheme in Cornwall in 1948, then joined the Commission in 1949. After two years at the Dean Forestry School, he joined the Genetics Branch in 1951. Based in Edinburgh and later at Bush Nursery, he spent much of his time on plus-tree and seed stand surveys throughout Britain and then on artificial pollinations and progeny testing. At his retirement presentation, there was a tree planting ceremony at the Northern Research Station.
Picture: Colin McLean plants a Sequoia sempervirens at the Northern Research Station to mark his retirement.
Obituaries
Fred Walls, Messenger in the NE(E) Conservancy office for the past five years has died.
Arthur Hazzard BEM, former Forest Clerk at Rhondda Forest, has died aged 66. He received the BEM in the 1979 New Year’s Honours for his services to forestry and the community in general in Rhondda as well as for his work for the Treherbert Boys’ Club.
Cliff Carter, Foreman Mobile Mechanic at St. Hilary’s until his retirement in 1981 after 43 years’ service, has died. He joined the Commission in 1938 as a Forest Worker at Tair Onen, and after War service, returned to the Commission as a Mechanic. His work as a Mobile Mechanic took him all over the South Wales Conservancy.
Robert Peterkin, former Forest Worker, Speymouth Forest, from 1951 until his retirement in 1979 has died aged 67.
Ian MacDonald, who spent over 50 years in forestry has died. He attended Benmore Foresters Training School from 1930-32, and started his career with the Commission in NE(E) Conservancy. He served at Kielder as Foreman, Forester and Head Forester. Ian was transferred to Yorkshire in 1947 and promoted to District Officer in 1951, He remained in charge of the Dales District until his retirement from the Commission in 1974, then set up as a forestry consultant.
Ian Sutherland, former Head Forester, who retired in 1967 has died. He joined the Commission in 1936 as a Forest Worker and served with HPTD from 1941-1946. Ian progressed to Head Forester, working mainly in Strathdearn and Contin.
Dinnes Hendry, Administration and Finance Officer, York, from 1977 until he retired in 1981, has died. He joined the Commission in 1946 and served in Conservancy Offices in Aberdeen, Shrewsbury and Dumfries and had duties at London HQ and Edinburgh HQ.
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