The purchase of Wester Loch was part funded by a legacy from a relative who had landed with the Royal Tank Regiment on the Normandy beaches and fought across Europe to Berlin.  He rarely spoke about the war, but we wished to protect and enhance this special and peaceful place in recognition of the sacrifices made by that generation.

The Scot’s pine and Sitka spruce woodland forms part of the catchment of Wester Loch, a SSSI and SAC of European nature conservation significance.  Good quality management of the woodland will help to protect the water quality of the important oligotrophic loch, calcareous fens and schwingmoor mire.

We have approached the management of the woodland primarily as ecologists rather than foresters, though it is important that the woodland earns it keep to provide an income to help manage the nature reserve.  It quickly became apparent that standard short rotation forestry fell far short of our aspirations for an attractive, vibrant and species rich woodland that could produce good quality timber.

As a result we have started to investigate ways of regenerating the plantation to a more robust and natural system through evolution (continuous cover forestry) rather than revolution (fell and replant).