Under the Scottish Rural Development Programme, a new Forest Plan is being prepared by New Leaf Forestry Services which will outline the management of the woodlands at Forrest Estate over the next 20 years. This plan will outline felling, planting, and other management proposals.
The plan preparation includes the process of scoping, through which consultation is carried out with organisations and individuals who may wish to express an opinion and contribute to the management of the forest. The list includes community councils, representatives of Dumfries & Galloway council, relevant statutory bodies, and any other interested parties.
Forrest Estate – Summary
The Property extends to 4280 hectares of which 2629 are planted with woodland. The woodland comprises predominantly of coniferous woodland managed on a mixture of continual cover and clearfell systems. Broadleaf woodland also makes up a sizeable area of woodland which is managed for both habitat and timber production.
The long-term vision and management objectives for the forest are to:
Enhance and safeguard environmental and cultural features of the forest.
Safeguard employment for the immediate area through active employment and housing for staff associated with the business.
Maintain productivity of the forest.
Maintain species diversity and age structure of the forest in line with UKFS.
Continue to promote habitat and safeguard red squirrel habitat.
Click to download.
The concept map notes a number of key features that will be considered, these include:
Design appropriate new roading to access new areas where there is currently no internal road network.
Where there’s potential for thinning, low impact silviculture systems will be the preferential management type by the estate.
Due to the impacts of Phytophthora ramorum larch will continue to be targeted for removal.
Felling shapes will be designed to fit into the upland fringe landscape.
Local rivers and water catchments continue to be safeguarded during operations.
Broadleaf area within the forest will continue to be evolved through creation of broadleaf areas and integration of broadleaf species within plantation areas to continue to develop the business objectives.
Continue to safeguard the SSSI features within the forest.
We welcome your comment on these and any other matters of interest to you relating to the planning of the woodland. We will be hosting a drop in at the Forrest Estate office on Tuesday 19th August between 0900 and 1300 if you wish to discuss anything in person regarding the plan with me. The office is located at Forrest Estate, St Johns Town of Dalry, DG7 3XS.
If you have any questions or would like further details regarding our proposals, then please contact us using the details above. If you would like to comment on the proposals, please reply to the Forrest Estate address or email: tom@newleafforestry.com by 1st September 2025 so that your opinions can be included in the Scoping Report.