GALLERY 07

Large forest estate with notable stands of Douglas fir under continuous cover forestry

Site visit: January 2019

Darnaway Forest is one of the best-known private woodlands in Scotland. It has been part of the Moray Estates for many centuries and has a management history stretching back to the dawn of scientific forestry. Many innovations in Scottish forestry practice were trialed and tested here. The legacy of careful past management is an expansive and diverse forest that generates a range of outputs, including high quality Douglas fir for local sawmills. The images here were taken in just one stand, close to the Darnaway estate sawmill, where continuous cover forestry is being applied to effect a transformation to irregular structure; stand management makes full use of the ecological properties and potential of this important species. There are some very good individual stems, now reaching optimum size for harvest, and also some very healthy patches of advanced natural regeneration. Although Douglas fir is the primary species within the stand, a number of other species make up the mix and are advancing into the future stand canopy. More on Moray Estates Woodlands here. Photos: Kodak ColorPlus 200 film, scanned, edited.

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