Woodlands and forests across the North of Scotland have been recognised at a top national awards ceremony.
The 2017 Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards were presented at the Royal Highland Show to honour the outstanding contributions made by woodlands to people, the environment and the economy.
Mar Lodge Estate near Braemar in the Cairngorms National Park was named joint winner of the New Native Woods Award, while Airor Common Grazings Native Woodland in Knoydart won the Large Community Woodland Award for its development by crofters and benefits to the community.
The judges praised the National Trust for Scotland for being well on the way to securing the long-term future of the Mar Lodge Estate Caledonian Scots pinewoods and described the extent of natural regeneration as “truly inspiring”.
David Frew, operations manager at the NTS’s Mar Lodge Estate, said: “It is great to see new Scots pines taking root across the estate, and knowing that we are playing our part in protecting this important habitat and species for Scotland so that it can be experienced and enjoyed by future generations.”
Aigas Community Forest near Beauly in Inverness-shire was highly commended in the Large Community Woodland category with judges praising the small, rural community group who bought a mature 255-hectare forest from the Forestry Commission Scotland in 2015 and aimed to manage it for public benefit.
The group prepared and approved a forest design plan, started timber felling and harvesting and have now begun producing firewood.
In the Small Community Woodland category Denlethen Wood at Laurencekirk was commended for its programme of improvement carried out over the past 20 years, which judges described as “very much in tune with local needs and greatly valued by the community”.
Wild Willows, a forest-based kindergarten driven by the local community in Kincraig, near Aviemore was also runner-up in the schools category.
Angela Douglas, executive director of Scotland’s Finest Woods, said: “The exceptional quality and the variety of the entries in 2017 highlights the enormous value of forestry and woodland to Scotland’s economy, environment and communities.”
