Community wins bid to take on forest

Carron Valley woodland project

Forest Enterprise Scotland has approved plans to pass on land to create a new community woodland in the Carron Valley.

The land is being transferred under the community asset transfer scheme and the plans are proposed by community body Valley Renewables Group and supported by the community council and residents.

The project will develop a woodland area for local events and provide walking and adventure trails.

It will also provide timber to heat 20 homes.

Under the transfer programme communities are given the opportunity to purchase, lease or use the national forest estate if it provides benefits for local people.

The Valley Renewables Group was set up to administer community funds from the Craigengelt Windfarm and is now managing benefits from other windfarms in the area.

The group intends to invest income from the windfarm in the new community woodland to promote health and wellbeing.

Chair Margaret Porter said: “This is an important and exciting milestone for our small, dispersed community and will be our first communityowned asset.

“Currently we have no social facilities and this will give us a permanent base for community activities and events.

“We’ll be working to provide improved access to the forest, sustainable community wood fuel, up-skilling and educational opportunities and an increased range of habitats for local people and visitors to enjoy.

“This represents a huge opportunity for our community to focus on a long-term project, to create jobs and to move forward together.”

A part-time woodland manager will be employed for the first two to three years to get the woodland properly established.

Communities across Scotland are said to be showing interest in the new CATS scheme and a further five applications for asset transfer are expected by April.

Forest Enterprise Scotland is also working with 15 other community asset transfer proposals.