£8.5m price tag for historic woodlands
Estate’s plots put up for sale
Two significant areas of commercial forest in the Tay and Tummel Valleys have been put on the market for just over £8.5 million.
Killiechangie Forest and the nearby Drumbuie Wood near Dunkeld, totalling 1233 acres of land, are looking for bids over £5.25m and £3.5m respectively.
Both major plots of land form part of the famous Atholl Estates forestry portfolio, and together represent some of the most historic examples of managed commercial forestry in the UK.
Atholl Estate timber has long been in demand due to its high quality and was used to build Dunkeld Cathedral and Forest Lodge, as well as in the construction of the River Tay’s Dunkeld Bridge.
The estate was an early adopter of commercial planting and timber production systems, and has remained an exponent of forestry best practice.
Killechangie, a diverse conifer forest of 286 hectares, is located just west of Ballinuig and was bought by the third Duke of Atholl in 1767.
The forest is mixed rotation and the older timber trees include stands of mixed conifer, whilst the younger trees are mainly Sitka Spruce of various age classes, the average being 39-years-old.
Drumbuie Wood comprises two closely located parcels of conifer woodland across 212.5 hectares planted with mixed conifer species including Sia Spruce, Norway Spruce, Hybrid
Larch and Scots Pine.
The timber is mixed rotation with over 20 different planting years recorded, with a current average age of 36-years-old.
Drumbuie was bought by the fourth Duke in 1774. Known as ‘Planter John’, he pioneered commercial planting and timber production systems and developed a method of planting on mounds, rather than in holes, a precursor to today’s established practices.
Chief executive of Atholl Estate, Andrew Bruce Wootton, said: “The estate has a clear vision, and this sale will allow us to achieve some key objectives; namely to invest in new native woodlands which will sequester carbon, expand our regenerative farming practices which will lower carbon output, as well as modernise our housing stock and expand on our tourism offerings.
“This is an exciting moment and we hope that these projects will continue to make Atholl a greener and greater place to live and work.”