Forest guardian turnsovernew leaf after tending 700 million trees
HE was the custodian of more than 700 million trees and helped preserve the last remaining Birnam Oak made famous by William Shakespeare.
But having also rescued the Fortingall Yew – Scotland’s oldest tree – Syd House, the former head of the Forestry Commission in Perth and Argyll, has now stepped down after a quarter of a century in charge of woodlands ranging from Montrose to Machrihanish and across Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
The former civil servant has put down more roots than most do in their careers, and says that Scotland’s woodlands are in better shape than they have been since the Middle Ages.
He said: “There are still problems, but there’s a lot in the Scottish countryside which is good or getting better. There is more forested cover now than there was at any time since the days of Macbeth.
“It has been 1,000 years since there was this much woodland, and a lot of species have returned in that time, such as the red kite and beavers, while golden eagle numbers are at a record high.
“We have lost of number of rural jobs in that time, but these were hard, physical jobs which left people crippled and they have been replaced with better ones in the tourism and forestry sectors.”
During his time in charge, his job was to oversee both the conservation of 350,000 hectares of forest and its commercial exploitation for timber, juggling efforts to preserve the woodland with the drive to service the needs of industry.
Mr House, 60, said that Scotland’s rural environment was in rude health as he stepped down, but had changed greatly in the past 25 years.
A sustainable approach to land management has seen trees felled by the logging industry replaced by new forest, but at the same time changes to the rural economy and increased mechanisation had greatly altered the landscape.
One of the biggest changes the forestry boss witnessed during his time in charge was the disappearance of countryside workers and their replacement by tourists, hikers and outdoor sports enthusiasts.
And the relationship between those who remain and the corridors of power is not always as straightforward as it could be.
While praising the Scottish Government for its support, Mr House said managing Scotland’s forests should not be guided by “short-term administrative neatness” and that a longterm view was crucial.
He said: “The danger is that activities like forestry and agriculture need support, but do not need to be meeting short-term political objectives.
“But one of the reasons [it’s been a success] is that there’s been a political consensus to allow the sector to get on with it.
“When you start interfering, you give mixed messages to the sector. If you are constantly changing focus you never get anywhere.”
He added: “We should only be making changes where change is required, rather than to suit short-term administrative neatness.”
Mr House, who was also the director of Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust (PKCT), received an MBE at Buckingham Palace in the Queen’s Birthday Honours early last year, in recognition of his contribution and passion for forestry. As head of PKCT, he helped raise more than £2 million to protect and promote the special trees and woodlands of Perthshire including the last survivor of Shakespeare’s Birnam Wood.
He said: “The output from this has been events such as the Enchanted Forest, enhancement of significant tree collections in the landscape such as at Scone Palace and Dunkeld House Hotel, miles of improved woodland paths, a significant uplift in visitor spend and a consequent excellent return on the public funds invested, as well the enhanced protection of specimen heritage trees, such as the Birnam Oak, the Fortingal Yew and the orchards of the Carse of Gowrie.
“As someone involved in this work, it has been very satisfying to play a small part in the success and to handover the tree and woodland heritage of Perthshire to the next generation of stewards in an enhanced state.”