Kyle and Lochalsh trust urges locals to pick favourite Plock trees
Kyle and Lochalsh Community Trust (KLCT) is hoping to get the community out and about this autumn, admiring the changing colours of the leaves and selecting favourite Plock trees, writes Mark Entwistle.
The Plock, a 60-acre parkland located between Kyle and the Skye Bridge, is well-used by locals who have enjoyed a summer of children’s and adults’ activities and events.
Keen to keep interest high, and have people looking closer at their surroundings, the trust is planning to install a Tremendous Tree Trail which will feature trees both of biological interest and those that are most important to members of the community.
To enter, applicants – who should either live within or have a connection to the area just have to choose a tree, find the location (the trust recommends using the What3Words app), take a photograph and fill out a form either via the KLCT website or in person with forms available from the Toll Office.
A shortlist will be produced by the trust, and the public will vote for their favourites during the festive period this year.
The trail, the first of its kind in the area, will open in spring 2022, just in time for the new season to be appreciated and for the enjoyment of a new year of trees to begin.
Using a variety of mediums, including interpretation boards, benches, and online pages, and including art, poetry and both creative and informative writing upon a background of the natural landscape of the Plock, the trail will be an experience for all the senses.
Encouraging public participation by allowing people to name trees after loved or missed ones, the Tree Trail will become a way to commemorate the inhabitants of Lochalsh, while fostering closer connections to the local environment.
Using a mix of English and Gaelic for the interpretation, the trust is hoping to encourage a sense of ownership and responsibility through the trail.
It will showcase the diversity of the Plock, while being both an educational and entertaining tool that can be visited throughout the seasons for new experiences each time.
The trust is also running a series of school events associated with the trail, and there will be tree planting through the month of November.
More information about the trail and online application forms can be found at Lochalsh.uk/treetrail
For further information, contact KLCT Ranger, Heather Beaton at heather.beaton@ lochalsh.uk or 07794 374555.