Faskally Forest

The Faskally Forest was created in the 19th century by Archibald Butter, who later built his estate here. The entire estate was acquired by the Forestry Commission, and Faskally House was used as a forestry training centre until the late 1960s when it was shut down. The forest is maintained on a "continuous cover forestry basis" by developing appropriate management plans. Faskally Wood became a part of the Forestry Commission's Tummel Forest administration. Under the East Scotland Conservancy, the priority emphasis for its development was to make it a recreation centre with landscaping of high aesthetics, rather than producing timber.

The soil formation in this forest land is a mixture of brown earth and ironpans that are formed above the Dalradian mica schist. In view of sheltered conditions, the area experiences frost. The mean annual rainfall here is about 900 mm. The vegetation in the early part of the 20th century consisted of European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), European larch (Larix decidua), Norway spruce (Picea abies), and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Following the purchase of the forest land by the Forestry Commission, it was subjected to restrictions and restructuring of the forest vegetation, and reduction of the area. Sequential planting occurred, including Douglas fir,…