Glen Nant

Glen Nant (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Neannta) is a glen lying to the south of Taynuilt in the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. An area of woodland of 339 hectares on the western side of the River Nant is designated as national nature reserve (NNR), which is owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). It is an example of an Atlantic Oakwood, and is one of largest areas of upland oak woodland in north Argyll. The woodland at Glen Nant was coppiced during the 18th and 19th centuries to maximise production of bark for the tanning industry and charcoal for iron smelting, with charcoal being supplied to the iron furnace at Bonawe. Oak was the favoured species for both purposes, leading to a dominance of oak trees in the area. Other tree species remained mostly in areas that were difficult to manage, such as along the river. During the 1970s the Forestry Commission (predecessor body of FLS) planted areas with commercial conifer species such as Sitka spruce. By the later 1970s the focus on increasing the amount of commercial forestry led to oak woodland on the eastern side of the lower glen being felled in preparation for conifer plantations: following negotiations between the Nature Conservancy Council (predecessor body of NatureScot) and the Forestry Commission the area was declared a national nature reserve (NNR) in 1979. Deer fences were erected to encourage natural regeneration of the forest. Work has since been undertaken to remove non-native conifer species and reinstate the coppicing of some areas of trees. In 2003 the NNR was extended to include the FCS woodland on the western side of the lower glen.