| Forestry
Finest Woodland winner
Elderslie Estates
declares its committment
to ‘the vanguard of
innovation’
Elderslie Estates, which has won a prestigious Scotland’s
Finest Woods Award, said today it is wholly committed to
being in the ‘vanguard of innovation’ to realise the
tremendous potential of forestry in the future.
he estate, near
Houston,
Renfrewshire, has
been named joint
winner in the
Quality Timber
Category of the awards and
receives the John Kennedy Trophy
for multi-purpose woodlands. The
judges praised the excellent
approach to forestry in evidence at
Elderslie Estates.
The estate has 400 hectares of
woodland on 1,600 hectares of
land with three tiers of commercial
forestry and woodland.
The estate’s long-term forest plan
includes:-
• Biomass production and log
production
• Re-introduction of first thinning
to improve timber quality
• Establishment of eucalyptus
species trials in anticipation of
solid recovered fuel biomass
production.
• Long-term woodcock
conservation project.
• Monoculture restocking largely
abandoned in favour of the
intelligent use of mixtures.
• Public access provision via
what was the country’s largest
community woodland at the time
of its planting.
• Continuous cover, multi-tier
forestry management regime
within policies.
• Deer and squirrel populations
under proper control, allowing
establishment without deer
fencing.
Mark Crichton Maitland, owner
of Elderslie Estates, said: “This
award is a terrific tribute to
everyone who has been involved
in the woods at Houston over the
decades, in whatever capacity, but
particularly Tim Mack, our forestry
manager.
“In developing our woodlands
at Houston we have deliberately
pushed boundaries, not only in
term of forestry versus agriculture,
T
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but also pushed the silvicultural,
regulatory and commercial
boundaries. We think pushing
boundaries is what won us this
prestigious award.
“We are particularly proud of
our experimental eucalyptus
plantings and delighted to detect a
change in attitudes towards this