Rosneath Woodlands Limited

The Rosneath peninsula is a narrow ridge between Loch Long and Gareloch, in Argyll, NW of Glasgow. Most of the forest on the peninsula is owned by a small, privately held forestry company called Rosneath Woodlands Limited, and for various reasons, we manage this company. Of course, we don't actually do any forest management as such - that is ably handled by Tilhill Forestry, a division of UPM Kymmene. But we run the company in an administrative sense and get a chance to travel to Scotland frequently. As you can see from the pictures page, it is quite a change of scenery from the City of London!

The total woodland area is about 400 hectares/1000 acres. The main economic crop is Sitka spruce, but there is also Norwegian spruce, Noble fir, Grand fir, Hybrid larch, Scots pine, Lodgepole pine and Western hemlock. Among hardwoods the majority is birch, with oak, beech and ash also represented.

With average annual rainfall in excess of 2000mm/80ins, and the majority of the woodlands on the sheltered eastern side of the Rosneath peninsula, the trees grow rapidly and can be felled about 40 years after planting. Over the years, carefully planned felling and replanting has led to a wide diversification in the age ranges, so that a reasonable volume of timber can be obtained within any 5-year period.

Rosneath is just outside the new Loch Lomond National Park, and we welcome careful visitors to the forest. The "Peninsula trail" is an initiative by the local communities (see their excellent website) and this good long walk follows the ridge, partly through the Rosneath Woodlands. We support this facility by providing bridges over wet stretches, direction markers and even a picnic table where the views over Loch long are at their most fabulous. Please just remember to close the gates - and don't light any fires...