Balloch Community
Woodland Group
Join us in restoring and managing our local woodland for future generations.
COMMUNITY - DRIVEN, NATURE - FOCUSED, SUSTAINABLE
The Latest News
Felling & Replanting Update from FLS
FLS have told us that they have received approval from Scottish Forestry for their plan to reschedule the felling of the lower part of Balloch Wood.
See below for some information about FLS's provisional plans for the next felling operations in Balloch Wood.
Details of our correspondance with FLS
and of the Proposed Management & Restocking Plan.
Our Response to Felling Plan
We have submitted our response to the Felling & Replanting Update.
You can contact us about the Balloch Wood.
Tell us what you would like to see in the wood;
e.g. reinstatement of paths in addition to the core path, seats, some observation hides for wildlife etc.
and also let us know if there will be any future activities in the wood that you would like to help with.
Felling Operations in Balloch Wood from
Wednesday 16th Sept or Thursday 17th Sept.
We have been advised by Forestry & Land Scotland (FLS) that they have nearly finished the harvesting
of the wind blown trees between the their timber storage area, on the Old Military Road, and the Curling Ponds.
They will then be moving to deal with the wind blown trees at the ponds.
This is the upper area marked in red on their Felling Plan Map
The plan is that the harvesting and forwarding machines will move to the site
on Wednesday or Thursday ( 16th or 17th Sept )
To do this the machines will need to travel along the road and across the humped back bridge over the Balloch Burn. FLS has spoken with the council about this and all permissions and agreements are in place for this to happen.
The car park will need to be closed while the felling and removal of the windblow is taking place.
The last remaining trees at the car park will be removed, as they will just blow down if left.
All of the windblow that has been there for many years will also be removed
and the windblow at the start of the woodland from the ponds
Please follow the Safety Instructions on the signs that FLS are installing.
See below for further information and for updates on the current work by FLS.
Also their plans for the felling operations and their considerations regarding environment and wildlife.
Community-led Woodland Management Agreement
Balloch Wood, adjacent to the village of Creetown, comprises a long strip of hillside to the NE of the village, following along the Balloch Burn. The woodland consists of natural mixed woodland and commercially managed wood, mainly larch.
The wood is managed by Forest and Land Scotland (FLS), who are in the process of felling the commercial areas, after which it will be classed as amenity woodland.
The original Balloch Wood Community Project had an agreement with Forestry Enterprise to maintain paths through the wood and look after two community areas; the Ponds and Creehenge.
Recently the group decided that, after many years of service, it was time to retire from running the project.
Several open meetings were held in Creetown last year, regarding the recent forestry developments in the Balloch Wood.
A number of residents volunteered to form a small group to negotiate with FLS and reach a new community management agreement to continue the care of the paths and other community areas in the Balloch Wood.
The main Core Path would be maintained by FLS, without such an agreement the other areas and paths would rapidly become overgrown.
Balloch Wood, Creetown,
Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland
Creetown was originally called 'Ferrytown of Cree' because ferries used to cross the River Cree here, right back to the days when pilgrims made their way to the shrine of St Ninian at Whithorn. This saved a 10 mile trip via Newton Stewart.
Small trading ships continued to come up to the village until early in the 20th century.
Balloch Community Woodland Group
Creetown, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland
Maintaining local woodland for future generations together.
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