Working Farm Woods

Here are a few pictures from a visit to some of the young hardwood plantations at Bolfracks Estate.
A busload of people came from Argyll & Loch Lomond to see what's being going on & these shots demonstrate some different ways of extracting timber.

Alan Thompson's has been involved in horse extraction for most of his life, and this traditional approach still has its place on the right site.

More recently, a number of machines have become available for small scale extraction. They are easier to move & cheaper to buy than industrial forestry equipment, and are designed to have less impact on the site. This is Willie Shorthouse's tracked Forcat which is based in Breadalbane.

This Alpine tractor is based in Sunart. Jake Willis is using the mounted winch to extract to roadside without the need to go into the wood.