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Forestry News Press & Publicity Stronafian

ForArgyll.com covers the ballot result

We’re delighted the vote has been covered here.

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Forestry News Press & Publicity Projects Stronafian

Michael Russell MSP welcomes our successful ballot

SNP Parliamentary Candidate for Argyll & Bute, Michael Russell MSP – who lives in Glendaruel –  has given a warm welcome to the vote by local residents which will start the process of community purchase for the Stronafian Forest by the Colintraive and Glendaruel Community Trust.

Mr Russell said:

“As a former Environment Minister as well as a Member of the Trust  I am a strong supporter of community land purchase and particularly the purchase of forests and woodlands by communities.     The ambitious plan by Colintraive and Glendaruel Community Trust to seek to acquire Stronafian Forest and use it as a community resource shows a positive belief by that community in a better and more secure and sustainable  future for the community.   I am therefore delighted that the local ballot of residents has resulted in two thirds backing the plan.

“The community now have 18 months to raise the necessary finance and put in place a sustainable business plan for the forest.   There are a lot of good ideas around and some very positive models elsewhere in Argyll to look at, including the North Mull Forest and the newly purchased woodlands at Kilfinan and on Bute.

“There will be much hard work ahead, but this vote is a vital and very commendable next step in the process.   I am sure the community will get every help and encouragement from the Forestry Commission and from other public bodies as the plans  develop as well as from local business and from local elected representatives.”

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Forestry News Press & Publicity Projects Stronafian

Our Press Release for the Ballot …

… reads as follows:

Small Community, Very Big Plans
The Community of Colintraive and Glendaruel is about to vote on the purchase of 600ha of Forest in one of the most ambitious community buy-outs Cowal has yet seen.

On the afternoon of 8th October the count will start on one of the most keenly awaited results in the community woodlands sector this year. The Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust will find out whether the people it serves agree with it that Stronafian Forest represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the community.

With a valuation of £1.55M finding the funds to make the purchase might seem too big an ask for such a sparsely populated area, “Except,” says Charles Dixon-Spain, chair of the Development Trust, “we have some very ambitious plans for this forest which will secure this asset for the community within the 18 month time-limit Forestry Commission Scotland has set.” He adds, “Our vision is that this forest can be an asset not only for our community but for the rest of Cowal and Bute.”

The Development Trust has published an options appraisal on their website which recommends mixing commercial forest management with low-impact woodland management, offers forest crofts and affordable housing as answers to acute local economic and social needs, and shows that the forest will have manifold amenity uses, from Mountain-biking and archaeology, to a woodland school and astronomy.

Charles continues, “We’ve carried out community surveys, had consultation days and even organised a community visit to Mull, and what we have found is that a forest like this can be profitable, can invest into communities, and can create jobs. We hope the community votes for this opportunity because there is every possibility that greater and more significant projects will develop from the purchase.”

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Forestry News Projects Stronafian

Sandwiched out after a great afternoon!

With an audience of around 50 and two guest speakers our Sunday afternoon was a great success. Not only were there sandwiches and soup, but cakes and shortbread, all of which oiled the hubbub of comment and conversation after we had heard from our two guest speakers, Ian Hepburn from Mull, and Michaela Hunter from Kilfinan. Both speakers pulled no punches, but both were inspirational in their own way. We learned some valuable lessons, and were, in the most part anyway, left feeling very positive about Stronafian Forest.

As chair I outlined where we are in the process, the valuation we had just been given (more of which in a later post), and how we intended to accumulate the funds in the next 18 months to purchase the forest. In fact, given the presentations, and the viability of Stronafian Forest it was felt generally that the major hurdle was the purchase. Once we have the asset, it will provide income, employment and amenity for the community in perpetuity.

The next steps are all associated with the community ballot to find out whether the community would like us to move forward with this (well, that and finalising our application to the NFLS board and publishing our business plan at the beginning of October).

Lastly, if you would like to know more about how we intend to raise the money to purchase the forest and other exciting possiblities associated with the forest, please don’t hesitate to contact us via our form, or ring me on 01369 820 115.

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Forestry News Projects Stronafian

Development Trust visit to Mull

This was a great success apparently. All enjoyed what seems to have been a really great day out. I wasn’t able to make it, and therefore asked Susan Gaffney to report back on what she saw. The overall impression was of a task well in hand, with some really extraordinary challenges overcome, but others on the horizon.

More than that I will not say as we’re having a talk from the representatives of the Northwest Mull Forest on Sunday 12th at the Glendaruel Village Hall… All-in-all the dozen or so who went found it an interesting and informative day, not least on the Development Officer’s ability to persuade CalMac that their ferry ticketing policy was unfair – well done Rhona!

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Forestry News Projects Stronafian

Sign up for the Visit to Mull!

Here’s are poster which says it all really!

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Forestry News Projects Stronafian

Stronafian Consultation Framework

At the board meeting today we decided to move forward with Gordon Gray Stephen’s advice on community consultation. To this end we’re going to pursue three main threads:

  1. A visit to a community forest of a similar type to ours — we looked at forests in Inverness and Mull and decided on the latter for its relative proximity to us as well as being of a scale. We decided on the 4th September as the date. Signup lists will be posted locally locally, and emails etc. will be sent out.
  2. The employment of two animateurs to go into the community and ask what the community wants out of such a project (if at all). More on this later.
  3. A public information and informal consultation day. Again more on this later but we are looking at the 12th September as the date for this.

All three will be critical to the formation of the business plan / extended options appraisal that we will need to complete for our application under the NFLS.

For Gordon’s full option appraisal have a look at our publications page.