Words: Hugh Webster
Images: James Shooter and Mark Hamblin (scotlandbigpicture.com)
A little west of Loch Ness, in a quiet hanging valley tucked largely out of sight, Sam Hesling’s timber-clad home offers panoramic views across an expanse of native woodland that his family helped create. But Sam isn’t a typical landowner presiding over a large Highland estate, he’s an engineer and the Chair of the Abriachan Forest Trust, a community-run charity with a remarkable story.
The Trust celebrated its 25th birthday last year, and Sam’s family has been part of its evolution from day one. The story goes that his granny first caught wind of the fact that Forest Enterprise had Abriachan forest on their ‘disposal list’. Following a conversation that began in the village car park, an invitation was extended to the community to buy what was at the time, a 534-hectare conifer plantation.
Back in 1998, modern access rights had yet to be enshrined in Scottish law, and the community’s interest was partly motivated by a desire to secure access to the forest for local people. However, the Trust soon began boosting biodiversity by replacing some of the non-native conifers with birch, oak, aspen and Scots pine, while at the same time, diversifying the age structure of the remaining plantation.
A 75% increase in wildlife diversity has been recorded.
Since those early beginnings, 125,000 native trees have been planted and a 75% increase in wildlife diversity has been recorded. The forest is home to black grouse and crossbills, while red squirrels and pine martens have made a comeback. Just as importantly for the Trust, more than £3.7 million has been invested in the local economy, seven part-time jobs have been created and a community-led application has been made to reintroduce beavers. But all these achievements only scratch the surface of what the forest has come to represent.
Like Sam, Suzann Barr is a member of the local community and has been a part of the Trust’s development from the beginning. It’s immediately clear that she is a force of nature in her own right and today, Suzann is supervising two students from the nearby Glen Urquhart High School.
Rory and Duncan are finishing their Level 4 Forest and Outdoor Learning Award – just one of a broad range of schemes for young people. The lads are planting a mix of native trees, with the Trust keen to get volunteers involved in all stages of woodland restoration, from collecting seeds, through to planting out saplings.
More than 35 young people and adults who have received such grounding at Abriachan have moved on to employment in land-based jobs. ‘That’s what we’re all about,’ says Suzann. ‘Those are people who are going to have an impact on how we treat our planet.’
‘Is it hard to get young people enthused about this stuff?’ I ask. ‘Not at all' says Suzann. 'They enjoy coming here. We get kids coming back, desperate to show their parents what they’ve done – to show off their birdbox, or the tree they planted, and it’s just a delight to hear their enthusiasm.’
‘People love to see the change they’ve helped create.'
Most of the wildwood becoming established at Abriachan is regenerating naturally, but the Trust continues to encourage volunteers to plant trees, because it helps to nurture a connectedness with the forest. ‘People love to see the change they’ve helped create,’ reflects Suzann.
Sometimes, children choose to plant their trees too close together, ignoring Suzann’s instructions. “Our trees are friends!” they say, and you just have to let that go,’ she explains. ‘In the end, it’s the experience that matters.’
And that experience can have a profound impact. The Trust works with all sorts of people from early years nursery groups through to adult learners. Each Thursday, Suzann welcomes kids with additional support needs from Inverness: ‘kids who can’t cope with the standard education system,’ as she puts it.
‘A lot of what we do is based around the forest school ethos,’ says Suzann. ‘Being in the outdoors helps people feel calmer and more connected with nature. That’s something we really strive for.’
'Their time here forms an important part of their week.'
Adults and young learners all work and eat together – with food an important focus at Abriachan. ‘Some of our adults are really quite socially isolated,’ says Suzann. ‘So, their time here and the relationships they develop, forms an important part of their week.’
Abriachan has become a place where nature and people come together, fostering a common sense of purpose. There is a palpable family atmosphere, which reflects the thousands of hours invested by this community. ‘If we could go back in time, I don’t think any of us could have imagined what the Trust has become and the impact it’s had,’ says Suzann. ‘It’s taken 25 years, but it’s a long game we’re playing. You have to be patient.’
The Abriachan Forest Trust is a member of the Northwoods Rewilding Network, and despite some enduring local wariness about the R-word, the Trust was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming support they received for their recent proposal to reintroduce beavers. ‘Now the idea is in people’s heads, they just want to get on with it,’ laughs Suzann.
So, does community-based nature restoration work?
It is clear that one of the key benefits of community ownership at Abriachan is that local people are able to influence land management decisions, to tailor the forest to their needs and feel that they retain control. Change can be a scary thing, but here, the changes have been initiated and managed by the community. This is their forest, and its recovery is down to their work.
‘So, does community-based nature restoration work?’ I ask Sam. ‘Just look around,’ he says. ‘This used to be a totally homogenous conifer plantation. Now look at it.’
