Logging horse and 'Water Horse' team up to revive ancient Highland forest

The newest form of timber transport has teamed up with the oldest, in a bid to restore a spectacular remnant of Caledonian pinewood and Scotland’s rainforest.

Logging horse Tarzan will commute to work aboard a brand-new barge whose Gaelic name, Each-Uisge, translates to 'Water Horse'.

The state-of-the-art modular vessel is being deployed to remove timber from a very remote area of forest on the shores of Loch Arkaig in Lochaber.

Loch Arkaig Pine Forest contains rare fragments of ancient Caledonian pinewood and Scotland’s rainforest. Back in the 1960s it was planted through with non-native conifers. Now mature, these trees are crowding out the remaining pines and other native trees. A total of 70,000 tonnes of mainly Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine is being removed over five years, so the remaining native trees can reclaim the site with their offspring.

Part of the forest, known as the Gusach, is so remote that the only practical way to reach it is over the loch itself. The modular barge has been custom-built so that a forwarder laden with logs can drive onto its deck to be ferried across the loch to the roadside on the opposite bank. The deployment of such a barge is thought to be a UK first for timber transport over freshwater. Woodland Trust Scotland’s ambition is to ultimately power it using an EV charger, like an electric car – which will be a world first.

Estate Manager, Henry Dobson, of Woodland Trust Scotland said:

"It has taken years of planning and preparation to get our barging scheme up and running, so it is very exciting to see the first loads of timber coming off. For the last two winters, we have successfully been removing non-native timber along a forest track from the easier to reach parts of the forest. But the remoteness of the Gusach has been a huge challenge to overcome.

"Building a track in would have destroyed a lot of the special habitats we are here to restore in the first place. So, we decided that the only acceptable route was over the loch itself."

Players of People’s Postcode Lottery supported the purchase of the site and the ongoing restoration – with a total contribution of £1.8 million so far.

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said:

"There is such a great opportunity at Loch Arkaig to restore a fully natural native woodland and all the amazing biodiversity associated with it. But it must be done while there are still some old trees around to produce offspring. It has taken considerable ingenuity to clear the non-native conifers, of which the barge is a great example. We are delighted our players are supporting this important and exciting work."

Woodland Trust Scotland bought the site in partnership with local group, Arkaig Community Forest, and together they are restoring the woodland while seeking to stimulate economic activity in the community of Achnacarry, Bunarkaig and Clunes.

Arkaig Community Forest chairperson Liam McLoone said:

"Our community has created a tree nursery supporting three part-time jobs, growing locally sourced native trees such as Scots pine, oak, birch, aspen and rowan. We have also set up a deer larder which supports two part-time jobs and supplies venison for local consumption. Timber milling in the forest has the potential to create even more local jobs in the future. Working together with the Woodland Trust, we are maximising the benefits for nature and people."

The Arkaig barging scheme will be watched closely by the wider forestry sector. Many non-native conifers were planted around Scotland in the 1960s and 1970s. Sometimes there was no clear plan on how the mature crop could be moved to market.

The 21m long, 55 tonne Each Uisge was fabricated at Troon in Ayrshire, and is operated by JST Services (Scotland) Ltd. The modular design allows it to be taken apart and re-assembled so it can be transported with relative ease into many freshwater lochs, cutting out the need for new forest tracks. It reached Loch Arkaig from Ayrshire by lorry and travelled via Glencoe.

Richard Jennings, Managing Director of JST Services (Scotland) Ltd said:

"We are proud to introduce this pioneering modular barge system, which has helped unlock the timber in the Gusach at Loch Arkaig. The barging not only addresses environmental concerns (by negating new road construction through important peatland) but also demonstrates our commitment to driving positive change aligned with our client’s and stakeholders’ objectives. Looking forward, we hope to review alternative fuels for the barge and will continue to lead on innovation within the sector."

Creel Maritime Ltd are providing a specialist John Deere 1210G forwarder believed to be the greenest machine of its kind in the world, running on HVO fuel and bio oils throughout. Laden with timber, the forwarder will be carried across the loch on the barge.

Woodland Trust Scotland contracts Tarzan and his handler, Simon Dakin of Blue Green Conservation, as part of the timber extraction effort at Loch Arkaig. Modern harvesting machinery is also deployed, but a horse is still the best option in some situations – where the ground is particularly steep or there are sensitive natural features. The disturbance left by a horse is ideal for trees to seed in naturally.

For the next few weeks Tarzan and Simon will take the barge into the Gusach on Monday mornings, work and camp through the week before barging out again on Fridays. Three forestry workers will also be living and working in the Gusach over winter, operating two harvesting machines and the forwarder. Felling on the site is taking place over winter to avoid disturbing nesting birds and other wildlife during the breeding season. The forest is home to native species including red deer, ospreys, sea eagles, pine martens and red squirrels.

Henry Dobson said:

"We are intervening to kick-start all the natural processes of the forest back up and running again. Ultimately the goal is to be able to step back, do very little and let the forest get on with things naturally."

Information on Scotland’s rainforest can be found on the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest website.

Notes to editors

For further information contact George Anderson at Woodland Trust Scotland on 07770 700631.

The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the UK with more than 500,000 supporters. It wants to see a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature.

The Trust has three key aims:

1. protect ancient woodland, which is rare, unique and irreplaceable
2. restoration of damaged ancient woodland, bringing precious pieces of our natural history back to life
3. establish native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife.

Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 29,000 hectares. Access to its woods is free so everyone can benefit from woods and trees.