Work starts to plant 44,000 new trees as part of woodland project

Old fences are about to be removed to make way for the beginning of the Glenshellach Woodland creation project.

Once the old fences up on Druim Mor hill have been cleared, new deer fencing will be put in during the new year.

Over the course of the next few months, the ground will be prepared for the planting of almost 44,000 native trees including birch, willow and oak over 33 hectares to compensate for trees lost on the Inveraray to Crossaig overhead line in early 2024, which spans over 82km.   The project involved constructing a new overhead electricity transmission line to replace the previous one – originally built in the 1950s - which was reaching the end of its operational life.    

Some sections of the overhead line stretched through areas of commercial forestry owned by Forestry and Land Scotland, which were scheduled for removal. SSEN Transmission worked with Scottish Woodlands to find suitable areas to develop native woodland, and after working with local landowners have identified Glenshellach as the perfect area. 

The work is being carried out by Scottish Woodlands in association with SSE Transmissions.

The new woodland, which will grow alongside remnants of native woodland already existing around parts of the area, has been welcomed by the community council as the creation of another green space in the community.

Community councillor Laura Corbe said it was good to see how much thoughtful planning has been put into how the area will sit well in the landscape and be planted, using as many locally sourced native trees as possible. That area already has a lot of wildlife -squirrels, buzzards and ravens.

"We know, as a community council, just how much people here appreciate open spaces," she said.

Members of the public are being urged to stick to any advice from safety signs in the area, as well as any closures, diversions or instructions from machine operators.

Calum Murray, Forestry Manager at SSEN Transmission, said; “We’re pleased to be working with Scottish Woodlands to develop Glenshellach into a native woodland area, which will provide a place for wildlife and native species to grow and thrive, as well as somewhere for the local community to use and enjoy.  

“The Glenshellach Woodland goes beyond our commitment of replacing trees we remove through our construction activities with new ones.  We are excited to be creating what will be a really special woodland at Glenshellach which overlooks Oban, which will improve biodiversity and contribute to restoring Argyll’s native woodland.  

“We look forward to getting started and will work to keep the community informed as it progresses.”