Seeing the wood for the trees

Scotland's much-evolved forestry industry has become a focus for clever investors

- Penny Churchill

ONCE the rarefied domain of a handful of institutional investors, Scotland's forestry industry has diversified widely in recent years with the introduction of new, fast-growing types of woodland, which provide a sustainable source of income for savvy private investors or owners of mixed farming and sporting estates.

The region of Dumfries and Galloway in south-west Scotland is one of the most heavily wooded in the country and one of the prime commercial forestry areas of the UK, with easy access to major timber-processing facilities in southern Scotland and northern England. Here, Katie Marr of Galbraith in Castle Douglas (01556 505346) seeks 'offers over $4.45 million' for the picturesque 800acre Glenquicken estate, 2½ miles from Creetown and nine miles from Newton Stewart on the peaceful Cree estuary.

Thanks to its location within the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve, which covers most of the south-west, Glenquicken estate boasts wonderful dark skies and remarkable biodiversity, with a wide variety of recorded wildlife, including birds of prey, wading birds, otters, water voles, roe and red deer.