Dunans Castle Woodland

In November 2020 Dunans Castle Limited purchased over 100 hectares of the hill above and behind the castle. There were c. 20ha. of standing commercial timber, a similar amount of Native Woodland, and just over 60ha of bare hillside.

The acquisition was motivated by the opportunity to create a secondary access to the castle, making the restoration both easier and more affordable. However, it soon became apparent that there were significant opportunities around harvest of timber and woodland creation.

The harvest at Dunans is a precursor to replanting of native species for amenity woodland. Around the present commercial coups we will be creating more woodland with the aim of sequestering over 26,000 tonnes of carbon over the next hundred years.

Alongside the plantings we will be creating a network of paths across and around the woods for public use. All the income from this activity, whether harvest, carbon offset or visitor generated, will be invested into the restoration of Dunans Castle.

To contribute to the woodland, you can plant a tree, or gift one to a loved one.

The plan below gives an idea of the type of plantings we are looking at, but these is subject to the usual stakeholder consultations. We will be posting more here as the project progresses.