The Woods

Argyll's woods have their origin in the period after the last ice age, when trees started to recolonise a bare landscape. Willow , birch, hazel and rowan were followed by woods of oak, alder, ash, cherry, elm and aspen.

Humans were not far behind, hunter gatherers relying on the animals that the woods sheltered, and the products of the wood such as nuts, berries and timber.

As agriculture developed and people began to settle, the woods continued to play an essential part in everyday life, providing timber for houses, utensils, furniture, tools and boats. As society developed the woods were also used to produce more industrial quantities of charcoal for iron and gundpowder. They also continued as our richest wildlife habitat, home to deer, red squirrel and blackcock, and many other rare and interesting species.

Changing demands and new supplies of wood from the tropics and elsewhere led to a downturn in woodland management in the 19th century. However there is now a renewed interest in the many public benefits that sustainable woodland management can deliver. Producing timber from woodlands can be done in a way which supports the local economy, secures a future for the woodland and provides you with the opportunity to own a beautiful and original wooden gem.