The Forest for a Thousand Years

The site was acquired by the Royal Scottish Forestry Society (RSFS) in 1996 With help from the Millennium Forest for Scotland Trust.  The long-term aim is “to demonstrate the restoration and regeneration of Scotland’s native woods through sound forestry practice for the benefit of the public.”  Our footpath network provides public access to use the site for leisure activities.

Origins

In 1996, the Royal Scottish Forestry Society decided it would create a native working Scottish forest.

Cashel Farm is a former hill farm located within the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.  Cashel extends to some 3,000 acre on the eastern side of Loch Lomond.  The property rises from shore level to 580 metres, and therefore can represent most of the different woodland types which are native to Scotland following the last ice age. 

Development of Cashel

Between 1997 and 2005 around 300Ha of Native Broadleaves and Scots Pine were established together with a path network to facilitate access.  The developing forest now provides a potential framework for many other activities, and mirroring the dynamic nature of woodland growth, Cashel Forest Trust is looking at developing the site further.

An Integrated Land Management Plan (ILMP) was developed in 2017 in partnership with the National Park, and this has provided a basis for access to grant support from the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), as well as a stocktake of Cashel’s many assets and suggestions for how these could be used to improve the financial, social and environmental sustainability of the project. The Trustees are currently exploring how best to take forward these ideas.