Dunnet Community Forest
Dunnet Community Forest is community owned and community run.
The land the forest is sited on was purchased in 1954 by the Forestry Commission, who planted the forest as an experiment into silviculture on poor soils. A range of tree species was planted, though the planting was dominated by conifers mainly Sitka spruce and lodgepole, Corsican and mountain pine, with a few broadleaf species such as sycamore.
Scottish Natural Heritage acquired the land from the Forestry Commission in 1984, with the timber in the forest not having been commercially harvested.
Publicly accessible woodland is rare in Caithness, so Dunnet Forest’s importance as a recreational facility for locals and tourists, and as an educational resource, became more widely recognised. An EU-funded project in the late 1990s upgraded much of the evolving path network, and created an all-abilities trail that continues to be maintained.
Dunnet Forestry Trust was formed in 2002 as the local community feared the forest might be sold commercially and the trees all felled. The Trust took over management of the forest in 2003, then in 2020/2021, following an asset transfer supported by the Scottish Land Fund, the ownership of the forest passed to the community.
The Trust continues to manage the forest on behalf of the community, with a long term (20 year) plan in place to re-structure the forest from its commercial origins into a mixed woodland for recreational use. Alongside this programme of felling and re-planting, the Trust is building links with the wider community to establish the forest as a resource and a base for a variety of community groups including schools, conservation bodies, mental health groups and sports clubs.
Dunnet Community Forest 