Kinnordy and Balintore combined includes about 1000 acres of forestry. The vast bulk of this consists of commercial plantations of spruce and larch, historically managed with clear felling and then restocking. To address ecological issues, and in response to the government targets for climate change and tree planting we have started to do a number of things:
- We increasingly look to manage the plantations with continuous cover and regular thinning, rather than the periodic clear felling. It will take time to transition to this management, and in the meantime, some plantations will need to be felled.
- We are looking at opportunities to increase the tree cover. In 2021 we will plant a mixed new forest of about 300 hectares (approximately 550,000 trees) at Balintore, in a mixture of commercial and non-commercial species to achieve the necessary balance of economic and ecological outcomes.