Rothiemurchus Forest

Ownership and management

Much of the forest is within the Rothiemurchus Estate, in the ownership of the Grant family since the 1540s. The estate is now owned and managed by Johnnie Grant, 13th Earl of Dysart and 17th Laird of Rothiemurchus, along with his family. The land was also managed by Philippa Grant, Countess of Dysart till September 2022, when she was killed in a road traffic collision. In 2014, Rothiemurchus Upper Forest – covering 2,300 ha – was sold to Forestry Commission Scotland (now Forestry and Land Scotland) for £7.4 million.

History

During the Napoleonic Wars, the high demand for timber led to substantial tree felling on the Rothiemuchus estate, the travel writer Sarah Murray estimating in 1803 that 'perhaps £1,500 worth of timber' was being cut down annually. Damage to salmon traps caused by logs being floated down the Spey led to tensions between Sir John Peter Grant and Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon. By the 1820s, timber was generating an income of £4,000 to £5,000 per annum, though the upkeep of dams, locks, sluices, dykes, channels, and heavy horses to haul the logs to the river was costly. In 1839, John Grigor reported that the old pine forest of Rothiemurchus was 'much exhausted'. In 1853, twelve poor families from Rothiemurchus emigrated to Tasmania on the Sir Allan McNab. Rothiemurchus was converted into a deer forest in 1859.

References

References

1. (2022-09-20). "Countess of Dysart named as victim of A9 fatal crash between a car and coach".
2. (17 April 2014). "Forestry Commission buys Rothiemurchus forest". The Scotsman.
3. Taylor, David (2022), ''The People Are Not There: The Transformation of Badenoch 1800 - 1863'', [[John Donald Publishers. John Donald]], Edinburgh, pp. 38 - 40, 75, 109, 145 & 186, {{isbn. 9781910900987