To support the ‘Bennel Wood – Woodland Laboratory’ project, we’ll be posting a series of blogs as we learn more about natural regeneration and the influence different treatments have on what grows on a recently felled commercial site.
The first blog is by McNabb Laurie, D&G Woodlands Manager…
This ‘Awkward’ Wood
Bennel Wood is 13-hectares of recently clear-felled woodland near Dalbeattie. On a clear day it has views over the Solway towards Skiddaw. On a grim day you can hardly see your hand in front of your face.
Storm Arwen in December 2021 had a very localised impact across the region, one valley badly hit, the neighbouring valley escaping the worst effects. The wind came from an unusual direction and Bennel Wood bore the brunt of it. This woodland (primarily conifer) was badly damaged, leaving whole areas blown over into a Pic-A-Stix style heap.
The terrain, coupled with the amount of fallen timber, must have made it very difficult to fell and clear. Speaking to a learned forestry practitioner, he described it as an ‘awkward’ wood – referring to shape, slopes and the ability to plant and clear it. It would be classed as ‘sub optimal’ for replanting and perhaps that contributed to the reason by the previous owner to put it on the market.
The site was felled and cleared through Winter 2023/Spring 2024. In Summer 2024 it came onto the market. Lots of discussion took place with Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands Trustees. Our new organisation is only a year old and working across the region to support landowners with their tree planting ambitions. We are a team of 3 staff, still finding our feet. Could this be a distraction?
Calling it a ‘woodland’ is slightly misleading – in many ways the site is conspicuous by its lack of woodland. But research shows this has been under trees since the mid-1850s, with established woodland soil.
A private donor offered to contribute towards purchase, suddenly and amazingly making this a realistic discussion. Focus increased further with discussed potential for support from SOSE (South of Scotland Enterprise) as part of the recently designated Natural Capital Innovation Zone.
It was at this point that the phrase ‘Woodland Laboratory’ was established – this could improve our knowledge and support given to landowners across the region, this could be an exemplar of how the NCIZ designation can encourage innovative and new things, and this could inform debate about the role of natural regeneration on sub-optimal (or ‘awkward’!) forestry sites.
We made a low offer, it was refused. Lots of discussion took place, we made a higher offer – this was absolutely as high as we could go, and the offer was accepted. The enormity then hits…
Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands took ownership of Bennel Wood on 06th December 2024. A flood of related questions arrive – it needs to be insured, we need to document year ‘zero’.
We are a membership organisation and we told members in January 2025, leading to a heartening response of excitement and information. We have about 150 members, all of whom bring a new angle to discussions – pointing us to relevant other studies, highlighting things that haven’t been tried before and offering support on everything from fundraising through to ecological surveys.
We have varied the felling permission with Scottish Forestry to stipulate natural regeneration. The SOSE support has allowed us to secure the site, install a new gate and order a shipping container repurposed as a shed on site.
Local economic activity resulting from the project will be a key measurement of impact – and we have already worked with a range of local organisations. In every meeting we are in we can point to small steps of progress.
As a headline point, 2025 is going to be a year of baseline surveys and getting established on the site. Baseline surveys under discussion include soil carbon sampling and mycorrhizal exploration. Did you know fungal partners start to degrade within 6 months of the trees being cleared from a site?
We’ll be doing path and pond works later this year which will allow it to host school groups and visitors.
The main question people ask is what treatments we will be trying at Bennel Wood. In the office we have already come up with 374 different questions we want to ask…with everything from different types of protection through to innovative fungal pellets and companion planting. This will be refined through the baseline surveys and discussion with trustees. It is hoped that 2026 will see the start of these treatments.
The South of Scotland is a powerhouse of Scotland – and indeed the UK’s – forestry sector. The sector drives jobs and so much more in our region. The designation of the Natural Capital Innovation Zone is a chance for us to consider ‘benefits’ in the widest possible sense – including community wealth building, biodiversity and income streams.
Whatever angle you have – a professional working in the sector, a higher education institution, a local school, a local business, a member of the public that wants to learn more, I hope this the Woodland Laboratory project will be interesting to watch.
For updates, follow our project page here: https://dgwoodlands.org.uk/bennel-wood-woodland-laboratory/.
Conventional thinking might see this as an ‘awkward’ wood, but maybe we can dig deeper to find an unawkward angle…
Thank you to everyone that has played a part so far…
McNabb Laurie – March 2025