Standing by the rustic woodland bridge he built, Forestry Pre-Apprentice Shaun McClune tells Sam Lomax (Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands Administrator) about all the progress he has been making in the role since he started in September 2024.
Shaun is half-way through a 6-month contract, where he’s learning all things forestry, funded thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Glenkens and District Trust. Sam caught up with Shaun one frosty November day at his base in the Muirdrochwood site, just outside Carsphairn, Dumfries and Galloway.
Shaun shows Sam round the site, and demonstrates the areas in which he’s been working, including the tractor and crane, to pick up lengths of logs. He operates the wood processing machine, which is where the trees are chopped to become firewood for their community wood fuel. Shaun really enjoys this element of the role. He is looking forward to his upcoming chainsaw course, a 5-day investment that will give him the qualification and ability to undertake chainsaw maintenance, cross-cutting and felling.
Andy Bain, Forestry Supervisor, has been training Shaun for the past 3 months. Shaun explains how they create tree-stakes, to act as support for the trees that are planted. Andy mills the wood, then Shaun cuts them down and points them, ready to be used onsite.
Shaun takes Sam around the woodland, pointing out areas where native young trees have been planted. The saplings are grown undercover, in their onsite polytunnel, then planted out using the aforementioned tree stakes. The woodland site itself is rather special, with woodland paths opening up to beautiful views over the loch; Shaun says he has seen otters there.
Shaun speaks about how much he enjoys being based in the woodland setting, moving about and staying active. ‘I’ve always loved being outside’, he says, ‘I’m an outdoorsy person…I love it’. When asked if there’s any downsides to his role, Shaun laughs and replies: ‘The weather – that’s all!’
Long-term, after he’s completed his pre-apprenticeship, Shaun hopes to continue working with trees, perhaps becoming a tree surgeon or a forest harvester. He’s happy with his role and appreciates the local placement, concurring that most young people of his age have to look outside the area to find opportunities. When asked for advice to give any other person considering a similar role, he says: ‘Just go for it!’
Heading along the path past the wildlife hide, Sam can see the loch-side seats, which have been cut into the trunks of felled trees. Shaun then shows off the pristine children’s playpark, and from there it’s only a short stroll back through the woods to the sawmill and car park.
The site here at Muirdrochwood is owned by Carsphairn Community Woodland Ltd and has been designed for community use, from the wood fuel produced onsite, through to events in the wildlife hide and people enjoying the woodland walks. Shaun’s role is part of Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands ‘Woodlands Plus’ project, which explores how employment, public access or biodiversity value can be added to woodlands in the region. It was fantastic to see, in person, how that project is working, by providing this opportunity for Shaun – and all other future pre-apprentices – to develop their careers.
For more info about the ‘Woodlands Plus’ project, visit here: https://dgwoodlands.org.uk/woodlands-plus/
The ‘Woodlands Plus’ project is funded by Glenkens & District Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The work of Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands is supported by a wider partnership including Scottish Forestry, Woodland Trust Scotland and Dumfries & Galloway Council’s Environment Team.
Sam Lomax, November 2024.