RSFS SW Scotland and N Ireland – upcoming events
 Thursday 28th May, 10 am meet at Bargany, near Girvan, KA26 9QL.
Enter the estate through the gates leading to the gardens off the Girvan to Dailly
road, the B734 (grid ref 247 998). The gate will have a sign up saying Garden Open
and there may be members of the public present. Proceed down the drive and turn
right at the first cross roads, there is a small car park on the right a couple of hundred
metres along the road. You will be directed to the potting shed for a cup of coffee.
Depending on the weather in the preceding weeks, late flowering rhododendrons
and azaleas should be much in evidence.
 Our hosts for the morning are John and Sally Anne Dalrymple-Hamilton. John will give
an introduction to the morning with a brief history of Bargany and outline the current
enterprises on the property and how forestry interfaces with farming and sporting.
We will have a short walk to a stand of larch, which constitutes about 1/3 of the
woodlands. Bargany is in the Management Zone for Phytopthora ramorum and this
will be an ideal opportunity to discuss options to replace larch and how to maximise
resilience to pests and diseases in the woods.
 Assuming it will be a fine late spring day we will have lunch beside the pond. Please
bring a packed lunch with you. (Toilet facilities will be available in the nearby estate
office)
 Following lunch we will drive through the estate with possible stops to discuss
management of policy woodlands, view the woodfuel yard and discuss the place of
sycamore in forestry in the region.
 On leaving the estate we will have a five minute drive down to Land Energy’s plant
at Grangeston just outside Girvan. Hugh Montgomery is expecting us between 13.30
and 14.00. Land Energy’s Girvan site produces up to 60,000 tonnes of pellets per
annum. The locally sourced wood and sawmill co-products also fuel their onsite
combined heat and power plant. The tour of the site will last about two hours.
 13th June RSFS Clay Pigeon Shooting Competition, Forrest Estate, Dalry, DG7 3XS
(starting 10.30) – after the success of 2014’s inaugural event we have decided to
make this part of our annual calendar. See website for more details.
 16th July: Meet 10.00 NT084050 public car park. Joint visit with L&B region to
Newton Farm near Moffat – invitation of the Raphael Trust – 330 ha of new native
and productive broadleaves, plus a neighbouring 200 ha new native woodland at
Corehead Farm, Moffat (Borders Forest Trust).
 11th Sept, Cowhill Estate, Dumfries, DG2 0RL
(Percy Weatherall) – very nice young oak
plantation. Meet at Cowhill Tower 10.30 am.
Lunch provided.
 ABM: to be advised.
For all events: please confirm attendance to George Moore
07564 778840 / [email protected]