THE FORESTER behind a 100-acre woodland planned on the edge of the Pentlands has said it should “improve wildlife” in the area.

Gavin Marshall, of Baddinsgill Farm, spoke about his vision for Faw Mount, which is nearly two thirds Sitka spruce, at West Linton Community Council’s (WLCC) February meeting.

In January, this newspaper reported details of Mr Marshall’s plan and that he hoped to have it planted by spring 2025.

WLCC member Doug Veitch, a former forestry contractor who also did post graduate research on forestry, asked questions on a number of aspects of the project.

Mr Veitch questioned how plant species would be preserved and said: “Nothing grows in a Sitka forest except spotted mushrooms and there is a large population of common spotted orchids on that ground.”

The forest will have 17.23 acres of broadleaved trees and Mr Marshall said he expected not only the orchids to flourish in those areas but also the wildlife everywhere in the wood.

Mr Veitch asked: “You are very close to watercourses, have you plans for run-off from potential fertilisers?”

Mr Marshall said: “We would be hand fertilising in the planting slot and a long way from watercourses.

“I would be very surprised if there was any leaching.”

WLCC member Tim Brian asked: “Where will the Sitka spruce end up once it is harvested?”

Mr Marshall said it would perhaps be used in housing boards and Mr Veitch said very little Sitka from Scotland goes into “structural house-building timber”.

He added there would be many more than one forest road in the plantation once the timber is extracted.

Later in the meeting, Mr Veitch said that, perhaps in a similar way to wind farms paying community benefit, forestry developers should do the same.

WLCC held a vote on whether to support the plan in a letter to Scottish Forestry and, apart from Mr Veitch who abstained, voted unanimously in favour.