PRIMITIVE WOODLAND AND PLANTATION TYPES IN SCOTLAND. 1 63 



The above brings out rather an interesting point in connection 

 with the general opinion that when trees of this species reach 

 an age of 200 to 300 years — as is the case here — and incidentally 

 these large dimensions, they cease putting on increment, or, in 

 other words, cease growing. The last column of the above table 

 will now compare with an increment table obtained in a similar 

 manner from a pure larch wood at Tor a Mhiult in the same 

 locality though perhaps on better soil. This wood has an average 

 age of 50 years, with a density of stock of about '85 of the normal. 



While such a comparison seems to show that the increment of 

 Locheil Forest is falling off, it cannot be said to have ceased 

 altogether. The economic value of such a wood is seen in the 

 first-class quality of its timber, which, I may state here on good 

 authority, surpasses any imported Scots-pine timber. Besides 

 being clean and sound, it has the special qualities of being very 

 close grained, of having a high ratio of " red " or " heart " wood to 

 "sap" wood, and of having a "sap" wood which does not readily 

 discolour in seasoning. 



It is, indeed, unfortunate that this type of forest has, in almost 

 every case, undergone severe modification. Doubtless, in early 

 times, it would to some extent be influenced by game, but later 

 times saw the introduction of more drastic influences. For 

 example, it is recorded that in the Cairngorm district, about the 

 year 1730, a branch of the York Buildings Company made 

 extensive exploitations in the forest of Abernethy. So in Locheil 

 Forest and Gusach, records show extensive fellings to have been 

 made about a hundred years ago. During the same period, in 

 districts where pig-iron was manufactured, many of these primitive 

 forests are said to have been entirely depleted. The final stages 



