46 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL S0CIP:TY 



5. The Squirrel Pest in Inverness-shire. 



In reading a paper to the Northern Branch of the Society at 

 Inverness recently, Mr R. L. Anderson, Head Forester, Beaufort, 

 said he would not endeavour to enter into the biology of the 

 squirrel, but would confine himself to expressing his views on the 

 subject of squirrel depredations and the means of extermination. 

 Squirrels had increased in numbers to such an alarming extent 

 as to present a very serious menace to forestry. Fungoid diseases, 

 damage by insect pests, and ground vermin were an everyday 

 source of anxiety to the forester. Although these would never 

 be entirely eliminated, they recognised that the scientific methods 

 now employed were minimising those troubles to a great extent. 

 It was an entirely different matter with squirrels, there being no 

 reason why those pests should not be kept in check if not 

 altogether exterminated, when means were at their disposal 

 for their destruction. They were all more or less familiar with 

 the nature of the damage caused by those animals, but he was 

 afraid that all who were interested in forestry did not fully realise 

 the enormous havoc they made amongst growing woods. 

 During the past generation it would be impossible to estimate 

 the damage. Throughout the North of Scotland alone it would 

 be no exaggeration to state that hundreds of thousands of pounds 

 on the value of timber had been sacrificed through the activities 

 of squirrels. Timber merchants, as well as proprietors, knew 

 to their cost the financial loss incurred through the ravages 

 of those animals. Proprietors expected, and reasonably, the 

 maximum price for their timber, but so long as squirrels were 

 allowed to carry on their work of destruction timber merchants 

 would not give the same price for squirrel-damaged timber as 

 they would for the same size free from blemish. Next to 

 sleepers, boarding staves and heading paid the merchant better 

 than anything else, but he would never attempt to manufacture 

 heading out of timber which had constantly been subjected to 

 damage by squirrels. Timber merchants had, therefore, to 

 turn it into something less profitable, namely, pit sleepers, etc., 

 and his offer for the lot of timber was based accordingly, to 

 the detriment of the estate. 



It was a usual sight when going through a Scots pine wood of 

 say 30 to 45 years of age, to see numerous broken-topped 



