Dunnet Forest

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Dunnet Forest lies to the south of the village of Dunnet adjacent to the A836 Thurso to John O'Groats road, just inland from the beautiful sands of Dunnet Bay. The land was purchased in 1954 by the Forestry Commission, and planting began as an experiment into silviculture on poor soils - the initial intention was to create a much larger forest. The forest is part of the Dunnet Links SSSI; the owners, Scottish Natural Heritage, acquired the land from the Forestry Commission in 1984. The forest covers 104 hectares, around half of which has developed into mature forest, the remainder being a mosaic of open space, scattered trees and scrub woodland. A range of tree species were planted, but the forest is now dominated by Sitka spruce and Lodgepole, Corsican and Mountain pine, with a few broadleaf species, such as Sycamore.
www.dunnetforest.org/