Caochan Forest

Location

Caochan Forest occupies a highly scenic setting at the head of Glen Truim in the Scottish Highlands, overlooking the popular Dalwhinnie Whisky Distillery with far-reaching views over Loch Ericht to the south and the Cairngorms National Park to the east. The surrounding landscape is characterised by productive commercial forestry, private estates and exceptional natural beauty.

The nearby village of Dalwhinnie is located just to the southeast of the forest and provides some local amenities with two cafes and a fuel station. The larger villages of Newtonmore, Kingussie and Blair Atholl are also nearby via the A9 and offer an extensive selection of accommodation and amenities. Please refer to the sale plans and use the What3Words reference hunk.supper.annotated to locate the entrance to the forest.

Description

Caochan Forest is a well-located first rotation commercial conifer forest which was planted between 1985 and 1988. Most of the forest consists of productive Sitka spruce established either as a pure crop or in self-thinning mixtures with Lodgepole pine, Japanese larch, and Scots pine. The remaining areas comprise of additional mixed conifers, including Scots pine, Norway spruce, Japanese larch, and some Noble fir interspersed with pockets of mixed broadleaves, enhancing the forest’s diversity.

Planted primarily on a mix of peaty gleys and humus-iron podzols, the land rises from 366 to 529 metres above sea level at its highest point. The fertile areas are dominated by high yield class conifer mixes that have self-thinned, resulting in productive stands of maturing timber. On the poorer-quality soils in the southern section of the property, growth rates become more variable and would benefit from an additional period of maturity before harvesting.

Some selective thinning has taken place with the Scots pine and Larch nearest the forest access road and with the timber crop reaching maturity, parts could be considered for harvesting within the next five years, providing an incoming purchaser with a significant opportunity to generate a return on their investment from tax-free timber sales. Alternatively, the crop could be left to increase the volume of harvestable timber within the forest. The stocked area extends to 144.06 hectares (78%), with yield classes reaching up to 18 in the most fertile areas of the forest.

Please refer to the Sale Brochure for further information.