Monaughty land management plan

Monaughty is located 2.5 miles south west of Elgin in Moray and covers an area of about 1470 hectares.

The forest has many positive features arising from physical site factors, infrastructure, past and current management and its location. These include:

• Proximity to timber markets.
• Good internal road network and transport links to markets.
• Gentle slopes across much of the forest and good soil bearing capacity which reduces the potential for adverse operational impacts.
• Proximity to centres of population to provide a recreational resource.
• A wide range of tree species present on site with a diverse age class.
• Large scale.
• A history of active silvicultural management.
• Effective deer management with only low populations of roe and red deer present.

The main objective for the management for the forest is the production of a sustainable crop of high quality timber while it continues to meet multiple land use objectives.

During the development of the draft land management plan for Monaughty we have consulted publically including with local community representatives and stakeholders known to have an interest in the plan area.

The plan has been approved and is now active. It is scheduled to be renewed in July 2027.

• Monaughty land management plan summary (0.5MB) - a summary of the land management plan.
• Land management plan (4.8MB) - details our objectives for the area and our management proposals.
• Location map (1.0MB) - shows the location of Monaughty in relation to the local area.
• Key features map (3.1MB) - shows the key features that will influence the management of the forest.
• Current species map (2.7MB) - shows the current tree species that are growing in Monaughty.
• Analysis and concept map (3.1MB) - shows how the key features will influence the management of the forest.
• Management map (1.7MB) - shows the proposed management for the area.
• Thinning map (1.6MB) - shows what year we plan to undertake the thinning within the area.
• Future species map (2.6MB)) - shows the tree species that are proposed to be growing in the area at the end of the plan period.
• Open ground map (0.6MB) - shows the areas where we plan to introduce open ground into the forest.