Quarrelwood land management plan

This plan is a review of Forestry Commission Scotland's management of Quarrelwood located 0.5 miles west of Elgin. The plan covers an area of approx 176ha.

Quarrelwood represents an area of coniferous woodland, interspersed with smaller areas of broadleaved woodland and open habitats, including a proportion of heathland. Adjacent habitats include upland oak woods and coniferous woodland.

There are several abandoned quarries within the woodland that provide important habitat diversity. As they are unsuitable for commercial tree planting, they have been left to nature and have regenerated with broadleaves.

The primary objective for the forest is the production of a quality crop of timber. An additional secondary objective is the management of the woodland to provide a recreational resource for Elgin and the surrounding area.

The woodland contains a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Cutties Hillock, a disused quarry that has yielded a fossil reptile distinct from any found elsewhere in the world.

There is also a scheduled monument within the woodland. Quarrelwood henge is a rare and unusually well-preserved northern example of a small henge monument and, as such, may be expected to contain extremely important and potentially vulnerable archaeological deposits.

Timeline

During the development of the land management plan for Quarrelwood we have consulted widely 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 November 2028.

• Plan summary (PDF) - a short summary of the land management plan.
• Land management plan (PDF) - details our objectives for the area and our management proposals.
• Location map (PDF 0.7MB) - shows the location of Quarrelwood in relation to the local area.
• Key features map (PDF 1.9MB) - shows the key features that will influence the management of the forest.
• Current species map (PDF 0.8MB) - shows the current tree species that are growing in Quarrelwood.
• Analysis and concept map (PDF 0.8MB) - shows how the key features will influence the management of the forest.
• Management map (PDF 0.6MB) - shows the proposed management for the area.
• Thinning map (PDF 0.4MB) - shows what year we plan to undertake the thinning within the area.
• Future species map (PDF 0.9MB) - shows the tree species that are proposed to be growing in the area at the end of the plan period.