Forestry

Succeeding generations of the Munro Family have always had a keen interest in trees and in particular their role in the landscape, this is especially apparent around the core of the property where the historic Grade ‘A’ listed Foulis Castle is situated. As a result the surrounding policies and arable fields are comparatively richly wooded.

 The low ground, near the principal houses on the estate has historically been thickly clothed with broadleaves and small mixed plantations, the majority of which were felled during the 1939-45 War. The heavily wooded Ardullie burn on the lower western edge of the property and the Foulis burn which splits the low ground roughly in half, form important linear features and include many mature broadleaves. Nearer Foulis Castle, the fields with their attractive stone gate pillars, harbour further mature broadleaved hedgerow trees on their boundaries and in clumps dating from when these areas were first enclosed during the late 1700’s. About the same time the landscaped policies around the Castle itself were remodelled after the estate was plundered during the last Jacobite Rising and the old defensive keep destroyed. Construction of the present house commenced in 1754.

Over the past thirty years the current generation of the family have replaced many missing hedgerow trees and some areas of conifer plantations on the low ground using broadleaves in tree shelters. The slopes of Cnoc Mhabairn were planted with firs as early as 1720 by Sir Robert Munro of Foulis 6th Bart. (1684-1746) but it was only during a short period of Forestry Commission ownership in the second half of the 20th Century that the whole area of Foulis Hill (464.5 hectares) formerly a grouse moor was planted commercially with mixed conifers. Ninety percent of that crop was clearfelled in the late 1980’s and the hill restocked mainly with Sitka Spruce before returning to Estate ownership in 2004.

Woodland now accounts for over half the Estate’s total area and is seen by the Munro family as playing an increasingly important role from not only a landscape, habitat enrichment and wildlife conservation point of view but also both as a growing commercial and recreational asset, informal access by responsible members of the public being encouraged. Sporting is not a priority at present with no game reared on the Estate. The shooting in the commercial forestry is let on an annual agreement with the emphasis on deer control.