The newest form of timber transport has teamed up with the oldest in a bid to restore a spectacular remnant of Caledonian pinewood in Lochaber.
Logging horse Tarzan will commute to work aboard a brand-new barge whose Gaelic name Each-Uisge translates as Water Horse.
The state-of-the-art modular vessel is being deployed to remove timber from a very remote area of forest on the shores of Loch Arkaig.
Loch Arkaig Pine Forest contains rare fragments of ancient Caledonian pinewood and Scotland’s rainforest.
Back in the 1960s it was planted through with non-native conifers. Now mature, these trees are crowding out the remaining pines and other native trees.
A total of 70,000 tonnes of mainly Sitka spruce and lodgepole pine is being removed over five years so that the remaining native trees can reclaim the site with their offspring.
Part of the forest known as The Gusach is so remote the only practical way to reach it is over the loch itself.
The modular barge has been custom-built so that a forwarder laden with logs can drive onto its deck to be ferried across the loch to the roadside on the opposite bank.
The deployment of such a barge is thought to be a UK first for timber transport over freshwater.
Woodland Trust Scotland’s ambition is to ultimately power it on an EV charger like an electric car – which will be a world first.
Estate manager Henry Dobson of Woodland Trust Scotland said: “It has taken years of planning and preparation to get our barging scheme up and running, so it is very exciting to see the first loads of timber coming off.
“For the last two winters, we have successfully been removing non-native timber along a forest track from the easier to reach parts of the forest.
“But the remoteness of The Gusach has been a huge challenge to overcome.
“Building a track would have destroyed a lot of the special habitats we are here to restore in the first place. So, we decided that the only acceptable route was over the loch itself.”
Players of People’s Postcode Lottery supported the purchase of the site and the ongoing restoration.
Woodland Trust Scotland bought the site in partnership with local group Arkaig Community Forest and together they are restoring the woodland while seeking to stimulate economic activity in the community of Achnacarry, Bunarkaig and Clunes.
Arkaig Community Forest chairperson Liam McLoone said: “Our community has created a tree nursery supporting three part time jobs, growing locally sourced native trees.
“We have also set up a deer larder which supports two part time jobs and supplies venison for local consumption.
“Timber milling in the forest has potential to create even more local jobs in the future.”
The 21m long 55 tonne Each Uisge was fabricated at Troon in Ayrshire and is operated by JST Services (Scotland) Ltd.
Woodland Trust Scotland contracts Tarzan and his handler Simon Daken of Blue Green Conservation as part of the timber extraction effort at Loch Arkaig.
For the next few weeks Tarzan and Simon will take the barge in to The Gusach on Monday mornings, work and camp through the week before barging out again on Fridays.
Three forestry workers will also be living and working in The Gusach over winter, operating two harvesting machines and the forwarder.
Felling on the site is taking place over winter to avoid disturbing nesting birds and other wildlife during the breeding season.
Information on Scotland’s rainforest can be found on the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest website