Rannoch Forest and the Blackwood Long Term Plan

Rannoch Forest and the Blackwood (formerly North Rannoch and South Rannoch Land Management Plans), combines three distinct forestry blocks on the shores of Loch Rannoch in Highland Perthshire. These forest blocks are:

• South Rannoch
• Talladh-a-Bheithe
• Rannoch Lodge

The amalgamation of these forests into one Long Term Plan (LTP) comes on the back of stakeholder consultation, supporting a landscape scale restoration approach to beginning the transition of these forests into a native woodland on the shores of Loch Rannoch. 

The forest covers a total area of 5,052 hectares (ha), the majority of which sits within the Glen Lyon and Loch Rannoch National Scenic Area (NSA).

Included in the plan area is the Blackwood of Rannoch Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) / Special Area of Conservation (SAC), which is the largest Caledonian Pine forest remnant in Perthshire.

Outwith the Blackwood of Rannoch Caledonian pinewood area, South Rannoch Forest was planted from the 1940s onwards to the present day, with the majority of trees planted between 1961 and 1970. There is a large component of 1950s planting in the eastern part of South Rannoch Forest which has reached maturity. Over 500 ha of this 1950s crop is classified as Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS). 

Talladh-a-Bheithe is located on the northern shores of Loch Rannoch, and Rannoch Lodge Forest is at the western end of Loch Rannoch. Over 50% of Talladh-a-Bheithe was planted in the 1980s with Douglas fir, Scots pine, lodgepole pine, Sitka spruce and larch. Both these forests have areas of PAWS designated land. Talladh-a-Bheithe is notable for its extensive ancient birchwood, whilst Rannoch Lodge has open habitat areas of peatland and heathland. 

Given the soils, hydrology and climate, there is opportunity for expansion of peat restoration in Rannoch Forest.

This plan is at an early draft stage, but a few key objectives have been identified and are found below:

• Environment – protect the Blackwood of Rannoch, a Caledonian pinewood which is a SAC / SSSI. 
• PAWS restoration – review current conifer crops as they reach maturity in PAWS sites and review restock species, with prioritising the commencement of native woodland expansion.
• Identify opportunities for long-term environmental benefit.
• The majority of the forest is in a National Scenic Area, so landscape sensitive coupe design and restock species selection is a key element of this plan.
• Maintain production of quality timber and plan for longer-term rotations using native species.
• Tree health is a priority, with a focus on pro-active management to reduce the risk of Phytophthora ramorum and Dothistroma Needle Blight (DNB). This includes the requirement to build new access to isolated larch crops to address future disease risk.

You can find more detail in the Rannoch Forest and Blackwood objectives document below.

Long Term Plan scoping feedback

The expiry of these Land Management Plans is timely for reviewing previous plan objectives, assessing first rotation crops and yield, and establishing if existing management objectives are appropriate in the future.  

The initial consultation opened in March 2026 and closed 13 April 2026, and thanks to those who responded and provided valuable feedback. A further consultation will take place in the autumn, offering consultees an opportunity to review and comment our final draft LTP for Rannoch Forest and the Blackwood.

Consultation feedback showed broad support for moving the vision of this forest to a native woodland on the following basis: 

• wildlife and biodiversity
• recreational access
• landscape impacts 
• native woodlands (the forest contains the Blackwood of Rannoch SSSI/SAC)

With many first rotation crops reaching maturity in the PAWS areas and current on-going peatland restoration in South Rannoch and Talladh-a-Bheithe, the LTP renewal offers opportunities for PAWS restoration and a review of the appropriateness of future commercial restock species.

An online questionnaire was shared with the local community, and a summary of responses can be found below.

• March to April 2026: initial stakeholder scoping and public consultation

• April to August 2026: preparation of the draft plan

• August to September 2026: final stakeholder scoping and public consultation on draft proposals (28 days)

• September to October 2026: preparation of final plan

• November 2026: submission to Scottish Forestry for approval (the submitted LMP will be available on their public register)