The Carrick Forest Drive land management unit comprises of 6,291 hectares located between the Loch Doon SSSI in the east and the Straiton – Newton Stewart county road to the west. Afforested from the 1950s, with restructuring taking place through felling and replanting operations, the woodland is flanked by significant areas of open hill that encompass the Merrick Kells SSSI/SAC in the southeast. It is part of the national forests and lands owned by Scottish Ministers on behalf of the people of Scotland and is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland.

We are currently revising the Land Management Plan (LMP) for this area. It is an opportunity for us to review the unit’s management objectives and set out our operations for the next ten years.

This page will be regularly updated with information, documents and maps as the plan takes shape.

Community consultation

It is important that we understand why this area is important to others. Consultation with stakeholders (including the local community) is a requirement of the land management planning process but it is also a valuable opportunity for us to engage with the public, talk about our work, and discover what is important to you. 

We are currently inviting comments and feedback on our draft plans. Please contact us with your thoughts using the details at the bottom of this page.

 

Timeline

• Project initiation | Autumn 2024
• Scoping and development of draft concept | Autumn 2024
• Stakeholder and public consultation | Winter 2024/25
• Plan development | Winter 2024/25
• Submission to Scottish Forestry (sector regulator) | Spring 2025

Plan documents and maps

• Map 1 (draft) – Location – map shows the location and boundary of the Gala Lane LMP area 
• Map 2 (draft) – Key Features – map shows the key features within and near to the LMP area 
• Map 3 (draft) – Concept – map shows the design and management concept for the LMP area (map appendix)