The Land Management Unit covers 2438.87 ha, is made up of 2 forest blocks, Kinharvie 1939.83 ha and Southwick 498.04 ha and is located in Dumfries and Galloway, approximately 1.4 km west of the village of New Abbey and forms part of FLS South Region. The composite is just south of Dumfries, southern Scotland’s largest town and  is surrounded by private woodland creation, open hill farm land, small settlements and adjacent to the Nith Estuary and East Stewartry Coast, National Scenic Areas (NSA).  It is part of Scotland’s national forests and land, owned by Scottish Ministers on behalf of the people of Scotland, and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).

Forestry and Land Scotland is currently revising this land management plan, that will define the management prescription for the ten year period between (2024-34), and presents the vision for the long-term management of the forest block. Draft versions of the plan will be published here and we invite comments and feedback from the public on all of our proposals.

Community and consultation event

Scoping 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's important to you. We will be running an online consultation where comments can be submitted using the survey form provided when the consultation is live.  At all other times comments can be forwarded to the email address shown below.

Timeline

• Development of draft brief and design concept | Autumn 2023
• External stakeholder and public consultations | Winter 2024
• Development of final plans | Spring 2024
• Submission to Scottish Forestry | Early summer 2024

Plan documents and maps

Land Management Plan Brief  – Provides an outline of the plan objectives and factors that will influence management of the forest block.

• Map 1 – Kinharvie & Southwick LMP Location - Location and boundary of the Land Management Plan Area.
• Map 2 - Features, Issues and Challenges Map  - Shows the key features within and around the forest block. Accessible Text Map 2.
• Map 3 - Draft Analysis and Concept Map - Shows the key factors that will influence the management of the forest block. Accessible Text Map 3.

Give us your feedback

We are keen to know what you think of our proposals and have created a form to encourage those interested to contribute their thoughts or opinions on the land management plan.