The North Sannox Land Management Unit is located 2km north of the village of Sannox on the island of Arran. Covering an area of 127.5 ha, the area comprises a mix of planted woodland, predominantly native broadleaves, and open ground. The eastern half of the block formerly had semi-natural ancient woodland on it as can be seen in the 1st edition OS map (1869), however in the 1960s the site was planted with non-native conifers for timber production, which have subsequently been harvested. Continued restoration of this PAWS area will be a feature of this plan revision. 

North Sannox forest block lies within the North Arran National Scenic Area and is of interest for its distinctive headland features, biological potential and geological features. 

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).

FLS is revising the North Sannox Land Management Plan (LMP) which will define management prescriptions for the next ten years (2024-34) and presents a long term vision of the area. It is an opportunity for us to review the management objectives, and to 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.  Draft versions of the plan will be published here and we invite comments and feedback from the public on all of our proposals. 

Community Consultation

Consultation with stakeholders (including the local community) is a requirement of the land management planning process, but it is also a valuable opportunity for FLS to engage with the public, talk about our work, and discover what's important to you.

We are keen to know what you think of our proposals and have created a form below to encourage those interested to contribute their thoughts or opinions on our Land Management Plan area. 

 

Timeline

• Spring 2024 - collection and analysis of background information
• June 2024  - community consultation
• Summer 2024 - development of plan
• September 2024 - submission of plan to Scottish Forestry for approval 

Plan documents and maps

• Map 1 - Location
• Map 2 - Current tree species

North Sannox Future Management Concept

• The hillside ridge at the NW of the site, which are part of the Arran Moors SPA and SSSI, will be managed as permanent open space to benefit the breeding bird populations in the area, including Hen harriers. 
• A buffer zone around the SPA should be a mix of open areas and low-density woodland edge habitats, created through natural regeneration of native species.
• Around 48 hectares of broadleaf planting took place between 2017 – 2020. This broadleaf area should be expanded by means of natural seed dispersal and natural regeneration. An element of conifers will be accepted in this naturally regenerating mix.
• The site will be managed through a minimum intervention approach, leaving most areas to natural ecological processes. Occasional removal of invasive or non-desirable species may be necessary, and the buffer zone around the SPA will be the priority for this type of intervention. 

This page will be updated frequently but please do not hesitate to request any other information.