In the second episode of the hit BBC series filmed in the Galloway Forest, the emphasis is on some of the largely unseen activities, which keep it ticking over and attractive to visitors, and the ongoing timber production chain, which makes it such a vital resource.
James Jones Sawmill in Lockerbie to the east of the forest, powers through 20,000 logs a day. But when a 6 tonne monster of a machine called a ‘crosscut stacker’ breaks down, a dedicated engineering team, must save the day and get production up and running as quickly as possible.
Mill Manager Andy Campbell, who has worked there for ten years, is very aware that the general public do not really take on board the cost of providing timber, from the planting 30 to 40 years before, to the cost of machinery to cut them down and then transported to the sawmill, which also costs a lot to run, then the correct sizing for the marketplace.
“People think how can one piece of wood cost so much…Millions and millions and millions of pounds of investment it takes to put that piece of wood on the shelf, that people are going to go ‘£6 that’s a little bit dear’.”
Also in this episode, a tireless effort to restock the River Cree – after a decade’s decline in salmon numbers – is featured.
Cree Hatchery and Habitat Trust Coordinator Murdo Crosbie and his team of volunteers have been replanting native trees on the river banks and releasing tens of thousands of salmon fry into the tributaries every year. And it’s starting to make a difference with young salmon parr doing well there. Teaching the younger generation how to fish completes the circle of their work.
At Balloch O’Dee Campsite, owner James Lucks gets ready to stage a comedy night, with a last minute change of venue on site and a surprise opening for the audience to the evening’s entertainments.
And Archie McNeillie and John ‘Cool’ Coughtrie from the Forestry Commission’s Recreation Department deal with a rat infestation in a public area caused by an overzealous bird feeder.
You can see episode 2 on Monday 15 January BBC One , 7.30-8.00pm
You can catch up on the first episode on BBC iPlayer HERE
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