Completion 2007 / Coileanadh 2007
Oral report / Aithris Labhairteach
Since The Forestry Commission was founded in 1919 it has had an extraordinary impact on the landscape, communities, industry and environment of Scotland. This is particularly so in the Highlands and Argyll, where some of the oldest Forestry Commission woodlands are to be found. Today, the Forestry Commission is the largest landowner in Scotland.
Touchwood History is a pilot project involving Forestry Commission Scotland, HI-Arts and the University of the Highlands and Islands ‘Centre for History’. It will capture, first hand, memories of earlier times by recording interviews with people who have been involved in forestry over the years. The interviews will go to form part of the national archive of written and spoken material and will trace the story of modern forestry.
The project is starting off in two areas – Fort Augustus and mid-Argyll. Volunteers from the local communities have been trained in the basic techniques of recording and together with a professional interviewer from the Centre for History they have undertaken around 25 interviews.
Open days and area history booklets
Open days have been held in each locality, attracting a mix of people, including retired foresters and forest workers, their wives, children and many others interested in their local heritage. Along with their memories, they brought along photos, documents, uniforms, clothes, forest tools and old forest signs.
Later in the year, the project will publish two booklets charting the history of the Forestry Commission in each area. These are being researched and produced by the University of the Highlands and Islands and will make use of the recorded material.
There will also be a small exhibition relating to the work at the Touchwood Festival in Dingwall in May 2007.
The forestry memories website will feature archive material including photos collected during the open days, historic documents and video clips. It will also allow members of the public to feed their memories, thoughts and ideas into the project via a ‘forest memories’ blog.
In the longer term it is hoped that the recording of oral histories will expand beyond the two pilot areas to cover further areas of Scotland.
For further information, see the Heritage North and Forestry Memories websites, or click on the image links below
