Trees blown down in a storm at a campsite have been salvaged by a local timber mill and reused to clad a brand new toilet and shower block for the site.
The sawmill and campsite are both on the Logie Estate, and the resourceful collaboration is typical of the ethic within the community where local businesses work together to create employment and economic prosperity in a rural environment.
When a storm blew down several larch trees at ACE Adventures and Hideaways at Auchnagairn, a new sawmill on the estate was able to step in and recycle the fallen timber as building materials for a new toilet and shower block which was already at the planning stage.
Logie Timber is a partnership between tree surgeon Mark Councill and Alex Laing from Logie Estate. It makes use of the local woodstock that grows on the estate, but also takes in timber from all over Moray.
Mark said, “Our principle is to use local timber, local craftsman, local trade, and to try and keep the hardwood in Moray, which has an amazing glut of quality hardwood timber, so we should really be trying to use it and make the most of it, instead of it getting chopped up and used as firewood, or shipping it down to England.”
He explained that they’ve also moved into the softwood marketing following the closure of Altyre Sawmill nearby, and can now do larch, cedar cladding and douglas fir as well as other types of softwood.
The building was built by local woodland craftsman Henry Fosbrooke and is thought to be the largest pole-built structure in the country, and will open properly to the public in May next year with a big launch party.
Mark added, “This is another example of working with local people.”
Local collaboration
Taking in local timber and milling it for local clients keeps carbon footprints down and creates collaborations with local businesses. One example of this was the new building at ACE Adventures and Hideaways, just two miles away.
When the outdoor adventure company extended its camping and glamping facilities, which are also run in partnership with Logie Estate, a new toilet and shower block was planned, which meant better facilities and year-round opening.
Logie Timber converted the storm-damaged trees into building materials.
Jim Davis, managing director of ACE Adventure, said, “There was a storm here about two years ago, and there was a lot or larch trees that blew down behind our base where we have a disc golf course. Logie Timber collected the fallen trees, took them back to the mill, dried it off and cut it into the building material that we then used to clad the new toilet block.
“This creates more employment locally, helps businesses to collaborate, and the diversification at Logie Estate and the businesses that work within it create a really strong community.”
