Aigas Community Forest

A productive, working forest providing measurable social, economic and environmental benefits for local residents and visitors alike

Welcome to Aigas Community Forest 

We are a community-run social enterprise managing the 260ha Aigas Forest as a productive, working forest providing social, economic and environmental benefits for residents of and visitors to Lower Strathglass. You can find us just 16 miles from Inverness, yet we are in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.

On 5th March 2015 the purchase of the Aigas woodland from Forestry Commission Scotland by the community was completed, and after six years of planning and fundraising, Aigas Community Forest was officially open for business.

Following a review of progress since taking ownership of the forest in March 2015, we have refreshed our vision and clarified the social, economic and environmental benefits we hope to provide for the community. You can read the refreshed Vision and Aims here.  We are interested in hearing your feedback on the refreshed vision; you can submit your comments here.

Large sections of Aigas Forest were planted by Forestry Commission Scotland in the 1960’s around an older section of woodland. The forest has been poorly managed in the last 20 years before becoming a community forest, however, our studies have demonstrated that the woodland could be run as a profitable enterprise providing benefits for the community whilst also being sensitively managed from a nature conservation stand point.

We hope to secure a legacy from this generation to the next and hopefully to many after that. In 100 years' time, the residents of our community, who can all see the forest from their homes, will be looking out on a massively different woodland. A woodland balanced between native species and commercial planting, criss-crossed with paths providing easy and enjoyable access, home to a wide diversity of wildlife and producing an income not just to reinvest in the forest but also to support other activities in the glen.

This is our ambition and we hope you can share it with us. Please consider supporting our cause by making a donation to general funds.