The forest consists of two blocks adjacent to the river Hinnisdal, separated by a section of Kingsburgh common grazings.
Kingsburgh forest was planted in the mid-1960s on land previously part of Kingsburgh Common Grazings. The Scottish government (the landlord) and the Forestry Commission had deemed it of strategic value to create a commercial woodland stocked with mainly Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine.
There was an additional planting in 1977 following a fire. However, there had been no subsequent maintenance or access improvements. It is not known if there was significant consultation with Kingsburgh Common Grazings. The trees, of course, just grew and matured.
2002-2003
Kingsburgh Common Grazings, led by the local vet, the late Neal Stephenson, got wind of a Forestry Commission plan to sell the woodland by putting it on the open market. As an example of this policy, the woodland at Earlish was sold around this time to a private individual.
But Neal, and the greater Kingsburgh and Glenhinnisdal community, were not prepared to meekly accept this move and mounted a campaign to acquire the woodland for the benefit of the locale and north Skye. They also argued that the land had never been de-crofted, which is technical but relevant.
A successful application for funding was made to the Scottish Land Fund and the community was in the business of forestry management with the newly formed Kingsburgh Forest Trust. However, there remained one big hurdle.
The woodland had by now matured and the spruce and pine was ready for harvesting. The only snag was although funds had been raised to buy the forest there was no money left for the creation of an access road. And roads don’t come cheap.
So heads got together and a successful application was made to The Big Lottery Fund. This provided funding for the road, a small network of footpaths. For some years a small firewood supply enterprise run by two volunteers was in operation with the income going to the forest fund. This helped buy the benches and picnic tables found in the forest.
The Present
The original forest trees have now been harvested, apart from a section in the far end housing the local White Tailed Eagles. Income from harvesting has allowed new deer fencing and replanting, which has been carried out in stages so as the trees don’t all mature at the one time. Income is also used to enable maintenance of the road and the paths. Pedestrian gates through to some forest sections have been introduced, for easier access. The forest is well used recreationally by both locals and visitors and Kingsburgh crofters have enhanced access to their common grazings. Which was the whole point of the exercise in the first place.