Controversy over plans for Warblaw spruce plantation
Opponents of a proposed Sitka spruce forest on the slopes of Warblaw hill are urging Langholm residents to take action – before it’s too late.
People living in the vicinity of the hill claim the plantation, which would primarily be used for timber production, will cause environmental as well as aesthetic damage to a much-loved area of natural beauty.
And they say that as well as destroying farmland it would make vast tracts of the hill inaccessible to the public.
The land in question was sold by the Buccleuch Estate to James Jones & Sons, a timber processing company based in Lockerbie, in controversial circumstances in 2019.
Thousands rallied behind tenant farmers David and Alison Telfer when they faced eviction from their farm in Cleuchfoot, having previously been assured that they could stay until their retirement.
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