Prospects in North West Scotland?

[shanks]

There seems to have been a few ‘start up’ threads of late but I have a slightly different question and am seeking some advice.

 

It seems that in about six weeks time I will no longer have a job. Living in a small community is wonderful but as you might guess employment opportunities are few and far between.

 

I was planning to take CS units 30, 31, 32 this year anyhow, for my own enjoyment/safety mostly, and had the view to take the windblown courses 34 and 35 either later this year or early next. Why?? Because I feed myself with firewood and seem to get to deal with most of the storm damage out this way, plus its enjoyable learning new techniques, to me anyway.

 

I’ve been doing this for about three years, starting with just personal firewood and it seems to have grown to what I do now. Most weekends I’m out clearing up something or thinning out small plantations that were planted twenty odd years ago and just left to run wild. I should add I don’t take payment, just the odd coffee and cake, because I enjoy doing it. I don’t think the area could support a full time tree business though, but I might be mistaken.

 

So with my current situation about to change, what are the prospects of finding tree related work this far north??? I can go and take the CS units as soon as needed, I have money for that. Personally, I’m interested in forestry though I have no idea where to start looking for employment in this sector other than the FC (still kind of in shock about the whole thing, I worked damn hard for that company, and now this).

 

I guess what I’m looking for is a job. Maybe this should have gone in the employment section. I could relocate to Perthshire (10 miles from Perth) in the time it takes to pack my car up and drive there, but there would have be definite work there. But I would prefer to stay located here, north of Ullapool, and work in the North. Travel or relocation is fine by me, as is any tree or indeed countryside related work.

 

Any ideas, should I go through the CS training as soon as I can? Or are the employment opportunities in the North few and far between? Start my own business? Tree work and log sales??

 

All thoughts very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

 

Edit..... Should add, have my own saws, PPE and assorted arb items.

Edited February 13, 2012 by shanks
Forgot to add....

[Tom D]

Could you possibly approach one of the big estates and see if you can get 3 days a week there? leaving 2 says for your own stuff....

[Big J]

I don't blame you for wanting to stay up there - North of Ullapool is my very favourite part of Scotland. Like Tom says - would it be worth contacting local estates? There are quite a few areas of forestry just south of Ullapool that might yield something.

[firewood]

Shanks, do folks burn a lot of wood up there? I thought peat was more thing?

 

http://www.kinnoirwoodfuel.co.uk

[shanks]

Shanks, do folks burn a lot of wood up there? I thought peat was more thing?

 

kwfhomepage

 

Coal, peat and wood.

 

Quite a few stoves about up here too. Everybody will allways take wood when its offered for free, not so sure if they would pay for it though. Some do for sure, can be pricey though due to location. Would have to bring alot in at once and process here for it to work.

 

I can say though, firewood is alot easier to process and dry than peat is.

[Stephen Blair]

Contact the Forestery College at Culloden, they will point you in the right direction.

do you live in Loch Inver?

[shanks]

Contact the Forestery College at Culloden, they will point you in the right direction.

do you live in Loch Inver?

 

Thats a good sugestion, i'll get onto that. I live between Lochinver and Ullapool, in Achiltibuie.

[Sam Thompson]

Thats a good sugestion, i'll get onto that. I live between Lochinver and Ullapool, in Achiltibuie.

 

Cracking part of the world, spent a lot of time up there. You didn't perchance know Ewan Scobie did you?

[Al Baker]

Achiltibuie?

 

Ha, so you've worked on both trees there already I bet?

[Al Baker]

Actually on a more serious note, I saw adds recently for chainsaw operators on gumtree up this way.