David Goss: 26th Oct 1938 – 7th October 2023

It is with sadness that we heard David Goss had passed away at the age of 84. Having studied forestry at Edinburgh University David worked for large forest management and land agency firms where he became disillusioned with the forest management model being practised. David believed the interests of the forest owner were quite separate from those of contractors and timber merchants. This principle forms the basic underlying philosophy of the firm and our relationship with our clients to this day. Based on this principle David had the vision and courage to establish David Goss and Associates in 1972 with just three clients. The firm still manages one of those original client’s family woodlands and manages one of the other woodlands, albeit for the third owner. Under David’s leadership the early years saw a rapid expansion in the number of clients and the area under management. However, this slowed down considerably with the removal of tax relief on forestry investment in 1988, the same year I became a partner in the firm. The firm survived this period well while other larger firms collapsed, a testament to the client base and the management model established by David. After this period the firm started to diversify into consultancy for both private and public organisations. At the age of 65, David announced his retirement from the partnership in 2002, leaving a company with a robust business model and a strong client base. The firm is still proudly independent and we continue to build upon the principles David embodied in the firm back in 1972. When he retired David moved to Dunblane but he continued to work for the firm on a consultancy basis for a number of clients. He completely retired from the firm in 2007, though continued working in forestry for a few years after that. Having worked with David for 20 years I had the utmost respect for him, both as a forester and as a person. It was particularly sad to learn that he spent his last few years with Alzheimer’s. I like to think we always worked well together, despite the inevitable differences of opinion on some matters which you get in any partnership. I learnt a lot from him, not just about forestry, but also about principles and professional ethics. He was a man of vision, no more so than his involvement with the creation of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society’s Cashel Forest on the side of Loch Lomond. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to David’s family in this difficult time. Sandy Anderson In memory of David, the family have asked for donations to Alzheimer’s Scotland, details in the link below. Alzheimer’s Scotland

New Address and additions to the Team

We’re delighted to share two pieces of exciting news!  First that we have moved office, after 6 years in New Abbey the firm has relocated to Dalbeattie into the former Bank of Scotland premises at the end of the High Street.  Our new address is: DGA Forestry LLP The Old Bank 1 John Street Dalbeattie DG5 4AL   Our second piece of news is that in what has been one of the most challenging and difficult employment markets that the firm has ever experienced in over 50 years of trading, we are pleased to announce that we have welcomed two new members of staff to our team. Tom Clark joined the firm in August from the Czernin-Kinsky Scottish Company. Tom graduated from Edinburgh University in 2009 and from there joined what was then Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS). Tom remained with FCS until 2015 when he took up the position of Forest Manager with Czernin-Kinsky in Dumfries and Galloway. Here Tom oversaw all aspects of Czernin-Kinsky’s forestry business, covering over 4,500 ha, from strategic planning through to direct production. With his extensive experience, excellent silvicultural knowledge and well-rounded skill set, we are delighted that Tom has chosen to take the next step in his forestry career with us at DGA and we look forward to working with him over the coming weeks and months.  Tom says: “Having worked with DGA on various projects over the years, I’m now very excited to be joining the team and I am very much looking forward to being part of this dynamic business into the future.” Brendan Armstrong has had a long and varied career within the forestry industry and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge with that. Starting out with the Forestry Commission, Brendan then worked in arboriculture, harvesting and timber buying to name but a few of the many roles he has undertaken. Brendan eventually returned to what is now Forest and Land Scotland where he has been employed as a Forest Liaison Officer for the past 13 years. Here he worked on renewable energy, infrastructure and utility projects within the National Forest Estate to add to his already formidable forestry expertise. Equally as with Tom, we are thrilled that Brendan has joined us and we are already feeling the benefit of all his years of experience. The addition of Tom and Brendan to our team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the firm which will be of benefit across our entire portfolio of properties around the country. It will increase our capability and resource to cope with the most demanding of operations and projects. Both new members of staff are settling into their new roles alongside our existing team and have been enjoying getting out and about, exploring the properties we have under management and contributing to our consultancy work. We would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the efforts of our existing team, Tom Winter, Ellie Smith, Thomas Arnold and of course Dorothy MacLachlan, who have done […]