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.
More News From DGA ForestryWe manage woodlands across Scotland and the North of England for a wide variety of clients.
Forest Management ›We provide specialist consultancy services within the public and private sectors.
Forestry Consultancy ›We offer a wide range of services tailored to suit our clients specific requirements.
Forestry Services ›