Records of the Forestry Board: Nursery Books

The Isle of Man Forestry Board was responsible for the effective management of the Island's forestry and woodland assets. The series comprises 3 foliated volumes which evidence the Board's realisation of one of its core functions, namely, the ongoing propagation of the Island's forestry stock.

Each folio entry is broken down into two sections, namely, 'Trees Planted in Nursery' and 'Trees Disposed of from Nursery'. The former, 'Trees Planted in Nursery', includes the following fields: date of planting, kind of tree, age, from whom purchased, number of trees and cost; while the latter, 'Trees Disposed of from Nursery', details: date of removal, kind of tree, age of removal, method of disposal, number of trees and estimated value when removed.

Additionally, annual summaries of trees removed are included in the back of each volume detailing the kind, number and price at which saplings were sold. In effect, the information furnished by the entries offer a granular account of the purchase and propagation as well as the sale and transplantation of the forestry crop controlled by the Board.

The history of publicly owned forestry on the Island can trace its genesis back to the establishment of one of the Forestry Board's antecedents, the Arboricultural Society. The society was established in 1896 with the aim of securing government grants for the planting of forestry.

By 1919, with public appetite for forestry increasing, the Tree Planting Committee of Tynwald was established. The Tree Planting Committee of Tynwald's core functions entailed: the development and ongoing management of publicly owned forestry plantations on the Island.

In 1931, these functions were transferred to the Forestry Board. The new Board comprised seven members who, in addition to their forestry management duties, were responsible for the election of their own Chairman and Secretary. The Forestry Board's core functions were later ceded to the newly formed Board of Agriculture and Fisheries in 1946 alongside the functions of the former Board of Agriculture and the Fisheries Board.

Volumes are arranged in chronological order within the series.

This series is open. For information on visiting the Isle of Man Public Record Office please see our website: www.gov.im/pro

Please see our website for catalogues: www.gov.im/pro

Series level description created by Gavin Rowan, IOMPRO, 25 Jan 2017.

Selected for permanent preservation in Nov 2015, Angela Skitt, IOMPRO.

Records in consignment C630 were transferred to the Isle of Man Public Record Office as a temporary consignment under section 3(8) of the Public Records Act, 1999 in Mar 2010 by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Forestry, Amenity and Lands division). The records were fully transferred to the Isle of Man Public Record Office under section 3(4) of the Public Record Act, 1999 in Jan 2016.

No accruals are expected.

Also held at the Isle of Man Public Record Office:

• S63 - Records of the Forestry Board: Minute Books.