The Forestry Commission has been asked to produce a report into Forest Crofts by Lewis MacDonald, who at the time was minister responsible for Forestry matters at the Scottish Parliament. In response, a steering group is being set up to look into possible options to deliver forest crofting. Whilst this is a welcome development, in the meantime the FC cannot support any particular option until the minister has made the decision to go ahead. The report isn’t due until the end of the year, and therefore doesn’t fit in with the time scale for the community project.

At this time it is thought that the best way forward for the project is to acquire land through the National Forest Land Scheme's Community Acquisition option. Meetings will therefore be arranged so that local people affected by the project will be able to get information and also voice their opinions.

In addition, it has been realised that Croft legislation has far reaching consequences, in particular for the ownership model for a forest community. It is envisaged that the forestry land would be held in trust and be rented or sold to people wanting to work in the forest. However, under Crofting rules, it would be difficult to ensure that land was returned to the trust should someone leave rather than be sold on the open market. Therefore, it is thought that the proposed forest community should not be set up under Crofting rules, but have it’s own constitution that is more suitable to its needs.

Because of this, and because people associate Crofting with the more traditional subsistence farming and with sheep, it is thought that the name “Forest Croft Community” needs to be dropped, and “forest village” be used instead.