A remote site in Sutherland, where the ruined houses still stand as testimony to one of the most notorious of the Highland Clearances, will not be sold.
Along with the surrounding woodland it will remain under Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) control.
The Scottish Government was accused of being bereft of anyone with a sense of history, when it emerged last year that its 6356 acre Rosal Forest in Strathnaver, had been put on the market at offers over £1.85 million.
Strathnaver became a byword for the violence and cruelty of the agricultural "improvements" ordered by House of Sutherland at the beginning of the 19th century. The people had to make way for sheep, and the estate's factor Patrick Sellar burnt them out if they refused, earning him a very special place in the demonology of the clearances. He was later tried, but acquitted.
There had been deep concerns that had the sale gone through, the efforts FCS had made to provide public access and interpretation of Rosal's historical significance would be curtailed 200 years after the evictions.
Environment minister Paul Wheelhouse intervened in October to put the sale on hold and now it has been announced that FCS will retain the historic village and the 250 acres surrounding it. FCS said that working with local community groups, this would ensure the village was accessible and well interpreted as part of the wider Strathnaver Heritage Trail.
Tim Cockerill, Forestry Commission Scotland's manager in the North Highlands, said: "We have fully consulted local groups again and have now taken positive action to ensure Rosal Village is protected as part of Scotland's National Forest Estate.
"We are now exploring ways with the local community on how we can work closer together over the promotion and management of Rosal village in the future."
The rest of the woodland area is due to be sold as part of FCS's re-positioning programme'. Under this land delivering relatively low public benefits is sold to fund the purchase of new land which can bring about wider benefits, according to FCS.
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