Archive for 2018

One of the best things about the APF Show is that if you hang around long enough, you will bump into just about every woody person you want to see. From Bob the Bodger, to Sir William Worsley, APF 2018 did not disappoint. Read more …

In the late 1980s a group of visionaries came together with the idea of revitalising a large swathe of the Midlands that had been decimated by heavy industries. Daniel Small, Woodland Management Officer at the National Forest, looks back at how a forest was created. Read more …

The White Admirals were out in force in the glorious July weather, when Alice Parfitt, Reserves Manager of the Sussex Wildlife Trust guided a group of SWOG members round Flatropers Wood Nature Reserve. She described the work that Sussex Wildlife  has carried out to encourage butterflies and birds in the woodland. Flatropers is managed by the Trust with the help of volunteers, who record wildlife and work to keep paths and tracks clear for visitors.

Sue and Andy Malleson needed a bit more seating in their wood, so took themselves off on a bentwood chair-making courses at Hanwell Wine Estate with John Hollins.  Read more …

Many thanks are owed to Martin and Marilyn Garwood of  Crow Wood, part of the Old Park Wood in Goudhurst.  They hosted a wonderful afternoon of butterfly ID and general ‘woodie’ type chat in their wood in July.  Read more …

Once you’ve spent any amount of time in the woods, you’ll probably discover that you need some kind of protection from the elements.  Or as Mick Jagger once sang “If I don’t get some shelter …Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away” .  Read more …

July News

• The House of Wessex: Sylva’s Anglo-Saxon past
• Tree champion faces a huge task: the Department of the Environment has appointed Sir William Worsley as the new Tree Champion.
• New advice for monitoring and felling diseased ash
• Mammals on Roads survey. The People’s’ Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is running a nationwide survey of mammal sightings along single-carriage roads.

Flatropers Wood, Rye, Sussex  14 July 10.30am-1.30pm
A guided walk with Alice Parfitt of the Sussex Wildlife Trust through Flatropers Wood, 37 hectares of mixed woodland, rides and paths. Refreshments will be available next door in the wood of SWOG members Dominic and Wendy Eldred-Earl. Alice will discuss the successful management of Flatropers for butterflies and birds and provide advice for woodland owners. Email [email protected] to book a place.

About 20 people met up in Cotgrave Forest to hear about managing woodlands for butterflies from Ben Driver, Southern Conservation Officer with the Notts Wildlife Trust. Read more …

Catch up with the latest SWOG news here.

Butterflies in the Midlands – SWOG meeting
We are delighted to be able to run another meeting about managing woodlands for butterflies, this time in the Midlands.

Thanks to owners in Cotgrave Forest and Ben Driver from the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, there will be a SWOG meeting at Cotgrave, Notts at 2pm on Saturday 23 June.

Ben Driver of the Notts Wildlife Trust will conduct a guided walk to spot butterflies and talk about woodland management for butterfly conservation.

Please email [email protected] to attend.

We received news of the death of Sarah Walters with great sadness on 8 April. Read more …

Tortworth Churchyard in South Gloucestershire is home to one of Britain’s most ancient sweet chestnut trees, so old in fact, that the first commemorative plaque about the tree is itself 200 years old. Read more …

Woodland owners in Waste Wood have a proud history of working together to tackle shared woodland tasks. Richard Cooper has written in to tell us about the ‘fun’ he and his partner Fi had while unblocking their culvert. Read more …