There are still places available for the Ferriby Wood meeting in Yorkshire, please contact tracy@woodlands.co.uk if you would like to attend.

Mike is kindly offering to host a meeting at his woodland on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, just North of Brantingham.  Parking is available for 6 or 7 cars so make sure you book with Tracy.  Mike says it’s an easy walk or he will ferry people with his Land Rover.

Please bring a mug and packed lunch, there will be a fire and trivet for those who want to cook.

suggested topics for discussion:
-thinning of young beech
-healthy market for ashpoles
-coppicing/market for products
-new rainwater system
-ride cutting regime
-flora/fauna diversification

Tracy will be sending out full instructions nearer the time so please email her if you are interested in attending tracy@woodlands.co.uk

The spring edition of the West Weald Partnership Newletter is out now.

If you’ve already devoured the SWOG one and still can’t get out to the woods, there’s some interesting articles to be had.

Download it from here.

Another bumper edition of the newsletter, Sarah has reported from two very useful events, the Royal Forestry Society Conference at Stoneleigh Park, and the Heartwoods event on Woodland Insurance and Safety at Wyre Forest, it should be of interest to all woodland owners, large or small.

Lots of other articles to enjoy if the weather is putting you off visiting the woods, including the usual round ups from around the blogs, forthcoming events and reports from recent SWOG meetings.

Click below to read or save the newsletter.

SWOG newsletter May 12

Pete and Anna at the Bulworthy project have kindly offered to host a  meeting at their site in Devon.  Full details to follow, but it is likely to be in August possibly the 11th, to register an interest, please email tracy@woodlands.co.uk

This would be a great meeting to attend if you’re interested in Charcoal making, check out their website for more details of the project
Pete and Anna
Bulworthy Project
www.bulworthyproject.org.uk

Heather has sent us details  of a  gentle walk around Beckley Wood, and East Sussex  woodland looking, out for spring butterflies and who knows what eles!

Come and join us for an entertaining and interesting couple of hours in your local woodland.  We look forward to seeing you!   The walk will be led by Michael Blencowe, Butterfly Conservation’s Atlas Co-ordinator & Conservation
Officer for East Sussex.

Download full details from the flyer, the grid ref. for the entrance of the wood is : TQ854 214

Many thanks to Howard and Shirley who have sent us a nice write up and photos of their recent meeting at Clan Wood.  Look out for this article and more pictures in ‘Living Woods’ magazine.

When my wife Shirley and I met Julian Evans, Alistair and Margaret Hanton in October 2011 at a Small Woods Owners Group (SWOG) meeting, we thought it would be nice a idea if we were to hold a similar event in our own Clan Wood, which forms part of Hyden Wood near Clanfield.
Alistair and Margaret are Directors of Ownwood Ltd, and their son, Angus, originally purchased all of Hyden Wood before selling some parcels of woodland to people like ourselves who wished to own their woodland.
Hyden Wood is one of a range of woodlands now in the South Downs National Park between East Meon and Clanfield, and has views towards  the South Coast and the Isle of Wight.
Clan Wood slopes gently to the south and is on clay with flint over chalk. It is approximately 3.6ha (9 acres) and is made up of beech, oak, hazel, ash and some mixed broadleaves. The west side consists of a grass valley which in the past was used as a shooting ride. The remaining is Ancient Semi-natural Woodland (ASNW) coppice which we wish to restore in the coming years.
On the 14th April, eighteen people gathered at Dead Woman’s Gate in Hyden Wood for an informative day which was led by Julian Evans and Matthew Woodcock from the Forestry Commission. Julian was the Chief Research Officer for the Forestry Commission for many years and is the author of Badgers, Beeches and Blisters.
Although some of the group drove to the meeting through heavy rain when we all arrived at Dead Woman’s Gate it was dry although the sky was grey and overcast, and remained that way throughout the day.
Due to the mild winter the spring flowers were starting to show themselves although they were not as advanced as last year. The group were able to see a profusion of primroses in the valley, and bluebells in the woods although these were not quite in full flower. Sprinkled between these flowers were wood anemones’, lords and ladies, violets, common twayblade and the first of the early purple orchids.
After introducing ourselves to each other, the group walked to the valley which encloses Clan Wood on the west side.
The first topic in the programme was coppicing with standards and this was led by Julian. Those who had brought handsaws were put to work on some of the coppice stools. From these stools Julian selected hazel whips and showed the group how to cut the whip and bend it so that it can be layered to the ground.
The group were then asked to select standards they would retain, bearing in mind that the management plan aims to provide 70 to 80% exposure to light. When it was determined how few would be retained it provoked a discussion within the group; some felt that to remove this amount of timber would be excessive; but it was accepted that to achieve good quality hazel coppice this number of trees must be removed. In conclusion it was agreed that the owner must decide which and how many trees to remove as he undertakes the work, and measure that against the objectives in the management plan.
This led nicely to the second part of the morning concerning Woodland Management Plans. I gave a brief explanation of the current plan and our objectives. Our aim is to bring the first coupe back to 70% coppice with standards, but only now can we appreciate the physical requirement needed to achieve this, even with the help of contractors who undertake the chain saw work.
To date we have done the clearing, pruning and coppicing, whilst the work to thin and fell trees has been carried out by the contractor.
At this point Matthew gave an overview to the group on how to compile and apply for Management plans and grants. This included the need to apply for a Felling licence if you are going to remove more than five cubic metre of timber from site. He also emphasised that before making any application to the Forestry Commission the owner must ensure that the land is registered, without this it will be impossible to make any progress.
After lunch the meeting moved on to the types of protection available for woodlands. Within Clan wood there is an area which had been coppiced and fenced to prevent entry by deer and rabbit. It was agreed this was of a good standard, as it had also provided for the fencing material to extend approximately one foot on to the track to prevent entry at the base of the fence. The group also took the opportunity to compare this fencing with another Hyden Wood owner’s deer and rabbit fencing which had been installed within the past year. Again this fencing was considered to be of a high standard.
Tree shelters were the next means of protection to be considered. Julian gave the meeting a fascinating explanation of the origin of the plastic tree shelter and its merits in encouraging growth for small saplings.
The next aspect to consider was the control of grey squirrels. The methods shown to the group ranged from Warfarin bait through to metal traps. Julian could not emphasise enough, that if you use the latter type of trapping method, twenty four hour surveillance is essential and the dispatch of squirrels must always be handled in a humane manner.
For the final topic of the day Matthew was asked to update the group on the diseases which are causing considerable concern to woodland owners. The one with which we are all familiar is the phytophthora disease which uses rhododendron as a host and which affects nearby trees especially larch. Matthew confirmed that wherever possible this plant should be cut down and the branches and roots burnt. He also said that in recent weeks the Forestry Commission has announced the first outbreak of Asian Longhorn beetle in Kent. In addition he gave an update on the larch infection which was first seen in the South West of England and again in South Wales in 2010. Finally, in order to control the spread of disease he advocated that we adopt a clean boot policy. This consists of washing down and removing excess mud from boots and where appropriate disinfecting them when moving from one woodland to another.
At the end of the day all the members who came to the meeting said how informative they had found the programme and a vote of thanks was given to all concerned for organising the day and in particular to Julian and Matthew for giving up their Saturday and providing us with an interesting and practical day on woodland management.

Click on a picture to view at full size…

Camilla Blackburn, Living Landscape Officer at Kent Wildlife Trust has sent us details of some free training courses for landowners.

 The training for the courses will be provided by Neil Coombs, the senior Land Management Adviser at Kent Wildlife Trust.

 Details of the courses are as follows:

 Management of Small Woodlands

16^th May – Sandling, Maidstone and Bredhurst Woods – 10am to 3.30pm

Management of Chalk Grassland

12^th June – Kemsing, near Sevenoaks and Kemsing Nature Reserve – 10am to 3.30pm

Management of Small Pastures

27^th July – Tyland Barn, near Maidstone and a local farm. 10am to 3.30pm

There will also be a presentation from Sam Page (Bumblebee Conservation Trust) at this workshop.

For further information about these courses and to book, please could you contact Tania Avard or Camilla on 01622 662012 or email tania.avard@kentwildlife.org.uk or camilla.blackburn@kentwildlife.org.uk.

Juliette Butler, Wildlife Training Workshops Officer with the The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire has sent us details of a charcoal burning workship in May.

For more details download the flyer here.

Further details below

28 April 2012, 10:00 – 3pm Ufford Sports Pavilion, The Avenue, Ufford Place, IP13 6PD

Speakers include:

Esmond Harris MBE
Esmond Harris has spent a lifetime (50 year +)  working in forest management and teaching in both the state and private sectors. He started his career in the sandy soils of Thetford Forest and in later years enjoying managing  the wet soils of Cornwall at Ferry Farm. It is worth noting that he is a past Director of The Royal Forestry Society and with his wife has produced several books including  Oak: A British History, Wildlife Conservation in Managed Woods and Forests and The Readers Digest Book of Trees and Shrubs. But perhaps most importantly he is passionate about trees and has a lot of experience to share, as does his wife who is a very experienced biologist and zoologist.

Gary Battell
Gary has spent 37 years forestry experience and 13 years experience within the biomass industry and is well known locally for his passion for woodlands and woodland management.  Gary is also a Director and Vice Chairperson of the national Small Woods Association, and director of Heartwoods and importantly he is passionate about trees and knows our local values and woodlands inside out.

The press release is on:

http://www.onesuffolk.co.uk/SuffolkCoastalLSP/news/woodlands0412.html

Book your place today by contacting Mrs Canda Atkinson on 01394 460721 or at ufford.pc@hotmail.com and please circulate this to contacts you think would benefit from or could input into this day.

Deborah Wargate
Environmental Sustainability Officer
Suffolk Coastal District Council in partnership with  Waveney District Council
01394 444747
07825790832
deborah.wargate@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourdistrict/greenissues/greenprint
www.twitter.com/GreenprintForum
www.facebook.com/GreenprintForum

Here’s an interesting course  sent to us by our friends in the Permaculture movement.  If you’d like to attend, please contact sarah directly (details at the end of the post)

Dates: Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th April 2012
Timing: Registration and tea from 10. Course10.30-4.00
Venue: Orchard Barn, Far Ringshall, Mid Suffolk, IP14 2LY
Main Tutor: Peta Jane Gulliver, Perm des.
Cost: £80 to include handouts SPECIAL OFFER -  bring a friend and get second place half price ie £120 for 2 places
Transport: Lift sharing can be coordinated, please ask
Discounts: 20% for Permaculture Association members, 10% for Friends of Orchard Barn, 5% for car-sharing and cyclists, or if your home postcode is within 8 miles of Orchard Barn, Far Ringshall, Suffolk, IP14 2LY. Concessions and bursaries also available, please ask.

Permaculture is about working with nature to make a better world for us all. By observing the natural world we can see that there are a set of principles at work. Permaculture design uses these principles to develop integrated systems to provide for our needs of food, shelter, energy & community in ways that are healthy & efficient. Through Permaculture design we can improve the quality and productivity of our individual lives, our society & our environment.

Aims of the course:
All learners will gain an understanding of what Permaculture means, its ethics and design principles
To encourage holistic and inclusive thinking
Demonstrate existing knowledge that is relevant
To put Permaculture in a global perspective
Have applied practical techniques, on the land that demonstrate Permaculture design principles
Observed Permaculture principles of sustainability in practice at Orchard Barn

Reserve your Place(s): please email sarah@orchardbarn.org.uk or phone 01473-658193 / 077660-54042