Plagues and lockdowns are nothing new, as anyone who has ever read the words of the great 17th century diarists, Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn will know.

Well this Barn project continues, albeit in fits and starts. I guess there’s never a good time to have a global pandemic as many of the medieval builders may also have found, however after 3 months of relatively little activity it’s nice to get back to being a bit more productive and pushing the project…

Forestry can sometimes look like quite a destructive process. Felling on a large scale will often leave a site looking harsh and barren, scarred by the ruts and compaction left by the movements of huge machines.

It was a wet day and initially the introductions threatened to become bogged down in talk of SWOG bogs, or woodland loos, which are probably worth a whole workshop of their own. However, we were at Sylva to learn about woodland mapping, specifically the benefits of Sylva’s free myForest woodland management planning system.

In contrast to last year’s event at this beautiful woodland in East Sussex, the heavens opened and stayed that way for most of the guided walk around the reserve.  Despite the weather, Alice Parfit from the Sussex Wildlife Trust enthused the attendees, and no one left disappointed – only a little soggy.