News & Events

Monthly Briefing

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February 2008

Progress and Events

Advisory Visits

A total of four visits were undertaken in January, two for woodland creation, and two for woodland management. The most notable report was for a large planting scheme at North Petherwin.

A large planting scheme involving multiple conifer species, broadleaved oak woodland and culm grassland management. A model planting site answering many of the questions raised in terms of species selection, timber production and optimum biodiversity. Mick will be meeting with Liz Cartwright from Cornwall Wildlife Trust to get their input and hopefully, their approval in the near future.

Tree For All

Our partnership with the Woodland Trust in the ‘Tree For All’ campaign has continued into its fourth year and looks set to bring the total number of children to have planted a tree in the South West Forest to over 4000. Work has focussed on the flagship 10 Hectare Yeo Valley Community Woodland which is literally on the doorstep of the 35000 residents of Barnstaple. We are working with Yeo Valley, Our Ladies, Orchard Vale, Forches Cross and Pilton Bluecoats Primary Schools and have enabled 290 pupils from those schools to plant nearly 600 trees over four days this year. A further 23 planting sessions have been booked and should engage another 590 children in tree planting activity before the end of March. Such high levels of local participation are helping to make this site a true community woodland and it is hoped that the children who have been involved in creating the wood will continue to use, care for and enjoy the fruits of their labours for many years to come.

In another ‘Tree for All’ event on 19th January, members of Okehampton Wildlife Watch group planted an impressive 250 trees in the grounds of Okehampton Primary school under the expert guidance of Fran and David Rickwood.

The final event in this year’s ‘Tree for All’ calendar will be a return visit to Hopworthy Woods, Pyworthy where we assisted the Lavis family in establishing a Community Woodland in 2005. Children from West and East Putford Primary will return to the site to help the owners with beating up (replacing failed trees) and continuing the transformation of the site.

Deer Management

A large part of January was spent concentrating on getting a funding bid together to Devon Renaissance (DR) for this project. Forest Enterprise are supportive of the scheme but a challenge to the project will be to demonstrate and maintain hygiene quality standards before use of the deer larder at Cookworthy can be considered.

We have found a private individual who has his own premises to develop and have focussed our bid on developing our scheme around him as the first (though not exclusive) processor/distributor for South West Forest Wild Venison. We are awaiting results of the bid from DR and expect to hear from them this month.

Carbon Storage

The Carbon storage and Community Carbon Woodland schemes continue to take shape. They pose one of South West Forest’s most exciting and challenging developments as a vehicle for rural regeneration in the area and beyond.

Recent communications have taken place between Bob Paterson (on behalf of SWF) and the Esmee Fairburn Foundation. Whilst the science of carbon sequestration may be up for debate, the potential for the Community Carbon Woodlands and their associated social benefits is not and it is this strand that we will be developing more strongly in the coming months.

Woodfair South West

Preparations for the Plymouth event are well under way, details as they stand are as follows:

14 exhibitors confirmed (7 selling) so far with about as many again interested.
Demonstrators confirmed so far include Forest Fuels Ltd., Nick Ridley (sculpture workshop for children), Joy Davenport PCC clay and twig workshop, Jeremy Rowett (Chair making demo), Specialised Nest-boxes (Bird box making) Woodwright Designs (Pole-lathe & greenwood working), Bob Woodhead (Chainsaw sculpture) and Sixixis (asymmetric grid-shell).
Plymouth City Council (PCC) and BTCV are keen to launch their ‘Trees of Plymouth’ book at the woodfair.
Jacqui Orange of Working the Woods is coordinating a volunteer tree-planting activity after the event. (possibly with other organisations eg. BTCV, Silvanus and Trees for Health).
Dingles (to which the Woodfair will be adjacent in Armada Way) has tentatively agreed to allowing us a shop window the week before the event.

Overall the event offers an excellent opportunity to bring Woodfair to a new audience in Plymouth. It also provides a golden opportunity to promote Roadford as the place to be for an even bigger ‘woody’ extravaganza on the 12th & 13th July, for which preparations are also well underway.

Meetings/Networking

Woodchip Pads

On 4th February Mick attended the first meeting of the LINK project woodchip pads steering committee (involving representatives from Defra and IGER). Woodchip pads are outdoor corrals for over-wintering cattle on woodchip litter to absorb the waste products. A very interesting meeting which will result in our feedback into the project plus the distribution of information to farmers during the course of Mick’s visits.

Previous bulletins

Previous years’ bulletins are here