Woodlands.co.uk
Small Woodlands in the SW recognised in Royal Forestry Society’s annual awards
Four woodlands in the South West have won recognition at this year’s RFS Awards in the Small Woodlands category, sponsored by Woodlands.co.uk.
The first prize went to William Sowerby, owner of Coombeshead, Launceston, Cornwall. Mr Sowerby planted a three and a half acre wood on a hill crest, restoring mature trees, saving old trees from neglect, coppicing, and even planting 300 yards of mixed hedge – which now provides berries and nests to birds, while sheets of corrugated iron on the ground encourage worms and other species. Read more…
Coppice and dead wood
I am currently studying for a Foundation Degree in Forestry and Woodland Management at Plumpton College in East Sussex and am preparing a dissertation on dead wood in coppice woodlands.
Coppicing is a well-known silvicultural practice, carried out in the UK for the purpose of habitat and wildlife conservation, and for sustainable timber production / products. It is widely accepted that, whilst coppicing has many benefits for conservation, ‘woodland historically managed as coppice is generally lacking in dead wood’ (FC 2002). Earlier literature such as Buckley (1992) and Kimmins (1997), supports the view that there is a general lack of dead wood presence within actively managed coppice woodlands. Read more…
Lath Wood
My wife and I decided on the purchase of a small wood a few years ago. We were able to research financial, legal and physical practicalities on-line and www.woodlands.co.uk was the most useful site in our search for a suitable wood. We visited nine or ten woods across the South of England, from Devon in the West to Kent in the East. We were looking for a wood between 3 and 6 acres up to a spend of about £40K. Some people spend as much on a car, whilst for us non-drivers – a wood is a much better, permanent investment, especially when financial products are looking risky.
But we weren’t just looking for somewhere to bank money but a place of natural beauty and quietude to enjoy and preserve. Our wood had to be accessible from London by public transport but still a rural gem away from built habitation. We were ideally looking for a bluebell wood with a good mix of tree cover — not a conifer plantation. Read more…
The importance of Coppice workers – a family tradition worth supporting
Coppicing of sweet chestnut in Kent and Sussex is a traditional activity which goes back hundreds of years. This involves not only the regular cutting of chestnut poles but the processing of these into useable materials. Such processing will usually include debarking and splitting – all of which is done in the woods where the chestnut is cut. Chestnut coppice products are mainly used for fencing and are still very much in demand and because chestnut coppice is a hardwood they tend to last for a several decades. Chestnut paling and post and rail fencing is in high demand and is even exported to mainland Europe. Read more…
Creating Woodland Glades
Gatwick Greenspace Partnership (part of the Sussex Wildlife Trust) took on the management of Lower Orlton’s Copse, near Rusper, in March of this year *. Since then we have, in consultation with the Forestry Commission, decided as part of the management, to extend a small number of glades to open up the high canopy and improve the amount of ground flora in these areas. Read more…
Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) – a good visit for woody people
Although it’s in Machynlleth, in West Wales, the Centre for Alternative Technology is an interesting visit for anyone concerned about the environment, woodlands and wildlife. Established in the site of a disused slate quarry, CAT was set up way back in 1974 and it aims to demonstrate how what was very much “alternative technology” in the 1970s can be used in practice and can be implemented by individuals. Within the centre there are plenty of hazel coppice hurdles (used as screens and fences), there is an office for advice on building sustainable structures, and have a permanent green woodworking demonstration area. Read more…
Ancient woodland
In the U.K. about 11.8% of the land is covered by forest, (Thomas and Packham, Ecology of Woodlands and Forests). The amount of ancient woodland, within this, is very low. Ancient woodland is also fragmented and dispersed.
Ancient woodland is a term that is applied to areas where trees have been present in the landscape for many hundreds of years, not necessarily as great continuous tracts but as discrete plots or areas. Read more…
Managing your Woodland for Wildlife
A new book on woodlands -
Managing your Woodland for Wildlife by David Blakesley and Peter Buckley
After 20 years of selling woodlands to people “for enjoyment and conservation” we realised that although the purchasers wanted to do their best for conservation, encouraging biodiversity, protecting endangered species, and just having more birds, bluebells and butterflies, they were sometimes unsure of how best to set about it. Read more…