The first of two practical workshops took place last Saturday, at East Horsley in Surrey, on woodland management planning and community engagement for people involved in community-owned and -managed woodlands. Part of the Good Woods project, the workshop was designed to support community woodland groups in undertaking effective stewardship of their woodlands.
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- Delegates deep in discussion at the Woodland Community Workshop
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- Matthew Woodcock from Forestry Commission England south-east region was one of the speakers
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- Sylva’s Paul Orsi shows how a simple woodland inventory is compiled
In the morning session, Paul Orsi (Sylva Foundation) spoke to the group about how to develop a vision for their woodland and how they could use the Woodland Star Rating to measure the level of woodland management that they are practising based on the UK Forestry Standard. Matthew Woodcock (Forestry Commission) gave an update on grants available through the Forestry Commission as well as information of the range of pests and diseases currently affecting our trees. Amy Hammond (Lantern) explained the importance of actively engaging with stakeholders in the community surrounding a woodland and highlighted the Community Engagement Toolkit which has been designed to help woodland owners and managers through this process. The last presentation of the morning came from Jon Whitehead who is part of a volunteer group which helps to look after the gardens and woodlands in Nonsuch Park (Surrey). Jon described the group’s experiences in setting up a new volunteering group and how they engage with people using the woodland.
The afternoon session was out in the woods where Paul and Matthew gave a practical demonstration on how to interpret your woodland and carry out a basic woodland inventory.
The second of these workshops is being held at Marston Vale Forest Centre, Bedfordshire on Saturday 23rd November 2013, 9.30am to 3.30pm where lunch and refreshments will be provided. To register for your free place at one of these events by emailing events@lantern.uk.com.
Visit the Good Woods web page
The Good Woods project is a novel project aiming to breathe new life into UK woodlands. The project—a joint initiative between DIY giant B&Q, sustainability charity BioRegional and forestry charity The Sylva Foundation—will revive woodlands to provide environmental, social and economic benefits. For more information contact Amy Hammond: amy@lantern.uk.com
