To mark the end of the first year of the Good Woods Project the partners have released a film highlighting the achievements of the project in its inaugural year.
The Good Woods project, launched in January 2013, resulted from a partnership between Sylva Foundation, leading home improvement and garden centre retailer B&Q, and sustainability charity BioRegional. The project aimed to improve the environmental, social, and economic values of woodlands.
BioRegional and Sylva worked with Lantern, sustainability consultants, to establish and support a network of organisations and advisors which included: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; Wildlife Trusts; Woodland charities; and professional foresters. We are very grateful for the hardwork and dedication by all.
Achievements
Over the last year the Good Woods project team has been working to improve the levels of woodland stewardship in the South East and East of England.
Key achievements to date:
- Supported 235 land owners and managers, caring for 10,900 ha of woodland, with tools and training in woodland management, linked to the freely available myForest service;
- Developed the new Woodland Star Rating to encourage and communicate the benefits of sustainable forest management in woodlands, and help demonstrate what good woodland stewardship means to the general public;
- Provided training in woodland management and community engagement to 20 community groups.
- Worked with B&Q and its suppliers to better understand the barriers and opportunities to source more sustainably produced timber from UK woodlands.
- Developed a Stakeholder and Community Engagement Guide – to help woodland owners and managers communicate forestry activities to the public (to be published shortly).
- Created a Woodland Producer’s Pack to assist woodland owners in assessing their woodland for the full range of forestry products (to be published shortly).
Moving Forward
Good Woods provides a model for providing support in Sustainable Forest Management to owners and managers of UK woodlands. This approach is coupled with a vision for strengthening the national supply chain to bringing more responsibly produced, home-grown timber into our homes and workplaces.
The project partners are currently planning the next phases of Good Woods and we will provide updates in the coming months.
Visit the Good Woods web page
The Good Woods project is breathing new life into UK woodlands. The project—a joint initiative between DIY giant B&Q, sustainability charity BioRegional and forestry charity The Sylva Foundation—aims to revive woodlands to provide environmental, social and economic benefits.
Hooray!! At last someone has got their PRIORITIES right.
In your PR bit above(Good Woods),’your mission statement’ is to provide ENVIRONMENTAL, Social and Economic benefits. (E.S.E) But for far too long now the emphasis, in my view , has been the wrong way round! …..Government(DCLG etc.) stressing the ‘Economic’ first & foremost.
As you may have gathered, I am a lifelong ‘environmentalist’ at heart, and I love TREES & WOODLANDS. “Long live Oliver Rackham” !
Sincerely, AV.
Thanks Anthony – hopefully you will approve of our ‘love trees love wood‘ campaign – read more at http://www.lovetreeslovewood.com. There you can help share your love and inspire others to do the same.