Last week our Director of Operations, Paul Orsi, was lucky enough to be invited to speak at Hooke Park in Dorset as part of their Future Forest seminar. Hooke Park, owned and run by the Architectural Association, is an amazing example of what can be done when the forestry and wood sectors work more closely together. They are innovating not only on how they manage their forest but how that then translates into the architectural learning and buildings on the site.
Set in the main workshop, the day brought together scientists, foresters, architects, furniture designers and artists to discuss how we can all use each other’s knowledge and skills more effectively to manage woodlands, use timber and inspire the public.
Hooke Park has created a 100 Year Forest Strategy. This is an innovative way of creating the scaffolding to make decisions that will last beyond a ten or twenty year management plan cycle. That vision and innovation was reflected in the other talks from Alex Malkin from Norbury Park, Nick Hoare from Stourhead Western and Harry Watkins from St Andrews Botanic Garden.
The incredible artists highlighted how their innovation in vision and sound can support a better understanding of the complexity of forests and the challenges and opportunities that will be faced in the future.
Thank you to Kate Davies of Hooke Park and Jez Ralph of Evolving Forests for inviting Sylva to speak at this brilliant event.
