Summer Holiday Thought! 

Welcome to the summer edition of the newsletter. My how the months fly past! To me it only seems like a few days ago that we were putting together the Spring edition. Paul has very kindly allowed me to start us off for this issue and as I sit and think about what to write, I am looking out of the window at a completely green landscape with lots of not-so-small lambs in the fields, and despite the greyish weather I cannot deny summer is here. 

As I work at the Woodland Trust head office in Grantham, one of my local woods is Londonthorpe. This is what my daughter Georgia calls a “baby wood”. It is a woodland creation site which is now about 12 years old and we walk this wood every Sunday with our small dog Poppy. Georgia loves the trees and wildflowers and we ramble around the wood playing our “name that tree” game and looking for signs of wildlife. Last Sunday was very exciting; we saw lots of butterflies, birds and insects and in fact walked the entire length of the wood with what can only be described as a pack of flies checking us out for invading their home. As I watched Georgia run from tree to flower to longer grass with sheer delight on her face when she found something living and alive on a plant, telling me to be quiet when I got near to it so as not to frighten it, I remembered my own childhood and the same feeling when we went on nature trails and other such exciting activities at school, and the carefree days I spent with my friends out on my bike and roaming the local fields and woodland during the long summer holidays.

In this day and age of television, video, DVD, computers, game consoles and other electronic gadgets that we use to keep our little darlings amused, along with other factors such as our fear for their safety, the time constraints we all face as working parents, and the distance that now often exists between the extended family, many of us no longer engage with woodland, or even nature as a whole. 

This is an issue that has been of great concern to the Woodland Trust for quite some time now. We have already commissioned some research into the subject of how woodland effects the quality of life for both individuals and families, and we will continue to look at ways of making more ‘greenspaces’ available to more people, especially children. 

If you would like to read our research papers to date please click here

Thank you all for allowing me this thinking time and sharing just a small part of what we believe in here at the trust . Here’s to many more years of successful woodland creation in the hope that my grandchildren will be able to smile as much as Georgia did when she found her first caterpillar.

Thanks for reading; I hope you find the rest interesting.

Kind Regards
Christina

News From the Project

Community Woodland Network Roadshows

Well we have now successfully held two road shows, one in the West Midlands and one in the North West.  Both were well attended and both host community woodland groups were delighted to be able to show off their own woods and group achievements. The sites were stunning and we were lucky on both days with the weather. As the events were designed to be smaller, this allowed us to have a useful session with questions and answers and open discussion about topics that are close to your hearts. I do hope all who attended enjoyed the days and found them useful. To read more of the individual events click on the regions below:

West Midlands

North West

Unfortunately we had to cancel the third event at Batchwood, St Albans at the last minute due to the number of cancellations, this was  real pity as we were all looking forward to the visit. The group were also keen to show you the works they are doing in the wood and how they had spend their sustainability grant money. However, we very much hope to be able to rearrange this visit again in the near future.  If you have any suggestions or comments on future woodland events please do let us know, especially those that would encourage more of you to attend!  

Project Website - www.yourwoods.org.uk

News is now starting to flow in quite regularly. Most of you are letting us know of local or national events, new available grants, other conservation publications and lots more, all of which is possibly of use to others – so keep the news coming in and I will continue to update the website.

The discussion boards are still being used, although I think the time of year has taken people away from them a little. These are still a useful communication tool and have had some very interesting and lively debates and questions posted lately, so next time you are browsing why not drop in a take a look – you never know, you may have the answer someone is looking for. A big thank you to Andrew Cheshire who helped one poster with her allotment query. The information I know has been a big help and things are now moving along nicely with the council for the group to take the allotments over and start a small woodland creation project which is great news. The site I believe is in a sparsely wooded area, so they are hoping to involve the whole of the community in this project.

Now that the system gremlins and all the other ‘niggly’ difficulties have been ironed out and we have a healthy number of people registered – even if you don’t all join in – we are also looking for volunteer discussion board hosts. This would require a commitment of about 2 hours a week, either to  host the Community Woodland Network community or if lots of you are interested we can allocate individual folders. If this is something you would be interested in doing then please e-mail me by clicking here
 

New Woods Under Threat Website

www.woodsunderthreat.info - This website was launched last week on the 15 July 2004. Across the UK ancient woods and trees are under threat. Ancient woods have been around for at least 400 years and in some cases form the last link with the original wildwood, which covered the UK after the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago.

It is hard to believe that such an important part of our ecological and cultural heritage, which now covers only two percent of the country, could still be under threat, but it is.

Ancient trees resonate with the history of the landscape and form important markers in the lives of individual people and communities. They also harbour a unique array of wildlife. 

It has been estimated that Britain may be home to around 80 percent of northern Europe's ancient trees, so we have a great responsibility in looking after them.

To visit the website click on the link above.

To read our full press release click here

Celebrity Support

Celebrities do a great deal of good work for the trust with their support for many of the campaigns that are currently running.

So much so we have now a dedicated area of the website which highlights just how vital their support is to us.

To read more click here

§                                 Home
§                                 Interactive map
§                                 Site description
§                                 Long term intentions
§                                 Management plan
§                                 The Woodland Trust 

Woodland Grant Scheme Suspension

I suspect that you have all read about this shocking news from various sources, however, I thought it would be good to keep you updated regarding the position of the Trust. To read the Trust’s recent full press release
click here

CWN Partners with CSV Make a Difference Day

Saturday 30 October 2004
The Community Woodland Network is working in partnership with this year’s CSV Make a Difference Day, taking place on Saturday 30 October 2004. As the UK’s biggest day of direct volunteering, CSV Make a Difference Day is a fantastic opportunity for CWN groups to attract new volunteers, gain publicity and build new partnerships with other organisations. Last year groups organised guided walks, picked up litter, planted trees and held events to raise awareness about their group’s work. Can you organise a similar event?

CSV Make a Difference Day is now in its ninth year and organisers expect 97,000 people to volunteer for this day. We are actively seeking groups who can organise and partake in activities. Anyone from age 2 ½ to 105 can take part including individuals, schools, companies and social groups. A free action pack is sent to every group who registers an activity. The pack contains a t-shirt, waterproof tabards, thank you certificates, pin badges, tips and hints, posters and other goodies to help make your CSV Make a Difference Day activity a success.

To register or find out more information call our freephone number on 0800 284 533 or click here

Ants in the Sun

The Forestry Commission has created sun-traps for some rather ‘handsome’ ants – described in their press release as a tad hairy around the eyes, spit formic acid and are generally low in the public’s affections (sounds like a good description of any teenager to me.) The northern wood ant (Formica lugubris) is being pampered in County Durham as part of the Wildwoods campaign by clearing some young trees and providing the ants’ nests with a direct view of the midday sun. Until now the colony has been constantly moving because the conifer branches grow and block their sunlight. (It has been reported that the ants are now looking for individual sun beds and a pond-side bar facility to complement  their now more relaxed lifestyle). 

To read the press release click here

Soil Action Plan for England

DEFRA has launched a 3-year strategy to protect the soil. It is aimed at policy makers, industry leaders and influencers across all sectors whose activities affect soils.

It sets out 52 actions to be undertaken by DEFRA and partners by 2006. It recognises the importance of soil as a resource and plans to ensure that regulation, legislation and policy will provide appropriate protection of soil and encourage proper management of the soil.

It also looks to ensure a better understanding of, and access to, information on the state of our soils and the processes that operate on and within them. 

It plans to raise awareness of soils and give new guidance on protecting soil through the planning process. There is a small section on Soils for Agriculture and Forestry, which recognises the beneficial role that forestry can have on soils if good practice is adhered to.

For more click here

Renaissance in the South West

Ravine WoodLIFE to Restore Native Woodland

The £1.3 million Ravine WoodLIFE Project has been launched to conserve some of the most important native woodland habitats in England and Wales – 5,162 acres in the Peak District Dales and 2,184 acres in the Wye Valley.

The 3-year programme will carry out both practical management and raise awareness with local communities and businesses of the opportunities arising from the restoration of these important ravine woodlands. The project is part funded through the EC’s LIFE – Nature programme.

It is a partnership between the Countryside Council for Wales, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, English Nature, Forestry Commission, the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and WWF-UK.

For more details contact Mark Oram, Project Manager on 01629 816666 or
mark.oram@english-nature.org.uk or click here

To book your ticket please send a cheque for £9.00 per person with a return postal address to:
Christina Joachim
Community Woodland Network Project
The Woodland Trust
Autumn Park
Dysart Road
Grantham
Lincolnshire
NG31 6LL

Your ticket will be sent to you by return.

If you need any further information please call on: 01476 581155 or email by clicking here

Flora locale is hosting a conference, ‘Native flora for the future’, on 12-13 April 2005. Held in Reading this two-day event hopes to unite the farming, forestry, and scientific and landscaping communities.

The conference aims to concentrate on the issues surrounding the sourcing of planting stock for habitat restoration and creation projects. This will include practical advice on growing and using native flora and the policies involved.
 

Guest speakers include Oliver Rackham, Joanna Francis, George Peterken, Sue Everett, Scott Wilson, John Marshall and representatives from Defra, Landlife, the National Forest Company and the Woodland Trust.
 

Flora Locale is also inviting poster presentations to enhance the conference. Posters are welcome from all organisations and individuals with an interest in the use of British native origin plants.

If you would like to submit a poster, and/or attend the native flora conference of 2005 then please contact Flora locale on 01488 680 458 or info@floralocale.org for details. This conference, at a mere £65 per day, is a bargain not to be missed. Make sure you book early to avoid disappointment!

What’s New to View!

The Forestry Commission’s latest publication contains advice on conserving this tree and reveals that black poplar numbers have dwindled to less than 7,000. 

Females are particularly rare because cuttings in the past tended to have been taken from male trees. The ultimate aim is to provide the right sites where the trees can reproduce – sites where periodic flooding would provide suitable conditions for germination. 

More information is available from the FC’s website
click here or freephone 0870 121 4180 (quote ref: FCIN057).

www.coppice-products.co.uk.  A new website managed by The Green Wood Trust, who are soon to be part of the Small Woods Association when merger plans have been completed. The site contains information on local wood products from sustainable woodlands around the country and includes: an overview of coppice management and its benefits, an online directory of coppice craftsmen and women, an illustrated glossary of coppice and other woodland products, plus links to more information on coppice and woodland management.  
Contact: 01952 432769

A Forestry Commission publication looking at the practical measures for the management of hazel, together with a detailed case study on growth and yield. 

Click here or Tel: 0870 121 4180 or
 email: forestry@twoten.press.net

An online resource from the Forestry Commission, which contains a range of downloadable toolsheets to help Forestry Managers include people in planning decisions. Called ‘Involving People in Forestry: A Toolbox for Public Involvement in Forestry and Woodland Planning’, it gives ideas for effective decisions and strategies.  www.forestry.gov.uk/toolbox.

A leaflet describing how the new access arrangements under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 will be put into practice in England and explaining what they will mean for those involved, especially farmers, landowners and countryside visitors. To read the leaflet click here

Futurebuilders is a new £125 million government investment fund, run by people within the voluntary sector. They provide a mix of grants, loans and capacity building (support, training and advice).

They have a new website
www.futurebuilders-england.org.uk

Since 27 April 2004 the site has undergone some changes and you can now apply for funding directly through the  website.

Visit www.governmentfunding.org.uk

Nearly Autumn

Well that’s it for this quarter. We’re considering regional supplements to the next newsletter but this would of course depend on being provided with enough content items for this. If you have anything you’d like to include, or any suggestions about content, please contact us using the details below. 

I’m sure it will make much more interesting reading and in the spirit of CWN, would offer you an opportunity to share with others in the network good ideas that have worked for you at a local level.

We look forward to hearing from you. You can get in touch in various ways:

By telephone: 01476 581155
By fax: 01476 594047
By email: click here
Via the website: www.yourwoods.org.uk
By post:
Community Woodland Network
The Woodland Trust
Autumn Park
Dysart Road
Grantham
Lincolnshire
NG31 6LL.

Anything that you want to appear in the autumn issue needs to be with us by 1 October 2004.

Kind regards
The CWN Team