Growing a Future for Britain's Forests
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LN o.47 ivinSPRING 2018 gWoods MAGAZINE Growing a future for Britain’s forests PLUS Harnessing hand-power: using a two-handed saw Taming the woods: bushcraft activities CONTENTS ike a well-coppiced tree, Living Woods Magazine lives on in a new incarnation, available online Land available to download wherever you are. Thank you to everyone who wrote in to say how much they enjoy receiving the magazine – we intend to maintain the same mix of features and articles which makes the magazine so appealing. As spring approaches we look at hiring contractors – is it worth the cost and how to avoid the pitfalls. David Hunter describes his love of managing woodland without power tools and Rod Waterfield harnesses student power to build a sustainable shelter. In a cultural blast, we review the V&A’s Into the Woods Exhibition, John Lewis-Stempel’s latest book The Wood, and muse upon the symbolism inherent in willow trees. We hope you enjoy it. Judith Millidge Editor [email protected] 12 3 News and updates from the woodland world 5 View through the Trees by Julia Goodfellow-Smith 6 Growing a future for Britain’s forests 9 Woodlands Awards 2018 10 Getting Help Richard Hare deals with contractors 12 Into the Woods Grace Belben goes to the V&A exhibition 10 14 Building Woodland Skills by Rodney Waterfield 17 Events Round-up: Woodfairs and festivals in 2018 18 Two-handed Saws David Hunter manages without power tools 21 Bushcraft Olivia Beardsmore explains all 24 Review: The Wood by John Lewis-Stempel 25 Woodnote Clare Haworth-Maden sees the symbolism in willow trees 26 Spring courses and Acknowledgements 18 COVER Designer and craftsman Alice Blogg carves the Grown in Britain Hero Award bowl. (Photo courtesy Alice Blogg) LivingWoodsMagazine.co.uk Published by Woodlands Investment Management Ltd, 19 Half Moon Lane, London, SE24 9JU 2 Living Woods SPRING UPDATE @Woodland News THE NORTHERN FOREST – GOOD OR BAD? You can almost feel sorry for the government, who may have expected cries of unalloyed joy in January with the announcement that a whole new forest of some 50 million trees COMMISSION COPYRIGHT FORESTRY © CROWN will be planted across the north of England from Liverpool to Hull, with the M62 as its spine. While welcoming the whole proposal, Austin Brady, director of conservation at the Woodland Trust was quick to remind the public that a new forest could not compensate for the loss of ancient woodland which may result from other infrastructure FOREST LIVE 2018 schemes such as HS2. Derbyshire, Somerset and The Forestry Commission’s Forest Live concerts are And in the words of Oliver Dorset, and the South West back with an even better line-up this year. Artists Rackham, ‘Tree-planting (Devon and Cornwall) have include UB40, Paloma Faith, George Ezra, Kasabian is not synonymous with until 6 March to enter the anad Gary Barlow. They are all outdoor at venues conservation; it is an RFS Excellence in Forestry around the country: Bedgebury, Thetford, Delamere admission that conservation Awards 2018. Details are at Forest, Sherwood Forest, Dalby Forest, Cannock has failed’. Brady went on to www.rfs.org.uk/awards/. Chase, and Westonbirt Arboretum. A full list of dates say, ‘England is losing tree Award-winning architect, and tickets are here: www.forestry.gov.uk/music cover. We need to make broadcaster and academic sure we are protecting our Piers Taylor, who himself most important habitats lives in a self-built house in such as ancient woodland a working woodland, will Homes, three series of The Join the Royal Forestry as well as investing in new be presenting the awards at House that £100k Built and Society (RFS) major woodland creation the National Arboretum at Britain’s Most Spectacular From £4.54 a month schemes.’ Westonbirt in July. Backyard Builds for BBC Two. Piers has co-presented The RFS Excellence in • A free mentor visit by ROYAL FORESTRY World’s Most Extraordinary Forestry Co-ordinator a woodland management SOCIETY EXCELLENCE Rachel Thomas says: ‘We expert AWARDS 2018 are delighted that Piers • Visits to private woodlands and other exclusive venues Woodland owners has agreed to present the • QJF magazine and a and managers and awards. He has inspired fortnightly e-news forestry education many to look at how home- • Discounts on RFS courses, and skills organisations grown timber can contribute lectures, products & services in Gloucestershire, to modern design with Herefordshire, all the benefits for See what RFS members say Worcestershire, Cheshire, sustainable woodland in this video Shropshire, Staffordshire, management that brings.’ Living Woods 3 SPRING UPDATE @Woodland News REACHING FOR THE resistant glue, CLT is an SKY engineered wooden material Sumitomo Forestry has that is light, as strong as steel announced plans for a 350- and fire-resistant. m high skyscraper building. The 70-storey building will In 2010, the Japanese have a hybrid wood and government passed an steel structure, using 90% Act for the Promotion of wooden materials. A braced Use of Wood in Public steel structure will help Buildings – an admirable protect against earthquakes. commitment for a country It will incorporate 8,000 where woodland cover is a homes and include trees and mighty 67% (compared to foliage on balconies at every just 12% in the UK). Perhaps level. The visible interior better known for the will be all wood and in the concept of ‘Shinrin-yoku’, or words of the manufacturer, HERITAGE CRAFTS forest bathing, the Japanese who is committed to CONFERENCE: are also investing heavily in building high-rise wooden 10% CRAFTS FOR THE research into timber and buildings, ‘These structures of the world’s forests FUTURE wood technology, and this are like a forest, a habitat are protected areas Saturday 24 March 2018 building will utilise cross- for living things.’ Read more – an area the size Royal Society of Medicine, laminated timber (CLT). about high rise timber of India. Wimpole Street, London Made of layers of timber buildings, or ‘Plyscrapers’ on glued together with fire- BBC Future here. Speakers include Jojo Wood, apprentice clog-maker and wood-worker. JoJo is one of OLD-GROWTH FORESTS the world’s leading spoon- PROTECT BIRDS FROM carvers, and is training under RISING HEAT the last of the English clog- makers, Jeremy Atkinson. ncient woodlands More details here. Aare rightly valued for their unique ecosystems. Scientific American Magazine reports that the majestic old-growth Dropping big trees forests of the Pacific North- “ in the wood brings West protect birds from the rising heat caused by out the primeval climate change. Scientists man in you. Get it at Oregon University have analysed how the wrong and it populations of 13 different will kill you. bird species have changed Forester in BBC’s The Forest in the past 30 years. Essentially, populations within old-growth forests are weathering climate change better than birds elsewhere. To read the report, click here. ” 4 Living Woods VIEW THROUGH THE TREES VIEW THROUGH THE TREES Julia Goodfellow-Smith meets up with the neighbours plitting a woodland into several smaller plots creates a community Sof woodland owners. So, I have asked our community what the experience has been like in their first 12 to 18 months of ownership. Nicola and James have been using ponies to supplement power tools in controlling bracken and brambles.Their woodland is unrecognisable from the thicket they bought. They are delighted to see the return of wildlife and are looking forward to seeing their meadow bloom. Nicola says, ‘The woodland is my happy place where I can breathe clean air, exercise and build conservation value.’ For James, it is a retreat from his previous work environments and a place where he can develop useful skills for their next ambition – to be smallholders. Richard bought his woodland as a place for his children to experience and explore nature. He initially thought it would be an extension of his home. Now he also thinks of home as an extension of the woodland, even building a den from woodland branches in the garden. He is pleased that the novelty of spending time in the woods JULA GOODFELLOW-SMITH has not worn off for his children, and that they are spending less time on screens at looking at a hole, so we all love to see home now too. the photos.’ Gemma wanted somewhere for herself My husband Mike has always loved and her family that would always be there. The woodland is my being in woodlands, planting trees, Until they discovered that their plot is “ chopping them down and making things ancient woodland, complete with dormice, happy place where I from them. He loves the beauty of our they had plans to clear the brambles and can breathe clean air, woodland. ‘We have stately beech trees, create some flat areas. Instead, they have exercise and build Scots pine around our camp and daffodils made a few small paths for the children followed by bluebells from one end to the to run around, and are very careful not conservation value. other.’ He has been amazed by the variety to disturb the dormice or mycorrhizal of fungi we have, and at our reaction, fungi. There are times when the children accepting a slower pace of life there. are reluctant to go to the woods, but once All of our neighbours have said that there, they never want to leave. they enjoy being part of a community. For Tessa, who is renovating her house, ” Richard sums it up nicely. ‘I wasn’t the fact that the woodland does not need expecting us to make friends in the urgent attention is important.