Forest Education Initiative North-East Cluster

Newsletter April 2013

Welcome to the newsletter of the North East F.E.I. Cluster:

The N.E Cluster, started in 1997, includes , rangers, environmentalists, people involved in education and organisations such as Council, Forest Enterprise, City, National Trust for and Scottish Natural Heritage.

Group meetings are held about 4 times a year; dates for 2013 are provisionally 10 June (10.00 am at the Bennachie Centre) 2 September (10.30 am at the Lochinch Centre, Aberdeen) and 18 November (10,00 am at Bennachie). Everyone is welcome - confirmed dates, venues and agendae will be circulated closer to the time. If you’re interested, why not come along? Email [email protected] to be added to the contact list!

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Find us on the FEI website at http://www.foresteducation.org/cluster_group/north_east_scotland/

Note from the Development Officer

2012 was another busy year for the North East Scotland FEI cluster. Some of the highlights included: Running a second Level Three OCN Forest School Leaders training course for a further 16 people from across Aberdeen city and shire. Running a careers event on jobs in the sector at SAC in March which was well attended by careers teachers from Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray. Organising another successful Woodland Awareness CPD event at for teachers from the and school clusters. We had not done a lot of work in this part of Aberdeen- shire before, so this was an ideal opportunity to spread the word about the FEI aims and objectives. Running a stand at TECHFEST during September. Our event was called “Build a House from a Seed” and looked at the many ways in which trees, and tree-derived products are used. We managed to attract 600 children during the week. The event was an excellent example of partnership working and we could not have run it without the support of the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Ranger Services, Countryside Group, Forvie Trees and the Forestry Commission Rangers. Providing help and support for local Author Alan Crawford to edit, illustrate and publish Whispering , a book of tree-stories about some of Scotland’s native trees.

Looking to the future, the funding situation for the Development Officer post is uncertain, but the FEI group will continue to operate with our dedicated team of volunteers, independent environmental education professionals and Rangers. It was pleasing to be told at the FEI national networking event that the North East cluster is one of the most active groups in Scotland.

We will continue to administer the Woods for Learning grants, and we will continue to support the qualified Forest School Leaders whose training we have subsidised, Our future direction will be focusing more on deliver- ing environmental CPD training to teachers and others involved in education, as this is something we are increasingly being asked to deliver.

The Forest Education Initiative has ceased to exist in England and has been replaced by a new body, the Forest Education Network, this was brought about due to restructuring of the Forestry Commission down south, and FEI was no longer supported by them. At the moment FEI in Scotland and Wales continues to receive a high level of support from FC Scotland and Wales respectively and in the North East we are fortunate in being well supported by the Grampian Conservancy. Doug

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, , Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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an Outdoor Learning Classroom By Clive Marsden, Alford Academy

Many years ago Alford Academy was gifted a Forestry Plot in Murray Park, to promote an interest in Forestry careers amongst the students of the time. The plot was planted up with a mixture of conifer species by the students. One of the staff of Aberdeenshire Council’s Roads and Landscape Services department, who still lives in Alford, remembered as a pupil removing trees and planting conifers.

In recent decades the plot has seen little use by the school, as the economics of forestry combined with the introduction of mechanisation has seen a reduction in the number of jobs in Forestry.

Several years ago it was decided to use the plot as part of an outdoor activity week that the Academy run each year, and a number of improvements have been made which were aimed at improving access and encouraging the use of the plot for Outdoor Learning activities. Under the guidance of Alford Academy teachers Clive and Maria Marsden, a series of annual mini-projects have been organised. The first task was to make the area safe as there were a large number of unstable trees. These had to be felled and at the same time, an area for ‘regeneration’ and an area for a ‘classroom’ was created. A path was created to allow access to the plot, and the clearing was created to make a useful gathering and teaching space amongst the trees.

This year, the school were given a small grant by the Forest Education Initiative to further develop the use of the resource. Unfortunately, the strong winds this winter meant that, as previously, the forest area had to be made safe as a number of large trees were ‘hanging’ on others. However, these formed the basis for the production of simple furniture.

A cargo parachute was bought and due to the diligence and patience of one of the school technicians the hundreds of rips were repaired. This formed the ‘icing on the cake’ in terms of giving the classroom a canopy.

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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On May 31st and June 1st, students from the Academy took part in building an outdoor teaching space. Local forestry contractor, Ben Hudson of Treelogic, a former Alford Academy pupil, brought along a portable mill (called an Alaskan ) to turn windblown trees into useful planks which the students used to build benches and a plank wall.

Doug Gooday (FEI) came and taught fire-lighting and forest safety to small groups of students in turn whilst the rest dug holes, repaired paths and built furniture. There were different students on each of the two days. Wet and soggy on day one and warm and sunny on day two.

The students had great fun being outdoors, doing something worthwhile and it provided some first-hand practical experience in using and team working.

Interested in networking with others involved in woodland-based education? Want to meet up with others doing Forest School Leader training? NEFEI is having an informal get-together on 6 June, 4.00 pm at the Back o’Bennachie. We’ll provide the fire, bring your own food!

For more information contact Doug or Katy

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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Gordon Primary Schools Visit Meadows Woods to see Wesley the Clydesdale Horse in Action By Primary 4a and 4b

Primary 4A and 4B were very lucky to be able to go down to the meadows to watch the horse on Thursday Nov 30th. The trip was organised by Aberdeenshire Council and the Forest Education Initiative.

Over a period of 3 weeks about 155 trees had been moved from the Meadows using the traditional method of horse logging.

They learnt about the importance of the woods for encouraging wildlife, the uses of the forest (for paper production and fuel) and why the forest was being thinned.

The Clydesdale horse was being used to move the felled logs because it was able to fit into smaller space that a tractor wouldn’t be able to fit into.

The children were able to stroke Wesley, the horse and help to feed him.

Their outing was very interesting and everyone enjoyed seeing the horse and learning about logging.

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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Inspiring People Through Nature.

By Doug Gooday FEI

2013 has been designated as Year of Natural Scotland http://www.snh.gov.uk/enjoying-the- outdoors/year-of-natural-scotland-2013/ and we are all being encouraged to get outside to celebrate and enjoy the wonderful habitats and wildlife we are fortunate to have in Scotland.

Biodiversity is having a hard time in Britain at the moment: our populations of marine fish, farmland birds and many insects are seriously declining and a recent report from the plant conservation charity Plantlife highlighted the rate of plant extinction in Aberdeenshire which means that we come top of the league table for plant extinctions in the UK; not an enviable position for us to be in, living and working as we do in the North East.

There are several related reasons for these declines in our native flora and fauna including: current farming practices, over-fishing, climate change and air pollution. Our lifestyles and consumption patterns mean that we are all responsible so we should not place blame on any one group for these losses. No-one sets out to deliberately destroy the biodiversity on which we all depend, but through ignorance and indifference we are sleep-walking into a crisis of epic proportions.

There is some good news however: the cleaning up of freshwater rivers and lakes has meant that otters are now living in every county of the UK, an incredible recovery since the low point of the late 1960s, Salmon are also returning to many rivers and the numbers of many birds of prey species are recovering to something like their pre-DDT levels. Conservation works, we just need a lot more of it!

Teachers and Forest School folk can help to reverse these declines through awareness-raising of the importance of biodiversity by engaging children with the wonders of nature. When we look at the public understanding and appreciation of nature in the UK, or look at the space devoted to nature reserves, both are at a minimum when compared to our European neighbours, making the UK the bottom of the EU league table for these measures, so it is vital that the next generation of Scottish children learns to appreciate, value and care for the natural world to a greater extent than their parents and grandparents generations. Teachers have a huge part to play in stimulating and shaping children’s knowledge and appreciation of the natural world.

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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Teachers, Forest School Leaders and all outdoor educators should remember that they might be the first and only person a child comes across who has an interest and a passion for the natural world. As Rachel Carson, the author of Silent Spring wrote: “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it “.

There are many ways we can experience nature in the North East and we have some spectacular wildlife sites to visit. Before we can inspire our children we need to be inspired ourselves, so take advantage of the Year of Natural Scotland and get outside to visit some of our wonderful wildlife sites.

Visiting one of the many seabird colonies on the coast, during the breeding season, is one of the greatest wildlife experiences you can have in Aberdeenshire, and is definitely on a par with a safari to the Serengeti or snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.

A visit to Fowlheugh near , and Cliffs just south of Boddam, or Troup Head on the north Aberdeenshire coast near Pennan during late May and June is really a feast for the senses. It is a wonderful visual spectacle to watch the thousands of birds flying around, performing their aerial acrobatics and landing on the narrow cliff ledges, the loud croaking calls of the guillemots and the musical notes of the kittiwakes are a loud, natural symphony and the smell of the colony is also unforgettable! As long as you don’t mind heights, it is possible to get really close-up views of the nesting birds.

Another North East wildlife spectacular which is well worth visiting are the remnants of Caledonian Pinewoods on Deeside, some of which can be visited in Glen Tanar near and at Mar Lodge near . These forests are the remains of the vast -dominated forests that once covered much of the Highlands of Scotland. Today, less than one per cent of the original forest remains and many of these remains are now protected as nature reserves. These special places are the closest we can get to wilderness in our overcrowded and over-managed little island. To have a walk amongst the ancient and is to bring back memories of a time when nature ruled and creatures such as elk, lynx and wolves roamed the woods, much as they still do in parts of Europe today.

If you cannot get outside and still want to be inspired by nature, it is worth looking at these two inspirational wildlife photography websites: 2020 vision http://www.2020v.org/ is a photography project to promote nature conservation in Britain and also to encourage young wildlife photographers. Wild Wonders of Europe http://www.wild-wonders.com/ is a similar project covering the whole of Europe, which aims to build up an image library of over 200,000 stunning wildlife photographs.

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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Pianos, skittles and helicopters! Mandy Tulloch.

Walk in a nearby wood and you will soon come across a conifer or evergreen tree. Fast growing, impressively tall and important ecologically and commercially, they are an interesting group of trees.

There are five species of conifer commonly found in woods in the north east of Scotland. The Norway and Sitka , Douglas , Scots pine and . All have been planted for timber or paper production and produce cones, made up of scales, inside which their seeds develop. As the cones are all distinct you can use them to identify their species.

Norway spruce has the largest cones that grow to 17cm in a long tapering shape. The Norwegian capital city, Oslo, sends a Norway spruce to Edinburgh each year as a Christmas tree. The cones from all other species are much shorter but have distinct characteristics. Sitka spruce cones are uniform in length and diameter with a textured pattern and are approximately 8cm long. Steinway Pianos favour Sitka spruce for the soundboards in their pianos! Female cones have little tri-pointed leaves in between their layers that resemble the back half of a mouse, with two feet and a tail! The Scot David Douglas was honoured for bringing this species into cultivation from the wilds of western North America. The Scots pine is the only native conifer from the group. Its cones are 5cm in length, closed and pointed when green but open to make a typical cone shape when dried. The tree’s trunk resembles the colour of red squirrels. The smallest cones are those from the larch, being the most spherical and the size of a small walnut. The only deciduous conifer, you will find its cones on branches with either buds or bunches of leaves. Most exterior wooden cladding you see on houses in the north east is larch.

Children love collecting cones (although they often call them acorns). They are an interesting natural resource at school or home.

5 things to do with cones:

1 – start a cone collection. You might need to visit more than one wood to find them all. Store your finds in an egg box or make your own mini-museum.

2 – play skittles. Norway spruce cones make the best skittles. Push six cones into the ground so they stay vertical and see who can knock them all over!

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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3 – throw seeds. Dry some cones in a paper bag for a few days. Shake the bag to loosen the seeds from within the cones and throw a pinch up in the air. They will twirl down to the ground like tiny helicopters.

4 – be a squirrel detective. Both red and grey squirrels eat the seeds from cones, by nibbling away the scales. You can find these remnant cones at the bottom of trees. You can’t tell if it’s a red or grey that has eaten the cone but you can tell if it’s left or right handed!

5 – create a creature. Collect some cones and other woodland treasures and with some glue and googly eyes see what kind of creatures you can make? How about a wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie for Burn’s Day?! Mud Pies runs weekly nature classes for two Exploring woods to find to five year olds, birthday parties for two to evergreen trees and their ten year olds and visits for schools and cones is great fun. Happy nurseries. collecting! Contact Mandy Tulloch on M: 07929 465680 or W: www.mudpieadventures.co.uk.

In-Service Day

Mintlaw Academy and nearby Aden Park were the venues for a cold February in-service day organised by the FEI group for 64 education staff from the area.

Participants took part in hands-on outdoor sessions such as using tools, where they learned about the safe and correct use of sheath knives, folding and bow-saws. One of the aims here was to demonstrate the fact that creating the resource of a heating switch, and flicking it on, is colossal in terms of energy-use compared to finding, transporting, sawing and burning wood.

There were also practical biodiversity, art and craft and problem-solving activities. The overall intention of the day was to stimulate interest and give guidance in various aspects of outdoor learning which can take place in the woods and it is very much hoped that some of the teachers who attended will build such activities into their practice.

The presentations were Using the Outdoors to Promote Resilience from Terri Harrison, a teacher with Nature Nurture at Camphill Community; The Importance of Environmental Awareness – Connecting People to Nature and Developing a Sense of Place from Doug Gooday, Development Officer with FEI; and a triple whammy of Curriculum for Excellence Links, Planning for Outdoor Learning, and the Importance of Risk Benefit from Lizzie Bacon and Katy Leitch, former teachers.

Initial evaluation comments were generally very positive but a few concerns were expressed, for example, about how to achieve an adequate adult:pupil ratio and about how to develop enough confidence to use tools with children.

FEI would like to thank all who contributed to making the day so successful.

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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Whispering Woods

The FEI cluster have assisted local and author Alan Crawford to publish a book of stories about our Scottish native trees

Whispering Woods is a collection of woodland tales, to help readers of all ages rediscover the magic of trees and woodland and a picture of their impact on Scottish cultural life.

These original stories about Scotland's native trees, weave to- gether threads of mythology and lore, herbal medicine, uses of timber and wood, woodland ecology and imagination to produce unique tales that are appealing to adults and children alike. These stories will both entertain and inform. Whilst entering into imaginary world of the story, the reader or listener will also start to become more familiar with the features of our native trees and their associated flora and fauna, leading to a deeper understand- ing of how species, including ourselves, depend on one another and the environment for survival.

These beautifully illustrated stories evolved through a fortuitous, accidental meeting between the au- thor and a teacher searching for original stories to read to children in the forest - stories that would both capture their imagination and enhance their understanding of, and respect for, the woodland environment. They will bring much pleasure to all who love the natural world.

Using the format and style of fairy tales and legends, the book entertains and informs young school children in a new fun way, and the wonderful illustrations really help to create a feel for the stories, while helping to foster in children an interest in their natural environment in an engaging new way.

The book can be bought on Amazon, or from the author [email protected] FEI have a limited number of discounted copies for sale to education establishments and profession- als, for more information please contact [email protected] including Whispering Woods in the subject line.

Forest Skills and Bushcraft Courses run by Lohr

Tools of the Forest:

Thursday 16th May or Saturday 28th September at Dess, near Aboyne

The axe is probably one of the most versatile hand tools for the outdoors person. It is also one of the scariest! Today we will learn how to use an axe safely and with confidence. We will go through dif- ferent styles of , maintenance, sharpening, correct usage and different axing techniques. You will be able to make your own (see photo below).

You must bring your own axe. The Gransfors Small Forest Axe (approx £45) is recommended - hand- made and with unquestionable 20 year guarantee

Contact organiser/trainer Willow Lohr for more details of these workshops - times, meeting place, costs etc. - & booking. Email: [email protected] tel: 07837 420494 . FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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North East Scotland Outdoor Learning Group Forest School Practitioners Award OCN Level 3: Training for Leaders 2013

Forest School Leader training for education, social work and health practitioners working with children and young people.

Venue: Durris Woodlands and Camphill School Aberdeen, Milltimber

12 days tutor lead practical training, including 2 days Paediatric First Aid in Outdoor Settings, and student led study, practical assessment and portfolio work.

Saturday 8 June 12 -16 August 14-15 September 5 - 6 October 16 -17 November

Costs: £995 (including £120 to secure place,with balance by 20 May 2013) Please contact Julia Mackay: [email protected] www.nesolg.org.uk to register online

FEI North-East Scotland, Doig-Scott Building , Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9TR

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