Milling Timber Get Trained
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L ivingWoodsN o.54 WINTER 2019 MAGAZINE MILLING TIMBER PORTABLE CHAINSAW MILLS GET TRAINED WOODLAND WORKSHOPS MEET THE MAKER: Giles Newman + PHOTOGRAPHING WOODLANDS CONTENTS 019 may well be remembered as the year when the phrase ‘climate emergency’ took root in the popular conscience. We review the timely and 2thought-provoking State of Nature Report. None of us know what the future holds, but woodland owners are undoubtedly discussing how they can manage their woodlands for the future and asking how they can do more. In this issue, we have focused on woodland courses and training, as well as the sustainable and low-impact extraction of logs and timber. We also look at ways to simply enjoy the trees – photographer Beth Mercer shares her tips on how to photograph woodlands effectively and the talented Giles Newman describes his love of woodcarving. For all those tree trivia experts, Professor Julian Evans shares a few lesser-known forestry facts. Finally, we send best wishes to all our readers for the Christmas season and the new year. Judith Millidge 12 Editor [email protected] Woodland fungi by Beth Mercer 3 News and updates from the woodland world 6 5 View through the trees – Julia Goodfellow-Smith 6 Get trained – woodland workshops 9 Extracting timber – using a portable sawmill 12 Photographing the woods and the trees 15 The State of Nature 16 Meet the Maker – woodcarver Giles Newman 19 Teaching timber – classes for all ages at Sylva Wood School 20 Ten things you didn’t know about trees – Professor Julian Evans 23 Book review – Make a Folding Spoon 24 Woodnote – seasonal symbolism of the yew 25 Acknowledgements 16 COVER PHOTO BY SANDRA FREY ON UNSPLASH LivingWoodsMagazine.co.uk Published by Living Woods Magazine Ltd, 19 Half Moon Lane, London, SE24 9JU 2 Living Woods WINTER UPDATE @Woodland News Photo: Niall Benvie WTML Photo: Niall Benvie TREE WITH A FACE LEADS BATTLE of the Highlands and Islands, said: ‘The public AGAINST DUTCH ELM DISEASE IN THE perception of elm is probably quite defeatist. MANAGING SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS. Many people might not realise that healthy elms WOODLANDS IN A The ‘Last Ent of Affric’ is a magnificent lone elm exist, grow and regenerate. I think it is important CLIMATE EMERGENCY which was named Scotland’s Tree of the Year to emphasise that elms are not lost to our 2019 last month after a public vote organised by landscape.’ The ElmWatch campaign aims to stop The Forestry Commission the Woodland Trust. Hundreds of years old, it has the spread of the disease in Scotland and carries has issued new management lived quietly protected by its remote location – a out research to secure the future of the species. guidance to provide practical 10km walk from the nearest road. Where are we with Elm? by Karen Russell and advice to landowners and The tree has a peculiar ‘face’ visible on its trunk published by the Future Trees Trust, summarises woodland managers on ways which is why it has been named ‘Ent’ for the the work done to breed disease-resistant elms they can better manage their mythological tree creatures which feature in JRR and preserve the few that survived Dutch elm woodland to combat the Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. disease. ‘With the right people in the right place effects of climate change. Dr Euan Bowditch of the Wooded Landscapes and the funding we can put elm back in the The 16-page booklet Research Group at Inverness College, University landscape,’ she said. Read the full report. provides clear and concise advice, covering the likely impacts of climate change Deer Manager In tandem with this, the Deer on England’s trees and Manager mobile app has been woodlands, followed by Woodland owners and completely revised to aid to suggestions for management managers face a constant battle better record-keeping. Stalkers in the future. Click on the with deer, which damage young can instantly add sighting data, image to read it. trees. Tracking and managing including information about populations is not easy, but Sylva species, sex, age, larder weight Foundation’s popular myForest and location. woodland mapping website now has a new Download the app from Sylva’s website: set of tools for landowners and managers to sylva.org.uk/myforest/deer-manager collect, store and collate deer management or Google Play (Android phones). iPhone information across landscapes. owners will find it in the App Store. Living Woods 3 WINTER UPDATE YEAR OF THE TREE IN RICHMOND PARK Richmond Park in south-east London is home to 130,000 trees, including some of the oldest oaks in the country. There are around 1,400 veteran trees, some up to 800 years old. To celebrate the launch of Year of the Tree 2020, a year-long conservation programme, the Friends of Richmond Park commissioned the artist Mark Frith to draw the iconic Royal Oak, which is the official emblem of the campaign. Limited edition prints are available and all funds raised go to support the conservation efforts in the park. More details: Friends of Richmond Park website. Excellence in Forestry CAMPAIGN FOR A THOUSAND HUTS The Royal Forestry Society’s Excellence in Forestry Awards 2020 will be reaching Following a change in Scottish across the Irish Sea for the first time as they Planning Policy, there is a revival in seek to identify the very best in woodland Scottish hutting. However, building management in Northern Ireland, the Isle of a simple, low-impact hut in the Man and Wales. woods is still not straightforward. Urging owners and managers of woods Karen Grant, of Reforesting of all sizes and those running woodland Scotland’s Campaign for a education and learning projects thousand huts writes, ‘We to take part, Excellence in believe that a culture of recreational Forestry Awards co- hut use, similar to that enjoyed ordinator Rachel Thomas in many countries across Europe, said, ‘At a time when could benefit people greatly. Hut in the wood. There will be keynote we hear a lot about the life brings people closer to nature. speakers, plus a panel taking need to plant new trees to It cultivates practical skills in low questions and answers on how to combat climate change, it carbon living, and the physical and set up a hut site. The afternoon is equally important that we manage our mental health benefits are clear. will be filled with a choice of existing woods to optimise their benefits ‘This spring we’ll be hosting a sessions on everything from hut for climate change, rural economies and Hutters’ Rally for around 200 construction to planning permission health and wellbeing. participants in Dundee to address and negotiating leases.’ ‘We know there are many fine woods the issue head-on, tackling big A new online Resource Hub will and forests in Wales, Northern Ireland and barriers such as access to land, as be launched as a one-stop-shop for the Isle of Man and we want to be able to well as the challenges of developing potential hutters, hut builders and shout about them. These awards will throw a hutters’ group and building a hut, hut site developers to find all they a spotlight on those who are achieving the or starting a site with several huts. need for new hutting opportunities. very best, helping to share and promote The event will include a Hutters’ The Hutters’ Rally will take place best practice.’ The deadline for entries is Trade Fair, where participants on 8 February 2020. To receive a Tuesday 3 March 2020, judging will be held can access products, services, notification when tickets go on sale, in May with an awards event in July. knowledge and contacts to help email [email protected], Full details: www.rfs.org.uk/awards/ them achieve their dream of a hut or check www.thousandhuts.org excellence-in-forestry-2020 4 Living Woods VIEW THROUGH THE TREES VIEW THROUGH THE TREES JULIA GOODFELLOW-SMITH exerts tough love; with a management plan in place, she begins felling trees to improve the life and biodiversity of Garland Wood. he time has come. We shattered as the chainsaw love our woodland and ripped through the beautiful Tour trees. And yet, we’ve Scots pine. Almost started to cut them down. imperceptibly, the tree This autumn, we celebrated began to fall. As it gained our tenth wedding anniversary momentum, Mike stepped in our woodland. Our friend, away, watching carefully, the an opera singer, sang to the chainsaw now quiet. trees and we renewed our vows surrounded by family Controlled felling and friends. Now it is time for some tough love, to extend the I expected the tree to crash life of the woodland by doing to the ground with an something that we both hate the almighty thud, but it didn’t. thought of – felling some of the It had hardly started falling trees. when it stopped, balanced We have spent two years on the branches of another. reflecting on the best course Our woodland is seriously of action, taken advice and overcrowded, so I shouldn’t written a management plan, have been surprised. now approved by the Forestry Mike calmly looked at the Commission. tree from different angles, I learnt about grading trees contemplating what to do on a Royal Forestry Society next. (RFS) course, and Mike has With the careful use of re-done his chainsaw certificate wedges, precise cutting and – both necessities for us to be something that looks like a confident that we are doing the medieval torture instrument right thing in the right way. to grab and roll the tree (a felling bar), it fell to the Ring-barking for ground, completely under biodiversity control.