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By Clive Cobie 8th November 2019 I have recently started a project that I would like to share with you. The school woodland theatre project. The idea came in a breeze of inspiration as do so many. I was pondering how to connect people with nature to help communities grow and work together. The school woodland theatre project, is going to be a means of achieving this. The nucleus is the desire to learn matched by the desire to teach. Every school has forest school teachers and students, the theatre is a place that is created to encourage the learning [...]

Ash dieback honeycomb effect By Clive Cobie I am interested to know if anyone has noticed when cutting ash trees with dieback, if at the base there is a honeycomb effect, this I believe is when the tree is in the advanced stages of die back where the mycelium has reached the roots. What I have noticed in one of the trees is an ant colony hibernating within the cavities it has excavated , it seems like the ants have eaten the wider of the rings which I believe is the spring growth ring , which would no doubt be [...]

A GUIDE TO HAZEL COPPICE ASSESSMENT By Jonathan Howe The following notes are meant as a beginners guide to gauging the potential commercial worth of coppice offered in standing sales. There is nothing more daunting than walking into an acre of densely stocked 8-year old hazel and trying to decide if it is good enough for you to make a living on. If you are feeling optimistic your spirits will be lifted by the sight of many straight stems on a stool to your left, while ignoring the poor twisted and stunted specimen growing under an oak on your right. [...]

Burning logs legally and storing them properly: Log moisture content is important if you are going to be burning it, if you are not intending to burn it then it's fine, please enjoy all the wet logs you like and make wonderful things with them, but if you are going to be burning it, please read on. Moisture comes from two places when it comes to wood, the sap in the wood while it is growing, and if freshly cut is called 'Green wood'. The second place a log can get moisture from is the environment, such as rain, damp [...]

Woodfuel and the future sale of logs.... You will no doubt have seen and heard press reports about the Government banning the sale of logs (woodfuel). If you heard the discussion that took place on Friday 21 st on the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio2 you would think there is going to be a total ban on burning logs in the future. That is NOT the case. Over two years ago DEFRA issued a consultation document about the use of coal and logs in domestic heating. The NCFed responded to that consultation on behalf of all member organisations including [...]

Pests: What are we looking out for? The following is from the Observatree website as there have been more calls recently to look out for, and report trees in trouble, particularly with the growing push to plant more trees, as planting near infected areas may be a pointless exercise. For more information and details on each of the pests below, please visit their website HERE There are hundreds of pests and diseases that are currently a potential threat to UK trees. The Government has created the UK Plant Health Risk Register which records and rates risks to UK trees (and [...]

HEDGELAYING AND COPPICING By Frank Wright There are about 35 different hedgelaying styles across the country, nearly all of which use stakes and many use binders. The two that I know of that don’t use either are two West Country styles, Dorset, and Devon and Cornwall. Both these styles are laid very low and are atop a steep, small bank and are the final bit of the barrier to prevent stock from escaping. Dorset style uses long whips from within the hedge to wrap around the laid stems and keep them in a sausage shape; Devon and Cornwall style uses [...]

Steve's Seat By John Waller   I was asked to make a seat to go around a tree at the Kent Showground in Detling.  The tree itself was planted in remembrance of Steve Wright, in a lovely spot in Murrain Wood - the hub of the forest section at the Kent Show.  Steve, amongst many other things, was on the Forestry Committee at the Showground.   I got to know Steve after he came on a few of my courses some years ago, and subsequently through the Coppice Group and his work - especially at Ranscombe.  I think he'd approve [...]