Blog - volunteers

What do woodland owners think about British Forestry?

What do woodland owners think about British Forestry?

by Angus, 16 March, 2018, 0 comments

Gabriel Hemery of Sylva.org.uk is a researcher and entrepreneur in the British Woodlands sector. He just announced the results of his British Woodlands Survey 2017 (BWS) where he asked hundreds of woodland owners how they see the future of their woods. The survey covered 1.5 million acres of woodland - about a fifth of the UK wooded area and included forestry agents as well as 660 owners and looked at biodiversity, biosecurity, social attitudes and woodland creation. The report is entitled, "Shaping the Future of Forestry". Most striking was that the majority of owners and agents reported making a financial loss on their woodland over the last five years. Read more...

Woodland Goats

Woodland Goats

by Rebecca Cork, 24 July, 2017, 3 comments

At Tortworth Arboretum we are restoring a 20-acre woodland for community use – clearing an abandoned woodland of ten years of neglect while making it accessible for people to come and learn about nature, as well as improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing. We manage the woodland mostly with hand tools and an ever-evolving team of volunteers who give their time freely to the project. The woodland is host to hundreds of exotic trees from around the world, planted from the 1850s onwards by the local Earl, as well as some stunning veteran oaks and sweet chestnut trees. And we have goats. Read more...

Search and Rescue - woodland searches, dogs and toys

Search and Rescue – woodland searches, dogs and toys

by Angus, 30 July, 2012, 2 comments

David is a volunteer dedicated to saving lives. For nine years now he and his dog have been working with Hampshire Search and Rescue who deal with about 60 call-outs each year. This can be for children who've got lost or run away or for dementia sufferers who've forgotten where they live and are wandering around commons or woodlands. Recently his team spent three days looking for an Alzheimer's sufferer and eventually found her 50 miles from her home, alive and quite well. "The key objective," explains David, "is to find the missing person as quickly and efficiently as possible. When we are testing people who've been trained we expect a lot of them - they have to find three bodies in 50 acres within half an hour. Actually 7 % of missing people are found within 30 metres of a track or road." Read more...

Yew-turn on Forestry Commission sell-off

Yew-turn on Forestry Commission sell-off

by Angus, 20 February, 2011, 14 comments

On 17th February 2011 the Environment Minister, Caroline Spelman (DEFRA's Cabinet minister), announced that the consultation on the Forestry Commission sell-off was being cut short and that the Government would rethink the whole thing. However, things are never as simple as they seem. The Government is still committed to reducing DEFRA's costs and whether the vast woodland and forestry estate in England will remain under the management of the Forestry Commission is debatable. Read more...

BTCV - Conservation Volunteers

BTCV – Conservation Volunteers

by daniel sharp, 8 January, 2011, 9 comments

BTCV is a social enterprise group and charitable organisation that enables people to make a difference to their lives and to improve the places around them. They have the largest team of environmental volunteers in the country and have assisted at 50,000 sites across the UK. With 50 years worth of experience for engaging, reaching and inspiring volunteers and their communities, they are the confident pioneers of creating environmental capital. Read more...

Wild Flower Guide

Badger

Read our guide to wild flowers of woodland and hedgerow

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