woodlandheritage.org

Woodland Heritage: Still ‘Rocking On’…

We are delighted to welcome the Stevenson Brothers as a new Corporate Member. A conversation with an old school woodwork pal, Stewart Linford, prompted their call to us. Stewart Linford was one our Founder Members back in 1993 and his continued support epitomises the ethos of our Charity. It is a good example of how our members can help to spread the word and recruit “like-minded” companies and individuals. For twenty-five years, twin brothers, Marc and Tony Stevenson have produced hand-made rocking horses, which have been universally recognised as works of art. Indeed, you can see pictured an example of their fine work. And on page 51 you can read more about their commitment to ‘wood’ through their superb craftsmanship and their ‘green policy’.

Our Field Weekend 2006 in the Scottish Borders was declared a resounding success – the sheer diversity and numbers of members who ‘rocked up’ only served to confirm this. This year we are heading south to Melbury Estate, Dorset and Stourhead Western, Wiltshire. A brief outline of our programme is overleaf.

Last autumn our Trustees decided that the dedication and contribution that Dr. Peter Savill has made to forestry should be recognised by a special Award. He has been a leading light in forestry and his work in inspiring and guiding students and others is exemplary. Peter has also been a superb Trustee for Woodland Heritage and in recognition of his life-long commitment to learning; we decided to create The Woodland Heritage Savill Award. This year it is awarded to Susan Bell (page 5) for her tremendous contribution to British forestry. We look forward to presenting this to her during our Field Weekend on 22nd and 23rd June. Our small Charity has been talking about “sustainable development” since it’s inception some 14 years ago. Now finally, the UK seems to be waking up to the importance of carbon emissions and the environment in general. It is with this in mind, that the statement overleaf by our Patron His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is indeed timely and so encouraging. We are most grateful for his continued support.

We have also decided that a new Membership Category should be created – one which will build a foundation, a secure platform that will underpin the future growth of Woodland Heritage. This new ‘Foundation Membership’ will consist of a small core of committed major corporates who are prepared to ‘sign up’ for twenty years, with an annual financial commitment that will enable us to plan into the future and thereby undertake some major projects. Our first Foundation Member is about to “sign on the line” and we will tell you about it as soon as the ink is dry. Other major corporates interested in the environment will follow their lead. Exciting times indeed ! I do hope that you enjoy reading our Journal this year and that we have succeeded in providing something for everyone, as we try to do. Thank you all for your continued support which enables us to carry on with and extend our work.

Lewis J. Scott

Woodland Heritage was started as a vehicle for consumers of wood to put something back into our environment for the future.

Many wood users, led by furniture makers, timber merchants and private tree growers, signed up to the principle of helping to replenish our native woodland resource. These founding members were swiftly joined by hundreds of individual members, assionate about trees and how our woodlands are being managed.

However, retailers of furniture and other wood-based products such as DIY stores have generally been slow to recognise the link between the products they sell and the need to grow high quality trees in a sustainable way to assure future supplies.Many retailers do not appear to see themselves as a part of the supply chain. We believe that retailers have a vital role to play. They are at the “sharp end” of the supply chain and as such are the ones who interface with consumers. They are in a position to help raise public awareness of the need for putting something back. There are always exceptions to the rule. One enterprising retailer is developing a scheme whereby if the consumer will contribute one percent of the sales price, then they will match it, pound for pound.

Another contributor is The Oak Window Company (see below) who, as the name implies, are manufacturers of traditional solid oak windows and doors. They are a relatively new start-up company who “adore working with this beautiful natural material” (their words) and who approached us saying they would like to contribute to WH on the basis of oak timber sales. It is their intention to plant at least one tree for every order they take, therefore not only replacing woodland, but also increasing the total area of woodland. I believe such innovative approaches are to be applauded.

NHG Timber Ltd is another example of a welcome new WH supporter. As an international timber merchant, they source from 65 countries across the world and have real concerns about sustainable development, but equally, they see the importance of putting something back “at home”.

So, I asked Tim Rollinson, Director General of the Forestry Commission, if he would contribute his thoughts on the same theme and he kindly agreed to do so (see pages 4 & 5). I know that some of our private woodland growers may not agree with all of his views – in which case, I hope they will enter into a constructive debate. Tim has certainly proved his willingness to engage with the industry as a whole. One of the things that I do agree with Tim on is that we must not be sidetracked into simplistic debates of “continuous cover versus clear felling”. Certainly, WH would not be so presumptuous, or prescriptive, as to maintain that any particular forestry system is a panacea. We do think that continuous cover systems offer a viable alternative on appropriate sites. But overall the UK surely needs a judicious mix of management systems, depending on each particular environment.

Likewise, I agree that a “broadleaves versus conifers” debate is equally sterile and misses the point entirely. Accordingly, Woodland Heritage, being a broad church believes in keeping an open mind. We can all learn from others and hence the importance we attach to our Garthwaite Travel Bursaries which allow forestry students and practitioners to look at alternative management systems across the world thatmight add to the sum of our knowledge and encourage best practice. The only condition we attach to the bursaries is that the recipients must share the knowledge they have gained, by way of a short report for publication. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these reports in this issue of our Journal.
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Lewis J. Scott