We have been busy

It’s a while since we’ve issued an update on our activities – for the very good reason that we have been extremely busy. You’ll recall that In June 2023 we were granted a ten-year felling licence by the Forestry Commission to begin the process of rotational coppicing, our aim being to revitalise the biodiversity of the Society’s portion of a long-neglected wood. Conscious of the potential visual impact of such work,  and not being entirely sure how quickly coppiced trees would regenerate or ground flora appear, we proceeded with caution by bringing in a contractor to create a small clearing by removing about eighty densely packed trees. Hearts in mouths, we watched 100-year-old trunks being hauled down the steep hillside and then along the footpath to where a supportive landowner had let us install a gate that gave access across his fields to the road.

Once the felling was completed and trunks removed, volunteer work parties created a deer exclosure around the felled area. The felling and fencing were substantially funded by Shropshire Hills National Landscape’s (the new name for Shropshire Hills AONB) Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) fund. There is still work to do repairing pathways and clearing brash and branches left over from the felling, some of which will be used for dead hedging to provide shelter for wildlife, but now the interesting part begins while we wait and watch. If all goes the way we think it will, shoots will appear from coppiced oak stools (trunks), seedling oaks which would previously have been shaded out or eaten by deer will survive the summer months, and a layer of ground flora that was largely absent beforehand will begin to establish itself. Although a condition of the felling licence is to create a slightly greater variety of tree species as a safeguard against disease and climate change, we will delay decisions on exactly which species to introduce and where until we know where there are gaps from natural regeneration. We will also delay any decision on any further clearing until we know how quickly the young trees are growing.

Regenerating stool from a trial felling in 2022

The Stew was Finally Tamed

On Saturday 18^th November, fifty eager diners and six competitive cooks  turned out for ‘The Taming of the Stew’, an evening of wine, fine food and high tension. All were eager to know who would be chosen as the winning casserole maker using venison from a wild one-year-old red deer hind specially selected for the occasion. Miles Lawton, who works with landowners in the Redlake Valley to keep the burgeoning deer population under control, was tasked with the difficult job of deciding which of the six casseroles was the best. After polishing off generous helpings of casserole, baked potatoes and peas, and consuming eleven delicious puddings (Chapel Lawn is well known for its puddings), the guests hung onto every word of Miles’ illustrated talk on the many aspects of deer management, explaining how it protects crops and woodlands and keeps the deer herds healthy. Finally, the winner was announced. Miles’ job was all the more difficult because the six recipes were not only delicious, but startlingly varied.  In the end, Janet Tudor from Pentre near Chapel Lawn won with her Italian Agrodulce recipe.  

The five runners-up were Simon James from New Invention, Alison Gunning-Stevenson cand Karen Sharpe from Bucknell, Ryan Davies from Heyope, and James Middleton from Chapel Lawn. Janet’s prize was a bottle of St Emilion Grand Crut, while the five runners up were presented with boxes of Belgian Chocolates, giving the very local occasion a slightly European flavour. All competitors received certificates. RVCBS chairman, Mark Limbrick, thanked Miles and the helpers who had made the evening possible and explained that the money raised from the evening would help fund deer fencing around a recently felled area in the Society’s Brineddin Wood quillets. By protecting the area and encouraging growth of young trees, it is anticipated that the biodiversity of the wood will be boosted. Mark also  encouraged guests to come along to the monthly woodland work parties, the next one being on Sunday  26^th November – meet in Chapel Lawn Village Hall car park at 10.00 am.

The evening raised just over £300. The six casserole recipes can be found here.

venison-recipesDownload

First Work Party of the Season

Six volunteers generated 18 hours of work getting to grips with the first of the recent felling contractor’s debris piles. We also constructed a log storage platform near to the new access gate to accommodate sawn logs destined for firewood, with the remaining brash used to construct a linear dead hedge down the slope.  The debris pile has almost disappeared.

Great work by the team!
 
Thanks to every one and see you next time!

Mark Limbrick
RVCBS Chairman

Apple Pressing Success

Our apple pressing day on 21st October was a great success and made it onto the front page of the local Redlake Magazine.

A Taste of the Outdoors

We have two events coming up in the near future. On Saturday 21st of this month we still have some slots left for apple-pressing. Bring your apples and wine bottles and leave with delicious pasteurised apple-juice that will last for at least a year. 

Then, on Saturday 18th November, we are inviting you to dine out on locally-sourced venison when brave people will be competing for first prize in a venison casserole competition. That will be followed by a talk on deer control by a deer stalker who is working with local landowners to protect their crops and woodlands from deer predation. 

See the posters below for full details and how to book. 

Seeking New Board Directors Prior to AGM on 5th October

As we embark upon a new phase of engagement for the Society, one that involves a more hands-on approach to enhancing the biodiversity of Brineddin Wood, we are seeking the addition of up to two additional members to our board of directors. Ideally, prospective directors should possess a genuine passion for wildlife, which does not necessarily require expertise, although individuals with direct knowledge of woodland management or ecology will be most welcome. It is important to note that this shift in focus towards practical environmental stewardship does not signify a departure from our other core mission, which remains the promotion of community cohesion and participation through our various activities. Furthermore, we remain open to innovative ideas aimed at benefiting the local community, even though our past endeavours have predominantly revolved around woodland-related projects.   There are three avenues through which one can assume the role of a director. The first involves the nomination of an existing shareholder by two other shareholders. The second entails an individual acquiring a minimum shareholding of £100 and subsequently receiving a nomination from two existing shareholders. The third empowers the board to co-opt individuals with specific expertise relevant to our activity. As our AGM on 5th October is imminent, we are initially exploring the first of these options, but if that does not result in new nominations,  we may search more widely using the other two options. We have not engaged  an external speaker for this year’s AGM. Instead we will be discussing the creation of the first coupe we have created in the wood and where we go next. This could be an opportunity for anyone interested in putting their name forward to learn more about our plans before making a commitment. In the meantime, the Society’s rules can be found on the website here (see item 6), and our latest news immediately below this article.   The rewards of joining our board include the fulfilment of contributing to the revitalization of a neglected woodland area, increased involvement in our community, and the opportunity to forge new relationships and friendships. For younger individuals, who are particularly encouraged to participate, there is the added benefit of gaining insight into organizational governance. It is worth noting that we believe we operate effective governance without undue formality.   Our board meets approximately six times a year, and while there is no obligation to participate in practical work parties or other activities, we hope that any new director will express an interest in doing so. Our current meetings usually take place in the afternoon, but we are flexible and can adjust the schedule to accommodate new directors with daytime commitments. Currently, we aim to expand our board from 6 to 8 directors. If we receive more applications than the available two positions, we may seek input from our shareholders to make a final decision.    If this opportunity appeals, please contact our chairman, Mark Limbrick by email at redlakevalley@gmail.com or by phone on 01547 530002. If you are curious but uncertain about committing, we are open to the possibility of allowing you to attend one of our board meetings as an observer to gain insight into our work processes.

Unlocking Nature’s Potential

Well, that’s been our intention, so now we’ve started. After a long lead-in time involving much thought, taking advice from woodland experts, community consultation, fund-raising and selection of a suitable contractor, work has begun on felling our first coupe of Brineddin oaks. Alex Thackeray of Hayton Tree Services arrived last Monday and set to work by creating an earth ramp and gateway into the wood (by very generous permission of James Middleton, the neighbouring land-owner). On Tuesday he had cleared a route from the wood margin to the area chosen for felling and on Wednesday the first trees came down. Thursday was wet, and his digger needed repairs anyway, but by the end of the day on Friday maybe a quarter of the area had been cleared. Weather permitting, another two weeks should see the job done and the clearing up completed.  Alex will leave four fairly mature oaks in the cleared area which we hope will withstand the gales and contribute to the multi-generational profile that we anticipate. The trees extracted are being divided into good quality trunks destined for fencing or construction, and poor quality for firewood. Then, throughout the autumn and winter, it’s down to volunteer task force members to clear away brash and surround the area with deer fencing. Please come and help if you can.

As it’s a very good year for acorns, we hope that next spring will see large numbers of oak seedlings appearing as well as the stools from the felled trees resprouting. Depending on the density of new seedlings and resprouting stools, we may or may not need to plant any new stock of Sessile Oak, but our felling licence requires us to create a mix of local oak and a few other native broadleaf species at a density of 400 stems per hectare in a ratio of 80:20, which eventually means 64 Sessile Oaks and 16 trees of other species in this first coupe after any thinning that’s required.  We also want to encourage a healthy shrub layer to compensate for the deer predation that has virtually stripped out the hazel. A fascinating next few years will follow when we will monitor how the extra light entering the wood will encourage a richer ground flora and the invertebrate and vertebrate species that inevitably follow.

We will, of course, keep you well informed of progress, but there is an action plan on this page of our website that we keep up to date.

Even More Good News

Hard on the heels of our recent announcement that the Redlake Valley Community Benefit Society is now debt free, having paid off the loan for the purchase of a second quillet of woodland, we have two more pieces of excellent news. The first is that following extensive consultation with its shareholders, adjacent landowners, relevant organisations, nearby residents and the general public, the Society has now had its Woodland Management Plan approved by the Forestry Commission. This includes a ten-year felling licence. The second is that to take our management plan forward during the first year, we have been awarded £3,659 by the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership as part of its DEFRA-funded Farming in Protected Landscape Project (FiPL).

The FiPL Funds will support the first year of our Woodland Management Plan by creating the first of a series of coppiced ‘coupes’ in order to establish a traditional coppice cycle throughout the RVCBS holding over the next ten years.  Within that plan it is intended to retain a small number of oaks with the potential to become veteran trees, to encourage reseeding or to replant with native oaks if natural regeneration from the stools of felled trees proves inadequate, and to introduce a range of other native tree species to provide resilience to climate change and the threat of new plant diseases. During this first year, we must satisfy FiPL requirements relating to carbon sequestration, increasing understanding of good practice for enhancing biodiversity and enhancing the landscape quality.  How we will do this is explained in more detail below plus information on what we must do to satisfy Forestry Commission criteria, first and foremost of those relating to the safety of the public during felling and extraction. Over and above that. The Commission’s requirements are highly consistent with those of the AONB’s FiPL funding and are explained below. We do encourage you to examine this detail as not only is it a very satisfactory culmination of a twelve-year journey of learning how best to manage the Society’s quillets, but also a description – as well as we are able to predict given the variables of nature and climate – of the next ten years.

Farming in Protected Landscape Funding (FiPL)

The FiPL Funds will support the creation of our first coupe.  In doing so, we will meet four FiPL criteria. Firstly, we must ensure that more carbon is stored and/or sequestered. Mature woodlands like Brineddin become carbon neutral.  Sustainable use of felled timber wherever possible and retention of brash as dead wood will ensure that much sequestered carbon is preserved.  As new coppice growth rapidly develops there will be a far greater rate of carbon fixation than is currently the case. 

Our work must be able to increase understanding among farmers, land managers and the public as to what different habitats and land uses can deliver for carbon storage and reduced carbon emissions. The Society regularly publicises its activities amongst its 60 shareholders (predominantly resident in south Shropshire) and also to the general public through its website and emailed newsletters, as well information boards near the footpath at the edge of the wood.  It will also continue its practice of arranging talks, open to the general public, on topics relating to the woodland, and the importance of its proper management for the good of the natural environment.

We must ensure that the existing habitat will better managed for biodiversity. Since recognising the relative lack of biodiversity in the wood some years ago, the Society has been systematically exploring the causes and researching the solutions.  By permitting sunlight to once again reach the ground, the sparse ground flora will regrow, dormant seeds may germinate, and new plant species will be introduced by dispersal from the countryside nearby.  By leaving brash from felling, and some larger pieces of timber, a wide variety of invertebrate species will thrive. We will also encourage the growth of a healthy shrub-layer – especially hazel. The changed habitat will become attractive to a much wider range of animals, birds and insects, but this will not be instant and progress will need to be monitored over the ten years of the project.

FiPL also requires us to ensure that the quality and character of the landscape is reinforced or enhanced. Initially, of course, felling the first coupe will be unsightly, but it’s a small area of a large wood, and the regrowth of coppiced trees and the introduction of new specimens will compensate. It must be borne in mind that the Brineddin hillside has been covered by trees since at least 1600 – and probably long before that. The evidence tells us that throughout that time the woodland was managed in a way which, coincidentally, was nature-friendly and encouraged biodiversity.  Timber was extracted for construction, fencing and firewood, and the production of oak bark for tanning of leather was a major local business. All this stopped around a hundred years ago, coppicing ceased and the quality of the landscape in environmental terms began to decline.  It may be a slow process but the proposal now being put forward is the first step in reinforcing and enhancing the quality and character of the landscape. It may even be that other woodland owners nearby will follow our example.

If all goes to plan, felling our first coupe of 40m X 50m will take in place this autumn once the nesting season is over and before the land is too water-logged to transport the timber across to the road just below the Chapel Lawn river bridge. We are extremely grateful to James Middleton of Chapel Lawn Farm for providing us with this access.

Woodland Management Plan and Felling Licence

The Forestry Commission has biodiversity in mind nowadays as much as commercial timber production when approving management plans and lays down strict criteria which must be observed.

The first set of criteria applies to ensuring that the site is managed safely during felling and timber extraction, and in this case is especially important because of the public footpath running along the bottom of the wood. The felling itself does not present so much of a hazard as it will take place away from the path, but the trunks have to be dragged across the path to a nearby field before being carried across to the road. Our chosen contractor is experienced in such matters and signage will be put in place before felling and extraction take place. This stage is expected to take about two weeks. Although much of the wood is in poor condition, and many of the trees are weakened because of their proximity to each other, we have stipulated that wherever possible trunks will be used for sustainable purposes such as oak fencing.  We will leave a very few trees standing in the felling area in the hope that they will grow into mature ‘standards’ and even veterans in many years’ time.

Once felling and extraction are over, the Society will erect deer fencing around the felled area to protect it from deer predation. The intention is to complete this in the winter. After that we must let some time pass to find out how many felled stools regenerate and acorns germinate before we address restocking, which is where the Forestry Commission exercises its other criteria.

In order to provide the optimum conditions for increased biodiversity, instead of the present tree density of about 5-600 stems per hectare, we must reduce this to 400 per hectare which equates to about 80 canopy trees in the first coupe.  Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) will remain the dominant tree species either through regeneration of the stools of felled trees, through natural reseeding, or (less likely, we hope) restocking. However, to mitigate the possible effects of climate change and to provide a safeguard against new tree diseases, we must ensure that 20% of trees (i.e. 16 in the first coupe) are other broadleaf species such as  sweet chestnut, small-leaved lime, sycamore, wild cherry, hornbeam and Pedunculate Oak) All licenced trees felled are to be removed quickly and carefully so as to avoid damage to the remaining tree stumps, seedlings or coppice shoots. The land is to be adequately prepared in order to provide suitable conditions for successful establishment and weeded to facilitate natural regeneration or coppice regrowth Any preparation or weeding must be done in a way so as not to damage existing trees. Plants must be protected against damage and be adequately weeded. Any failure or losses should be replaced as necessary to provide the stocking density of not less than 400 stems per hectare evenly distributed over the site.

Over and above this, we will ensure that there is a healthy shrub-layer which will include hazel and some holly, and maybe rowan and hawthorn.

What happens next i.e., when we move on to our next coupe, rather depends on how well the young trees in the first coupe fare. As this is dependent on nature, weather and soil, it is impossible to predict, although our original intention was to create six coupes during the ten-year lifetime of the project.

The FiPL project aims and Forestry Commission requirements are, therefore, completely consistent, and exactly in line with the Society’s ambition for its quillets.

As a Community Benefit Society, of course, we remain keen that our woodland remains available for people to explore, enjoy and understand what we are doing. With the successes reported here, we hope that interest will increase and may even attract more volunteers – for both practical work, monitoring improvements in biodiversity, and with the management and governance of the Society. There is a lot to do, and we are keen to hear from others who would like to be involved.  

We will naturally keep shareholders and others informed of progress and from time to time we may put out calls for assistance on specific tasks. We are, of course, pleased to receive comments or questions.

Loan repaid

At the end of 2019 the Society purchased its second quillet for £21,506.60 (including costs). Despite additional donations and sales of shares, this would not have been possible without the generous offer of an interest-free loan of £8,000 from an anonymous benefactor. Since then, it has been a priority to raise funds to repay this loan. Craft items have been knitted and sold, hedges have been laid, rustic fences constructed and apples pressed into juice – all by volunteer labour – and the final instalment of the loan has now been repaid, leaving our finances in good shape for the future. This is excellent news and only possible through the help of enthusiastic shareholders. Many thanks to all who helped.

March in the Quillets

Despite an intermittent drizzle, eight intrepid workers turned out on Sunday 26^th March for our penultimate work party of the season. The task was to extend the network of pathways higher up in the quillets. As you can see from the photos, great progress was made. If you’ve not visited the quillets for a while, do try to make time. Pack a thermos and snack, climb right to the top of the flight of rustic steps and just sit there for a while enjoying the peace and quiet – apart from the drumming of the woodpeckers, of course, which seem especially active this year.

On the way back down, you’ll see that we’ve strimmed the bramble in one half of the deer exclosure. The idea is to find out if there’s a noticeable difference between the half where we’re suppressing its growth and the other half where we’re letting it grow unchecked. Bramble often gets a bad press, but it provides valuable shelter for ground nesting birds, and food for many invertebrate species. It’s also a source of food for dormice, although we suspect that the wood has been left unmanaged too long to support them – there’s plenty of honeysuckle, which they like, but much of the hazel is dead or dying and the dense leaf canopy means that catkins don’t form where it’s still clinging on so there aren’t any nuts in the autumn.  But we live in hope. Maybe they’ll return one day.

Finally, the last work party will be on Sunday 23rd April – meet as usual at 10.00 am in the car park at Chapel Lawn. There will be cake.