Our work in support of the TIMBER festival saw a group of HCWG meet up in Willesley Wood a couple of Sundays ago as reported last month. Since then we have been asked by Simon Greenhouse of the National Forest, to remove a quantity of logs from the Feanedock site for use as firewood at the event. A number of trees have been felled to widen tracks and open-up wooded areas as part of the site planning which is now an ongoing process. Thanks to a working party of around six members the logs have now been moved to a site near Ashby.

Over the next couple of weeks we plan to build log stores and process the logs we have to speed-up the drying process. In the background we are awaiting further information from Wild Rumpus on the specification of the firewood and the volumes/demand they expect at the festival.

Grant Work

Thanks to the effort of the group at our Willesley Wood sessions we have now completed the ride edge grant work. What does this mean I hear you ask - it means we are able to claim the National Forest grant funding which we applied for on behalf of the Woodland Trust. Mark Beer manages this for the group so once this has been claimed and supporting evidence provided we will receive the funding to help support the group and help us grow.

View of the ride at Willesley Wood where we have been thinning and widening as part of the NFC grant work.

Tools

Thanks to the B2G team we have taken delivery of a supply of gloves and 6 new pull saws. These will be issued as and when the existing gloves and saws become unserviceable.

Heartwood Induction

We have a steady stream of new people joining the group who we are keen to make sure work safely and understand the way the group work. To this end we have put a great deal of work into the way we introduce new people into the group. Graham Bowers has a particular interest in making this a positive experience for everyone concerned. We now have an induction process which includes covering all aspects of the group, how to fell trees safely, how to use the tools safely and risk management. The documents supporting induction can now be found here. Even if you are an experienced member of the group it will be well worth a visit to these documents for a quick refresh - we'd also be interested in any feedback on the contents.

Sandra and David Shaw during Induction with Graham at Sarah's Wood.

Biosecurity

We are in the process of refining our biosecurity policy. You will have noticed that there is reference to boot, clothing and vehicle cleanliness in the session invites, Graham Bowers has now written the draft policy which is being reviewed before we finally publish it to the group. I'm sure everyone understands the importance of good hygiene with the potential transfer of pathogens between sites, but the adoption of a formal policy also demonstrates our approach and commitment to landowners in who's woods we are working. Please support us by adopting the policy and making it a Heartwood standard.

Committee Meetings

A quick reminder that everyone is welcome to attend the monthly committee meetings where there is always a great deal to discuss. With the evolution of the group high on the agenda, it's important we get the views of as many of the group as possible. The meetings are held at the Railway Inn at Moira and are on the second Monday of each month - the next meeting is on the 12th March at 19:00. Please let us know if you need more information. Minutes of previous meetings can be found here.