David Gravett - Membership Coordinator
What's In this Woodfueler
What’s the job? – No 4. Session Leads
Filming for 10-year anniversary
Season Review
Another season under our belt and time to reflect on how it went. There’s no doubt it is has been the wettest season we have experienced in the 10 years we have been operating. It has also been the most intense with the number of sessions giving the most session places we have ever offered. There were 62 sessions planned and only a minimal number cancelled due to the weather and ground conditions, this meant we were able to offer 1,308 session places to members.
We will now be holding a season review looking at how things went, what we can improve on and building a longer-term plan. We will update everyone on the next newsletter, but if you have any observations or comments regarding the sessions over the last 6 months, please let me know so we can include in the review.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
What’s the job? – No 4. Session Leads
This season we have had several new leads stepping up which has enabled us to share the load and ensure sessions are viable when some of us aren’t available. The session lead is quite a demanding role and has over time evolved considerably. A couple of years ago the lead managed every aspect of the session including extraction, bay management, and car loading, but as sessions have grown in attendance numbers, we’ve created the Loadmaster to take some of this away from the lead, enabling them to manage the session, member safety and be more responsive to whatever is happening on the day.
There is a great deal of work goes on behind the scenes to ensure the session roles are covered. Here is a brief outline of how a session is planned:-
- Members book onto sessions
- 5 days before the session the attendee list is created by David Gravett.
- The lead reviews the operational work plan for the planned wood, liaising with the operations coordinator and other leaders with any questions.
- Roles and groups are created from the attendee list depending on skills available.
- Discussions are held via WhatsApp with other organisers regarding best team options for the day.
- Amendments to the attendee list are notified via WhatsApp and teams can be adjusted accordingly.
- Create briefing notes from a template, considering the woodland being used and the teams.
- On the day all aspects of the session are managed by the lead, with support from the loadmaster, the lead support and everyone else on the session.
There is lots more to the role, but we hope this gives a flavour of what goes on behind the scenes. We are always looking for new leads, it may feel daunting, but please have a chat with us if you are interested, it’s a great way to get to know everyone.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
Corporate Day 10th April
We will be welcoming a group from “Selective Marketplace” to the Hub on the 10th April as part of our corporate team event partnership with the NFC. There are already a number of members booked onto the event to help out with a few places remaining. There is a great deal of satisfaction in sharing the skills we have gained from being part of this group, so if you can spare the time come and join us.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
Biochar Project
The biochar project has been on the backburner a little over the winter with the focus on woodfuel sessions, but we are now looking to start making progress. You will recall we applied for an intern student from Derby University as part of their “Stay Local” initiative. We received several strong applications and after interviews we are pleased to announce that Sophia Williams will be joining us. We have an initial meeting planned early in April after which Sophia will be working with us. I will ask Sophia to introduce herself on the next newsletter, but in the meantime, you may meet her at the hub or hear from her as part of her research. Please make her welcome and help where you can.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
Name the ATV
Just for a bit of fun (and so we know which machine is being referred to) we would like to name both ATVs, so we are opening it up to the members to suggest names. We’ve already had the “McBoatface” discussion so please avoid this and be a little more imaginative. There isn’t a prize, just the glory of naming the machine.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
The Hub Update
With reports in the press of the wettest UK winter in 130 years it's no surprise that the Hub as well as our woodland management sessions has suffered with the ground at saturation point on both the track and vehicle turning area at its top. We are busy looking at ways of mitigating the effects of wet weather though, from a dedicated pedestrian access path, to improved drainage to ensure we have a viable all year-round site to operate from. If you have expertise in this area or would just like to “muck in”, please get in touch.
We have a new task board at the Hub so anyone joining the sessions can choose to have a go at something that appeals. The board is also there for everyone to add to, so if there is something you feel needs sorting, building or a little TLC feel free to add to it. Here is the board as it stands after the April TOITW session.
To open-up the Hub beyond the two TOITW sessions per month, we are creating a Whatsapp group for anyone interested in going to the Hub outside of those dates. If you are interested, please contact Kev and we’ll add you to the group so when one of us is planning a burn or a few hours at the Hub we can let everyone know, just in case you fancy joining us.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
Charcoal
We are already starting to see increased demand for our charcoal as we move towards spring, which is great news as it is a significant income stream for the group. In response, both retorts have been dusted off and production ramped up. The retorts also require both fuel and charge wood to operate, so there is lots to do on our regular sessions to keep them running. If you are familiar with running the retorts and would like to help, there is a schedule on the Hub website where we keep track of who is going when. Feel free to join in, just let Kev know so we can add you to the list.
We have been invited to Calke Abbey on the 20th April to run the charcoal retort as a demonstration of how the charcoal now being used in the BBQ at Calke is made and where it comes from. There is an event on the system if you would like to come along for a few hours to engage with the public and promote Heartwood, our charcoal and our biochar.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
Heartwood is 10 years old
An extra date for your diary - Heartwood is 10 years old this year and we are planning a family BBQ up at The Hub on Sunday 19th May, more details will follow in a specific email closer to the date.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
Timber Festival 2024
After initial discussions with the organisers “Wild Rumpus”, we will be attending Timber Festival again this year. As per previous years we will be taking the charcoal retort as a demonstration and running several nest boxes building sessions. More details will follow, but the event this year is on the 5th, 6th & 7th July.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email:
Filming for 10-year anniversary
The National Forest Company (NFC) have kindly offered to create a video of us as part of their case study project, which provided a great opportunity as it coincides with our 10-year anniversary. Filming was carried out at The Hub and Edwards Wood on the 22nd of March. Kev was interviewed for Heartwood with Zoe Sewter representing the NFC. There was also filming of the charcoal retort in action and other members attending the wood management session on that day.
There will be an overall video forming part of the case studies, but also, we are hoping a shorter “cut” will be provided for us to use as promotional material. The video should be available in a few weeks’ time.
Kevin Banton | Heartwood Chair
email: