Based in Shropshire and Powys, the Small Woods Association is a charity dedicated to supporting small woodland owners and managers in sustainable woodland management.
FSC UK provided funding to support a woodland advisor, Alice Brawley, to undertake advisory visits with small woodland managers/owners to tackle practical challenges in relation to sustainable woodland management in small woodlands.
The project had 2 main aims:
- Provision of a free advisory and training service to tackle practical challenges in relation to sustainable woodland management in small woodlands
- Promotion of the benefits of certification and the role of the UK Forestry Standard and the UK Woodland Assurance Standard to small woodland owners and managers
Training and workshops
Over the course of the project, 130 individuals received advice and training through a combination of one-to-one site visits/ remote calls, and workshops held within a forest operation. Feedback from the workshops was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees highlighting: the diverse structure to the days which enabled both training and discussions; information on different management practices; and inclusive learning, enabling all attendees no matter their level of knowledge, to take away valuable learning from the days.
The workshops were held in a variety of woodland settings across Wales and Scotland from a community woodland to a timber mill and a farm. These events provided useful networking opportunities for attendees, which is particularly important for new entrants to forest management. Whilst each workshop had a different theme depending on its location, training in sustainable woodland management was central to each event. The workshops also provided advice on how small woodland managers could create an income from the woodlands in order to help fund their sustainable management.
The final training day in the series was conducted in an agricultural environment in Wales rather than a woodland setting, in recognition of the need for farmers to receive much-needed guidance and support for increasing tree cover on their land and managing their woodlands in preparation for the upcoming Sustainable Farming Scheme (the Welsh equivalent of SFI in England).
Outcomes
As the project progressed, it became clear that existing woodland management plan templates, designed for large, mainly productive woodlands were overly complex for the needs of small woodland managers. A simplified woodland management plan specific to small woodlands was created as part of this project. This is available to both members and non-members of SWA to promote the benefits of having a woodland management plan in place. If you would like a copy of this management plan, please contact Small Woods Association here
This project highlighted the need for a free/low-cost advisory and training service specifically tailored towards small woodland owners and managers. It also demonstrated how such a service can effectively contribute to the long-term sustainable management of small woodlands (which make up the majority of woodland area across the U.K.), providing small woodland owners with the confidence and knowledge to effectively manage their woodlands, whilst also providing participants with a network of small woodland owners who can share advice and assistance with each other.
