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© Colin Barr

Share Wood

Establishing two community managed woodlands at Oxen Park and Bouth in partnership with Forestry England.

The Share Wood project reached out to the local community and highlighted the need to manage and maintain this stunning, diverse and rich wooded environment.

Through education and sharing of knowledge during the Rusland Horizons Landscape Partnership, community volunteers learnt about the positive relationship between people and their natural environment. By teaching practical management skills, community volunteers helped to restore coppices, improve the woods for wildlife, utilise harvested wood, and ensure woodland sustainability, whilst also providing social and general well-being benefits.

Achievements:

  • A core group of volunteers regularly met to help with various woodland management activities and learn traditional skills.
  • Through dedication, and a newly-found passion, the community has become increasingly proud of their heritage and landscapes.
  • Share Wood motivated changes for the future that will have a positive impact on the people, environment and wildlife.

Two community woodland groups worked in woodlands owned by Forestry England:

  • Old Hall Wood. Bouth - this was supported by the Rusland Horizons Landscape Partnership between 2016 and 2019 and now runs independently. 
  • 'TOPS' wood on Bessy Bank near Oxen Park - this Share Wood continued to function as part of the Rusland Horizons Trust (until 2024) but now runs independently.

The members of both Share Wood groups managed their woodlands with the following priorities;

  • Restore woodland coppice.
  • Train volunteers in woodland management skills.
  • Organise volunteer days.
  • Provide employment for local contractors.
  • Monitor wildlife and maintain habitats.
  • Install bird boxes for nesting.
  • Harvest wood for fuel.
Images:
works to divert the runoff from the track

Our achievements

  • 17 passionate locals were involved in the Community Woodland project at Old Hall Woods. Bouth and 10 at 'TOPS' wood. Bessy Bank. near Oxen Park during the Rusland Horizons Landscape Partnership.
  • 47 volunteers committed and engaged. 
  • 23 volunteers trained in woodland management.
  • 0.3ha of coppice restored.
  • 20 tonnes of wood harvested.
  • Regular work parties carried out access improvements and woodland restoration.
  • 3 new coppice areas in Old Hall Wood created, opening up glades for wildlife and multi-age stands.
  • 30 dormouse boxes installed and monitored in Old Hall Wood.
  • 12 bird boxes installed. 
  • New roadside path made from Snows turn to 'loading bay' in Old Hall Wood.
  • Wall gap re-built in Old Hall Wood with drainage and stepping stones from 'Coffin Road' along bottom of wood.
  • Woodland education sessions with local school established.
  • Drainage improved on lower path near Old Hall Farm to divert run-off from Dick Hill Green Road.
  • New bench installed on lower path in Old Hall Wood, and another repaired.
  • Bird boxes at the Oxen Park Share Wood (TOPS) were all used by nesting birds in 2020.
  • Oaks planted at TOPS had reached knee-height by March 2021. 

Did you know?

  • There are over 700 community woodland groups in the UK helping to manage our woodland.
  • Old Hall Woods in Bouth covers 37ha, 28ha being broadleaf.
  • Over 100 products can be made from a coppice coup.

Media

Project Lead

Rusland Horizons Staff Team

The Challenge

Local communities are under threat.  There is a growing disconnect between people and the natural environment, farming and the landscape they live in. This is accompanied by an increased number of second home owners who are often away from the area and people living sedentary lifestyles. The long-established working relationship between people and nature is essential to the long-term sustainability of the tranquil, Rusland Horizons scheme area.

Woodlands in the area have been undermanaged.  This has changed their character, resulting in even-aged stands of trees that would all reach maturity at the same time. This makes the woodland vulnerable in future when the trees age and begin to die. Habitat structure is also declining, leading to loss of species. Sudden losses can occur through strong winds or disease, threatening the future viability of the woodland.

Our Approach

We worked with local people to set up and coordinate community groups that can support future sustainability and management of woodlands in the area. By providing access to information, equipment, expertise and woodland sites we have increased the number of woodlands managed by communities.

The community has developed a better understanding of how land management decisions are made whilst improving their wildlife monitoring skills and awareness of biodiversity. They have been given the practical skills, and opportunity, to learn about local heritage and their surrounding landscapes. With an increased understanding of woodfuel practices within the community, this should hopefully now lead to a local, sustainable source of firewood.

© Rusland Horizons 2017 - 2025. All rights reserved.
Rusland Horizons was a Landscape Partnership funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund until July 2019.
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