Small Woodlands - Challenges and Opportunities. Wood For The Trees #6, Doug King-Smith at Hillyfield

Wood for the Trees considers the future of our forests, woodland management, climate change and the future for locally-grown timber. In part six Doug King-Smith talks about the challenges and rewards of managing The Hillyfield Woodland Farm in Dartmoor. Introduced by Tom Barnes, managing director of Vastern Timber, and filmed by Charly Le Marchant at The Hillyfield in Dartmoor, and at Vastern Timber's site in Royal Wootton Bassett, during September and October 2020.

Doug discusses dealing with pests and disease at the Hillyfield, as he works to bring the woodland back to life. He talks about a hostile planning system which struggles to recognise that small scale woodland management is even “forestry". Doug says that the problem of small woodlands being under managed needs to be addressed by policy changes at governmental level. He says that if we want woodlands that nurture humans and communities, then bringing in volunteers and delivering training is valuable, and should be recognised as an important part of small woodland management.

00:00 Small Woodlands - Challenges and Opportunities
01:04 Definition of small woodlands; percentage of total woodland cover in UK
01:23 Doug King-Smith on restoring The Hillyfield Woodland Farm in Dartmoor; Phytophthora ramorum, forestry training for women, encouraging woodland culture, community workshops, The Woodland Olympics
04:54 Planning challenges for small woodlands; the value of small woodlands and working with volunteers in forestry
05:32 Defra funding and building oak timber frame barns with master builder Henry Russell
06:25 Hopes for small woodlands in the UK: Woodland culture restored, reforestation, integration
07:19 Fears for small woodlands in the UK: Pests and diseases, squirrel damage
07:43 Lack of understanding of woodland management needs; infrastructure, access
07:59 Funding sources for woodlands focused on larger woodlands
08:25 Firewood industry changes, access to accreditation and equipment
09:15 ELMS Environmental Land Management Stewardship
09:29 Policy Suggestion: Woodland restoration given priority over planting, planting and management plans, adding value to woodland products, making a living from forestry
10:18 Summary and lessons learnt


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