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| Reports |  | Timber Products Market Research - Summary of Follow Up Focus Meetings | | This is the second report for HIE-Community Assets Team on the investigations into the need and demand from community woodland groups for a joint marketing initiative for sale of wood products. The first report details the results of a questionnaire sent out to 60 groups in the HIE area and was presented in December 2010. This report details the findings on targeted follow up focus meetings. | | | | Timber Product and Market Research - Interim Report, Survey Analysis | | The aim of this survey is to inform HIE and CWA what community woodland groups are already doing with regard to production of wood products for sale and what additional support they might require to generate income streams in this way. Products may be developed and produced directly by a group or by promoting the potential of the woodland to individual entrepreneurs in their communities, charging appropriately for use of the woodland resource. | | | | CWA Funding Acquisition Report | | Community Woodlands Association (CWA) has become aware that the Big Lottery strand, Growing Community Assets, has not been an effective way of securing the ownership of land based community assets. Alternative sources of funding need to be found. This report investigates the appropriateness and fit of using share issues to raise capital for land purchase. | | | | CWA Knowledge Share programme | | The CWA Knowledge Share Programme 1 concluded with 26 events organised. The results demonstrated a very high satisfaction rating and we think the programme a great success. We are now seeking funding for Knowledge Share Programme 2. | | |
| | Annual Reports | | CWA Annual Accounts 2008-2009 | CWA is midway through a 3 year Business Plan period (July 2007 – June 2010), with a core-funding package supported by the Big Lottery Fund, Forestry Commission Scotland and the Community Land Unit of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. We have 4.5 FTE staff who offer specialist advice and support on all aspects of woodland management, governance, development of social enterprise, etc. During the year over 77% of the current membership received direct assistance on a wide range of topics, and a further 27 non-member groups were assisted.
Download our annual accounts for year ending March 2009. | | | | CWA Annual Report 2006 - 2007 | | 2006 – 2007 has been very much a year of transition. Jon Hollingdale did a great job of overseeing the development of the CWA business plan and this plan became the basis for our successful bid to the Big Lottery Fund for growing the association, which begins in July 07. In the interval between funding, we managed to hang on to Diane Campbell as Development Officer, but Matilda Scharsach, the part time member of our 1½ development officer team, was made redundant. During Matilda’s maternity-leave her role was ably covered by Michaela Hunter who played a key role in our successful annual gathering in Sunart. Through the year, directors have played a very active role in the organisation, all of them fired very much by their vision for community woodlands and what the organisation can do to develop community woodland groups….. | | | | CWA Annual Report 2005 - 2006 | | It has been another busy, nay hectic year for the Community Woodlands Association, as summarised in the body of this report. I sometimes find it hard to believe that so much can get done by such a small, young organisation, but then I remember that the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of our member groups is matched by our staff and directors. | | | | CWA Annual Report 2004 - 2005 | | This year has been a period of growth and development for CWA. At the start of the year, the organisation was less than one year old, and has achieved a great deal in terms of its aim of providing support for community woodlands, raising their profile and representing them in the corridors of power. | | |
| | Conference and Seminar Reports | | The CWA AGM Book 2011 | | The 9th Annual General Meeting of the Community Woodlands Association will be held at 2.15pm on Sunday 13th November 2011 at Boat of Garten Community Hall, Reidhaven Park, Craigie Avenue, Boat of Garten, Inverness-shire PH24 3BL | | | | CWA Conference 2010 - Making Woodlands Work | The 11th Annual CWA Conference “Making Woodlands Work” took place on 23 & 24 October 2010 at McLaren High School, Callander. The weekend was a great success, with over 70 delegates making their way to the National Park for lively discussion, excellent company and a bit of a jig!
The event explored the numerous ways that Scotland’s communities are managing, developing and promoting their local woodlands. Social Enterprise, Carbon Offsetting, Woodfuel, and Woodland Gardens and Allotments were among the topics under the spotlight at the event. | | | | CWA Seminar 2009 - Roots to Health Seminar Report | | A full report on the Roots to Health Seminar, held in Inverness 6th November 2009. Seventy people attended this event which focussed on the health benefits of woodlands to all. Please click below to start the download. | | | | CWA Conference 2008 - Making Sustainable Places | The annual Seminar and Conference play a central role in the CWA’s work, providing the opportunity for CWG delegates and volunteers across Scotland to meet, network and learn from each other and key staff from government agencies and NGOs, as well as listen to guest speakers, participate in workshops and visit other relevant projects.
This year’s conference was held at The Rothes Halls in Glenrothes, Fife, and the main theme was ’Making Sustainable Places’. Subjects covered included green spaces, sustainable communities, Green and Urban networks, Transition Towns, climate change, composting, orchards and SRDP funding. | | | | CWA Conference Nov 2006 | This years’ conference was held in Strontian, Lochaber in November 2006. It was co-hosted by the Sunart Oakwoods Initiative, which is a partnership between the local community and local agencies, whose aims are to restore and expand the native mid-atlantic oakwoods to bring conservation, economic and amenity benefits to the local community.
The theme of the conference was “Growing Confidence - Building a Future”. The CWA wanted to emphasise the importance of working together and celebrate the successes over 2006 for community woodland groups. The conference also aimed to explore new developments in the woodland sector. Forest Schools, run by the Forestry Commission Scotland’s Forest Education Initiative, have created massive interest from many community woodland groups who are keen to involve their young people in local woodlands whilst others are interested in building in local timber, affordable housing and using or developing sustainable resources. | | |
| | SDS 1 Event Reports: 2008 - 2010 | | Sawlog Extraction & Processing in Small Woodlands, Kirkhill March 2010 | Kirkhill & Bunchrew Communty Trust have been managing Upper Reelig Wood with the agreement of FCS for 10 years. For the last two years they have aspired to progress to extracting timber sized trees and processing these on site. The skills development scheme has been an outstanding opportunity to acquire the skills for this advance. With the new skills acquired through the course KBCT is confident that it can now manage the woodland in a financially self-sustaining way with income from the sale of sawn timber.
Delivery of the course was a co-operative effort involving all members of the KBCT Woodland Group which was a significant benefit towards enhanced group cohesion.
| | | | Woodland Planning Management, Falkland May 2009 | | This is the final report produced by Falkland Centre for Stewardship for the Woodland Management Course held at The Stables workshop on Saturday 16th of May. The course was well received with 16 people attending. The course was hosted by The Community Woodlands Association in association with Falkland Centre for Stewardship and Falkland Conservation Group. The course was led by Donald McPhillimy Associates Ltd. | | | | Green Woodworking and Pole Lathe Turning, Dunottar Wood April 2010 | | The key learning points of this course were: to provide an opportunity for participants to take part in a variety of green wood working processes. Use bodging processes to make a simple wooden stool from locally sourced timber and/or contribute to the manufacture of shaving horses for use by the host group. | | | | Huntly and Moray Woodlands Workshop, Huntly & Forres October 2010 | | The day was organised into workshop presentations followed by questions and answer sessions in the morning, followed in the afternoon by visits to the Findhorn Dunelands woodland and the Forres Sanquhar Woodlands belonging to the Forres Community Woodlands Trust. | | | | Charcoal Burning Course, Kilmory Farm Woodyard(AGWA) September 2010 | | The CWA Charcoal Burning Training Course was held at Kilmory Farm Woodyard (AGWA) on Wednesday 8th to Friday 10th September 2010. The key objectives of the course was to understand what charcoal is and the various ways of making it, to carry out the charcoal burning process from start to finish in two large steel ring kiln, to carry out and compare three different ways of charcoal making in oildrums and to familiarise people with the best woods for coaling, and also explore other kiln products and their uses including pine tar, charcoal fines, and willow drawing charcoal. | | | | Woodland Management, Cassitoun August 2010 | | This is the final report produced by the Community Woodlands Association for the Woodland Management Course held at The Castlemilk Stables workshop on Monday 23rd August 2010. | | | | Inspiring Volunteers, Kirkton July 2010 | | The Country Day Event at Kelso Farm, Strathcarron, on 30th July, attracted some 326 locals and visitors. The various demonstrations and diversity of local foods and craft stalls made it a fun day for all. | | | | Staging & Managing Theatre Events in Woodlands, Morvern July 2010 |
Morvern Community Woodlands organised a one-day Woodland Theatre Workshop at Achnaha Community Woodland, Morvern led by Kenn Musso and Antti Jalkanen from te POOKa on Sunday the 18th of July 2010. The event targeted members of community woodland groups and others who are interested in learning how to tell a story theatrically in an outdoor environment.
| | | | Moth and Butterfly ID & Survey, Gearrchoille Community Wood June 2010 | | The purpose of the event on 16th June was to improve skills (among young and old) in identifying the great variety of moths found in woodland. GCWA wanted to give the future guardians of their woodland a stake in its biodiversity by involving them as actively as possible in the event, and to invite representatives from other community woodlands (CWs) to participate in the event in order to observe and comment on the process and possibly be inspired to copy the model for application in their own CW. | | | | Inspiring Volunteers. Menstrie June 2010 | | This is the final report produced by the Community Woodlands Association for the Woodland Awareness Raising / Networking Event held during Menstrie Gala Day, Menstrie on the 12th June 2010. The day was a great success with over 1000 people attending the gala with many taking part in the activities laid on by the host group Menstrie Community Woodland. The event was supported by the Community Woodlands Association with contributions from the Woodland Orchestra and Brotus Rural Crafts. | | | | Inspiring Volunteers, Alva Glen May 2010 | | This seminar was aimed at anyone with an interest in building volunteer groups within their community; CWA worked with the Stirling & Clackmannanshire Woodland & Greenspace Officer and the Scottish Council for Volunteers, Brutus Rural Crafts and the Woodland Orchestra to deliver a day that inspired, informed and educated attendees to the potential for fun and variety of activities available when engaging with a community woodland. | | | | Woodland Groups and Networking, Milton May 2010 | | The Community Woodland and Artists Networking Event took place at Milton on 21st May The aim of this session was to enable CWs and practitioners to provide feedback of the support and training needs of the two groups in order to develop cross‐sectoral projects and then to provide input to and shape the delivery of the proposed Collarboration project ensuring that it meets the needs of all participants. | | | | Woodland Gardens, Bothwell May 2010 | | This course took place at Bothwell on Wednesday 19 May 2010 and was hosted by Ron Gilchrist and Marion Jess representing Greenway Consulting The Key objectives of the course were to: realise the significance of growing sustainably, learn how to live sustainably from what ground we have, learn techniques for maximum plant and soil vigour and to specify a personal or group task plan based on what we’ve learned | | | | Woodland Gardens, Fairlie April 2010 | | This course took place at Ardrossan on Thursday 15 April 2010 and was hosted by Ron Gilchrist and Marion Jess representing Greenway Consulting The Key objectives of the course were to: realise the significance of growing sustainably, learn how to live sustainably from what ground we have, learn techniques for maximum plant and soil vigour and to specify a personal or group task plan based on what we’ve learned | | | | Glasgow Woodlands Networking Event March 2010 | | This seminar pulled together individuals across Glasgow with an interest in forming community woodland groups or supporting existing groups. | | | | Project Development Funding,Dundee August 2009 | | This event was arranged jointly by CWA with Development Trusts Association Scotland. This was due to the subject matter of the event being relevant to all our members whatever their particular interest or project. | | | | Log Building, Knoydart July 2009 | | The Knoydart Forest Trust log building project is part of the K10 celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the Knoydart Forest Trust and the Knoydart Foundation. It provides a long lasting legacy of the celebrations which is both practical and promotes the use of local timber for buildings. The training element of the project enabled individuals to gain skills and knowledge to enable them to create a building using logs and encourages networking and knowledge sharing. | | | | Woodland Deer Management, Knoydart May 2009 | | This event aimed to develop our own woodland deer management and to offer the same opportunity to other woodland groups. The course was aimed at existing and trainee stalkers who want to develop their woodland deer management skills and techniques and Community Woodland project managers and management groups who want to increase their knowledge and understanding. | | | | Wood Thinning NWMCWC Feb 2009 | | This event offered another great opportunity to network, highlight and discuss common issues and concerns, share skills and experiences, and learn from the inspirational work of others. | | | | Woodfuel Seminar 2008 | The objectives of the 2-day event were:
• To increase awareness of the role that Community Woodland social enterprises play in woodfuel supply at the local scale and of the opportunities presented by the current energy crisis;
• To provide participants with the information and contacts to set up and develop a woodfuel social enterprise, apply for funding and acquire appropriate equipment;
• To improve understanding of the economic, business management and technical considerations for running a successful community woodfuel supply as a social enterprise.
The event included: presentations from existing Community Woodland social enterprises; presentations on marketing, funding and business planning; profit/loss group exercises; a woodfuel processing demo in Abriachan Forest; and a visit to Reelig Glen managed by FCS and Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Trust – Woodland Group. | | |
| | SDS 2 Event Reports: 2011 - 2013 | | Wood Product Development, Buy Design Gallery, Oct 2011 | | This is the final report for the Wood Product Development event. This event took place on Saturday 16th October 2011, training a total of 6 people. This report summarises these events and gives feedback on the success of the project. | | | | Charcoal Making, AGWA. Sept 2011 | | This is the final report produced by the Argyll Green Woodworkers Association for the Charcoal Making workshop. This event took place from Saturday 1oth – Monday 12th September 2011. The event was based outdoors at the Kilmory Farm Woodyard; the weather was appalling, with severe gales and downpours. This report summarises this event and gives feedback on the success of the project. | | | | Woodland Heritage, Anagach Woods, Oct 2011 | | This is the final report Produced by Dr Coralie Mills, for the Woodland Heritage training workshop, held in Grantown on Spey on 27th and 28th of October 2011. | | | | Cordwood Wall, Milton CWT Aug & Sept 2011 | | This is the final report produced by Milton Community Woodland Trust for the Cordwood Wall building course held at Milton Community Woodland on the 8th-12th August and the 29th August – 2nd September 2011. The course was well received with 16 people attending in total. The course was led by George Gunn | | |
| | Event Reports - ES Events | | The Money Tree Part 1, Knoydart, September 2011 | | The Social Enterprise Academy adapted and ran their 2 day Managing Finance, Generating Income as part of the CWA Employability Services project. | | | | Wood Products Workshop, Milton Community Woodlands, August 2011 | | A practical, hands-on follow up to the seminar in March 2011. It aimed to enable participants to share ideas and skills and learn how to put together a strategy for wood product development for their woodland. | | | | Wood Products Seminar, Mercat Centre, Ross-shire March 2011 | This one day seminar was sparked by discussion held through the CWA Employability Services Project and the results from a report commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to undertake market research into community woodland groups and timber products. The seminar provided an opportunity for to take a general look into production, the requirements of the retail sector, how other social enterprises have approached production, how to decide what to produce and then how to develop a product. A panel of contributors from the sector and support organisations were on hand to share their experience and expertise.
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| | Consultations | | Big Thinking Consultation | | Lottery funding has been a key element in the development of the community land sector in Scotland. Community development and empowerment through land and asset acquisition helps deliver the Scottish Government’s Land Reform agenda and Community Empowerment Action Plan, but more importantly, it unlocks potential and creativity in communities across the country, and gives them the means and the power to help deliver a more equitable and sustainable Scotland. | | | | Forestry Commission Scotland Discussion Paper on Woodland Expansion CWA Directors’ response | | | | | SNH Climate Change Consultation | | We agree that "climate change is the most serious threat over coming decades to Scotland’s natural heritage…...." | | | | Implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy Health Check in Scotland | Implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy Health Check in Scotland - Community woodland groups across Scotland are actively engaged in land management to deliver a wide range of public benefits: social, environmental and economic.
Climate Change is (or should be) the biggest single agenda item in land management: the Scottish Government has made challenging commitments to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050, achieving these necessitates a fundamental restructuring of the way we manage our land and economy. Agriculture is responsible for c. 25% of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions, at huge expense to the taxpayer, so given the policy context ....... | | |
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