I would also like to thank all our members for your continued support from attending sessions and those members who work behind the scenes to make the sessions possible.
In this newsletter we have updates from HQ Xmas craft sessions, Operations team are offering tree marking up learning, Community Woods Project and Derby University Internship.
David Gravett - Membership Coordinator
What's In this Wood Fueler
January Wood fuel Sessions
January wood fuel sessions go live to all members to book onto Thursday 1st December at 6pm. As always, if a session is full and you would like to attend, please add yourself to the waiting list. While this doesn't guarantee you'll get a space it does give us an indication of demand and if there are enough skilled members booked on or on the waiting list we can look to split the session across two locations.
As mentioned in the December 2022 Newsletter we have reduced the number of early access spaces for members with multiple skills, i.e. First Aid, Session Lead, Brush Cutter, ATV, Chainsaw, etc. If you are interested in training please take a look at the Training section of our website.
February wood fuel sessions will go live to multi skilled members on Thursday 15st December at 6pm and to all members on Sunday 1st January at 6pm.
As always, if you are booked onto a session or are on the waiting list and can no longer attend please book off as this could allow another member the opportunity to attend a session.
David Gravett - Membership Coordinator
Heartwood HQ
Even though we are now well into "Wood fuel" season, it's also been a busy month up at HQ as members turned their hands from woodland management work to more "crafty" activities, making lots of products to sell in local retail outlets for the group. Reindeer, Snowmen and our new line in Christmas stars have been flying off the shelves which is great as all the proceeds go towards keeping the group running.
We have one more session in the calendar before Christmas, so if you fancy spending some time exploring your creative talents, or helping with some of the improvements we are making up at HQ, sign up and join us for a few hours. The campfire is always lit with hot drinks on the go, and a fried lunch always tastes better in the woods!
Dave Barker - Heartwood HQ
Operations
Training opportunity – marking up.
"To become the voluntary workforce of choice for woodland management in the National Forest"
Remember that? It's the Heartwood Vision!
Woodland management is much more than felling. Wood fuel sessions are where most of the effort happens, producing the bootfuls of logs we all like to take home. However an essential step in the process is the selecting which trees to fell and which to keep - otherwise known as marking up. That's mostly been done "off session" by a few in the Operations team, however following an expression of interest from several members, it's recognised that's not the only way it could be done.
Marking up is where the future of the wood is shaped, as it sets the scene for developing the future woodland structure and habitats.
In house training on tree selection and marking is to be offered, with the aim of bringing marking up into sessions as an assigned role.
The first step in that process is a marking training day at Foxley Wood on Thursday December 15th. This will be set up on the booking system, so if this is of interest, please sign up in the usual way.
I'm happy to answer any questions in person on sessions or get in touch by email,
Graham Bowers - Operations Chair
Community Woods Project
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, we have been asked to act as consultants in a new project being ran jointly by the National Forest Company (NFC) and the Rural Community Council (RCC). As part of their project we have been asked if Heartwood members would kindly complete a quick questionnaire. As a diverse group we have people with many interests and reasons for being members. Your feedback on this simple form will help the team understand why people volunteer and carry our work in woodlands.
If you have any feedback on the form, for example there are aspects missing that should be captured, please let me know as the form can be updated before it goes on general release.
https://forms.office.com/r/VZXXGYJWYs
Kevin Banton - Heartwood Chair
Derby University Internship
We have progressed with selection of students to work with under under the "DRIVEN" internship scheme ran by Derby University. We offered two positions, one to look at our business model and the second to look at the well-being aspects of what we do and whether there is more we can do on this. From the applicants we decided there were none appropriate for the business role, but we interviewed for the well-being role and I'm pleased to let you know that Chris Winson has been successful.
Chris has accepted the offer and plans to start working with us from the 1st December. We will now agree a plan which will run over the next few months.
I will keep you all informed of the plan and how we can all contribute to ensure we capture existing well-being aspects as well as looking at what else we may be able to offer. Your help in this project is key to make it relevant and useful in improving what we do and how we do it.
Kevin Banton - Heartwood Chair