CCFG will be hosting their next webinar – Why do we need to be concerned about deer? – with David Jam – on Thursday 20th November at 4pm GMT. 

Summary of presentation:

• • • • • • • • • • • Why we are where we are
                    • What is the current situation with wild deer in the UK?
                    • How big is the risk
                    • What are their impacts?
                    • Some case studies

 

 

David has over 35 years’ experience within forestry and deer management, at a practitioner, operational and strategic level within the public and private sector.

He is based in Herefordshire but has a national remit. 

His experience has included:

• Forestry Contractor
• Forest manager (Harvesting and Establishment)
• Wildlife manager and National Wildlife Lead
• Deer Officer and Director Deer Initiative Ltd
• National Deer Policy Advisor Forest Services/Forestry Commission

 

His current remit includes:

• Embedding deer into current and future policy, guidance and incentives to support increased levels of deer control
• Provision of advice to DEFRA and other government departments.
• Increasing Sector skills and capacity
• Developing the evidence base
• Improving the venison supply chain
• Development of the England Deer Strategy/Action plan as part of governments Environmental Improvement Plan.
• Commissioning evidence gathering and research.
• Leading the FC Deer Officer team, setting regional and national priorities related to protecting woodland creation and the management of existing woodlands.
• Representing Forestry Commission on national stakeholder groups
• A director of Deer Management Qualifications Ltd (DMQ)

 

To book your place please visit this link. 

 

CCFG visit to Gwydir Forest, Gwynedd

Please arrive at 9.30am so that we can start promptly at 10.00am

Themes: Continuous cover forestry in Gwydir Forest

• Artist’s Wood research
• New Forest Resource Plan
• Contractor availability
• Champion trees

Booking is essential. To allow for good discussion and facilitate logistics, places at the meeting will be limited in number. Priority will be given to CCFG members, and there will be a waiting list if numbers exceed this so please let us know if you cannot make it. To book, please click this link. 

For any queries, please contact Polly Spencer-Vellacott, CCFG Administrator. 

CCFG will be hosting their next webinar – Woodland Ecosystems and Carbon – with Tom Crowther and Kate Holl – on Thursday 16th October at 4pm BST. 

The relationship between woodland ecosystems and carbon is a complicated but increasingly important one, with many European countries now proritising sustainable forest management as a way of building resilience to climate change and pests and diseases. Our autumn webinar will be a fascinating discussion with Thomas Crowther and Kate Holl.

Thomas Ward Crowther is a professor of ecology and the founding co-chair of the advisory board for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. He is the head of Crowther Lab, an interdisciplinary research group exploring the role of biodiversity in regulating Earth’s climate. In 2020 he founded Restor, an international organization that supports hundreds of thousands of local community-restoration initiatives across the globe. He was a finalist in Prince William’s earthshot prize, and the world economic forum recognized him as a young global leader for his contributions to global nature conservation.

Kate Holl has been a woodland advisor with NatureScot and its predecessors for almost 40 years, specialising in assessing woodland habitat condition, particularly the evaluation of herbivore impacts in natural woodland. She is a joint author of the Woodland Herbivore Impact Assessment method, and in 2017 under a Churchill Fellowship, travelled widely within the North Eastern Atlantic bioregion to learn about the flora of woodlands less impacted by herbivores.

 

To book your place please visit this link. 

The Association of Applied Biologists held a conference this

week in Cumbria: Creating Canopies II: Resilience, Adaptation and Regenerative Approaches.  Several members of CCFG, including our England Coordinator, Ben Walker, were able to be there.

The event was highly successful, and was a superb showcase for the potential of CCF in our rapidly changing climate and society. The walk at Coombs Wood was a highlight. 

Era of being a treeless country with little forest culture now changing, with restoration of forests across a wide variety of landscapes

These are the headlines from an Irish Times article this week – to read the full article please click this link. 

Abbey St Bathans, Berwickshire

Hosted by Ellinor Dobie

Themes for the day

• Transformation of scattered estate woodland to CCF
• Impact of Storm Arwen
• Management of woodlands using estates team and equipment
• Integration of estate sawmill and woodland management

Booking is essential. To allow for good discussion and facilitate logistics, places at the meeting will be limited in number. Priority will be given to CCFG members, and there will be a waiting list if numbers exceed this so please let us know if you cannot make it. To book, please click this link. 

For any queries, please contact Polly Spencer-Vellacott, CCFG Administrator. 

The Forest Policy Group hosted a webinar on CCF at the end of May, with three great speakers: Ted Wilson, Dirk Sporleder and David Shepherd. The FPG have now made the webinar available online. Resources including the slides from the presentation are also available on the FPG’s website here.

Our latest newsletter has just been finalised and added to our website. You can read about last autumn’s field visits and study tour, a range of updates from the Chair and Committee, news about Chad Oliver and an interview with Arne Pommerening. 

Thanks to a recent decision at our AGM, our newsletter is now available for all to read, not only members, and you can find it on the website under Resources. 

 

Welcome to the 50th issue of the Continuous Cover Forestry Group Newsletter, containing Jonny Hulson’s Chair’s report,  reports on field visits to Thetford, Achray and Wallonia, and a special interview with Professor Arne Pommerening. 

Contents:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Chair’s Report – Jonny Hulson
                        Download (449 KB )
                     2. Thetford Field Visit – Fraser Bradbury and Lucie Jerabkova
                        Download (781 KB )
                     3. Achray, Scotland Field Visit – Nick Hill and Marie Rennie
                        Download (2 MB )
                     4. Study Tour to Wallonia, Belgium – Ben Wilson
                        Download (7 MB )
                     5. Chadwick Oliver receives high award – Ted Wilson
                        Download (667 KB )
                     6. Interview with Professor Arne Pommerening – Ted Wilson
                        Download (1 MB )
                     7. Committee Members
                        Download (442 KB )
                     8. Welcome to New Members
                        Download (433 KB )
                     9. Bits and Pieces
                        Download (929 KB )

Stourhead Estate, Wiltshire

By Kind permission of Nick C Hoare

THEME:

Moving the forest towards its full potential in the face of climate change, ensuring it is sustainable, both biologically and financially, and resilient in the long term.

The day will include an introduction to Stourhead forest, and discussion on forest resilience, sustainability, irregular silviculture, biodiversity in irregular conifer dominated forest and forest monitoring. For more details of the theme, the estate and the planned visit, please use this link. 

Rendezvous time – 9.30 hrs, Friday 9^th May 2025

Meeting point – Main National Trust Stourhead Carpark, Stourton, Warminster BA12 6QF

Please park vehicles in the overflow carpark at the back, indicated by following in-carpark CCFG signs. 

Carpark facilities – There are National Trust toilets and a café at the carpark.

Vehicle consolidation – After an introduction, attendees will need to please share vehicles from here, thereby minimising in-forest traffic. The tour will take place in the main Stourhead Forest (within 6km). Metalled tracks are suitable for cars driven slowly (avoid cars with low sumps).

What to bring – Suitable in-forest footwear and waterproofs. For biosecurity, please ensure footwear is clean before arrival.

Lunch and drink – As we will be picnicking in the forest, please bring your own lunch, drink and snack requirements. We will NOT be returning to the National Trust Stourhead Carpark at lunch time. There will be a portaloo located near to the lunch stop in the forest.

Finish time – Back to the National Trust Stourhead Carpark by 16.00 hrs.

Booking – is essential. To allow for good discussion and facilitate logistics, places at the meeting will be limited in number. Priority will be given to CCFG members, and there will be a waiting list if numbers exceed this so please let us know if you cannot make it. To book, please click this link. 

For any queries, please contact Polly Spencer-Vellacott, CCFG Administrator.