Coppice workers conference next month

[TobyAllen]

Who knows about the coming conference and will be going ?

 

It's attached to the new coppice federation, is it a good idea or a waste of time?

 

I'll be going and hosting a site visit, if they are going ahead with this national association I think there should be as many professional coppice workers on board as possible. Without the commercial aspect of the industry being represented it will become a very one sided organisation.

[hedgesparrow]

more info please where is it being held and what is the national coppicing group did not know one existed know of local group

[TobyAllen]

It's near Malvern in Worcestershire, 25th 26th April. NCFed

 

I think the idea is that all the local groups get together to form a national one, not sure why. I big get together sounds good though.

[delabodge]

it looks like a great weekend, with some interesting site visits,,shame it clashes with my first show,otherwise I`d have gone,,,

[digga]

looks intresting

[TGB]

Until now, I've not heard a bean about this organisation or its aims. Now I volunteer with a couple of groups who coppice. One the coppice work is done as and where among their various woodland. One has a large hillside woodland which is being put back to coppice and run on commercial basis by volunteers within local community. Both have been going for some years now and I know of a number of other similar groups. Non have even been approached or even aware of such.

 

So I know they have to start somewhere but how come they're aiming for national status, when few people are aware of them. Or is this a professional body, aimed at fully commercial operators only?

[coppiceer]

It's near Malvern in Worcestershire, 25th 26th April. NCFed

 

I think the idea is that all the local groups get together to form a national one, not sure why. I big get together sounds good though.

 

I'm all for local groups getting together to promote coppicing nationally, but there aren't enough local groups. With all the new planting going on, I would have liked to see a midlands group based around the National Forest. I asked the National Forest Co to sponsor such a group and to provide admin support but they didn't seem "get" the concept of coppicing and kept on viewing woodland as only producing timber.

[TobyAllen]

The idea of a national association was put forward by a coppice group in the north west at a conference held there about 4 years ago. Since then there has been another conference held in the South East, where a vote was taken to form a national network. A steering group elected themselves to get the ball rolling, this coming meeting and conference is the result of that.

 

The national group and coming meeting is open to all those involved in the industry, whatever their scale or angle on it. You don't need to part of a local group, hopefully you will meet like minded locals at the event.

 

The main driver behind this is Richard Thomason ([email protected]), he is worth contacting to see who's in your area.

 

Personally I'm not sure what a national body can achieve other than holding a good 'woody' party every year, and acting as a point of contact for those interested in coppicing.

 

But this is the start of it, it can be whatever we want it to be.

 

One thing is for certain, without a good cross section of the industry on board, it will likely lean towards the 'coppice craft' side of the game. If this association is aiming to represent the coppice sector then we all need to make sure our voices are heard at the meeting or it will only represent a very small part of it.

[Riverwoods]

Toby alot of the people who I know are going to the conference are commercial coppice wokers. But does it matter who cuts coppice as long as it gets cut to a good standard?

[Riverwoods]

I would be interested in helping start a group in the National Forest - it would be great if they would design more new woodlands as coppice.