An idiot alone

[Gary Prentice]

I don't know what your smoking/charcoaling in old smokey, but can I have some?

 

 

 

Jokes aside, what an opportunity to get out of the rat race of life

[eggsarascal]

I don't know what your smoking/charcoaling in old smokey, but can I have some?

 

 

 

Jokes aside, what an opportunity to get out of the rat race of life

 

Getting out of the rat race, is one thing. Getting a living, is another!

 

You never know what the new year will bring, mind.

[the village idiot]

Merry Christmas All,

 

As promised here is a bit more information about the main wood I manage and what I get up to within it! Hopefully it will give you a better idea about the sorts of things a potential work colleague would be getting stuck in to I'll start with a bit of the history and see how we get on.

 

Raydon Great Wood is about 200 acres of ancient woodland in South East Suffolk. It is actually two woods as I include Toms Wood which is just North of Raydon Wood and is under the same ownership (more about that later!)

 

 

Being ancient woodland means that the site has been continually wooded since at least 1600. In reality, the wood will almost certainly have been there for many more hundreds or thouands of years.

 

Before the Second World War the whole wood would have consisted of mainly Oak, Ash, Birch and Field Maple with an understory of predominantly Hazel, and was managed as coppice with standards as so many other woodland sites were.

 

During the second world war, concrete roadways and pads were constructed in the Southern portion of the main wood, along with various Nissen huts and other structures. The wood was used as an ammunition store by the USAF for the adjacent Raydon airfield.

 

 

In some ways it is unfortunate that ancient woodland soil was concreted over but there was a war on and the importance of these soils was not well known in the 1940's. On the plus side they make access to the southern portion of the wood a breeze (its a strange feeling to drive a large transit van around a woodland). There are also many large concrete pads for stacking and seasoning timber.

 

 

At some point after the war the wood was purchased by the adventure author Hammond Innes. Mr Innes was concerned about the amount of trees being felled to produce the paper to print his books so he had large areas of the wood clearfelled and planted up with conifers. This would be considered environmental vandalism today, knowing what we know now. However at the time his intentions were honourable and the Forestry Commission were encouraging the activity.

 

In the 1990's the wood was purchased by the present owner, Suffolk farmer, conservationist and all round good egg James Buckle. James' vision is to return the woodland to as close to ancient woodland and it's associated species as possible. To this end, over the past 13 years the sterilising conifers have been removed, the last 2 blocks coming out last summer. These areas are being left to naturally regenerate and the results have been dramatic and very encouraging.

 

So that brings us pretty much up to date. Next post I'll go into a bit more detail about the woodland structure as this is very varied and very interesting. Well I think so anyway:biggrin:

 

All the best. TVI

[Stubby]

This is very interesting V.I. There is a similar project going on near me , just over the border in Hampshire . Holleybank wood in Emsworth . I walk round it with the dog when my daughter is riding nearby . There is considerable work going on to bring it back to its former medieval working coppice .

[@Wildlife_Mgr]

Wish I lived closer

[the village idiot]

This is very interesting V.I. There is a similar project going on near me , just over the border in Hampshire . Holleybank wood in Emsworth . I walk round it with the dog when my daughter is riding nearby . There is considerable work going on to bring it back to its former medieval working coppice .

 

That's good to hear. I'll have to see if there's any info on tinternet:thumbup1:

[the village idiot]

Wish I lived closer

 

I'd say you were pretty perfectly built for long distance running Mark:001_tongue:

[@Wildlife_Mgr]

I'd say you were pretty perfectly built for long distance running Mark:001_tongue:

 

I've the mind of an endurance runner...

 

 

 

 

The body of sumo wrestler :D

[the village idiot]

I've the mind of an endurance runner...

 

 

 

 

The body of sumo wrestler :D

 

:lol:

[silky fox]

Wildlife..I'm going to visit in the Spring so maybe if you want to go in a convoy it could become a weekend Adventure for a Foxy Wildlife idiot:)