Month: January 2025

We’ve been contacted by Ross Ferfuson from The Carbon Negative Initiative: https://www.carbonnegative.org.uk/

Ross is proposing to build a large-scale pyrolyser in Cumbria to convert around 10,000 tons of biomass per year into biochar as a way of locking atmospheric carbon into soils. Short rotation coppice is the prefered raw material & they are intending to plant bespoke sites, & may be looking for skilled workers to manage them. There is expected to be a shortage of material for several years until their SRC becomes established & are keen to investigate supply from existing local coppices in the interim.

I’d be interested in member’s opinions on this. Does this kind of thing represent a positive move towards tackling climate change for the benefit of all, encompassing potential opportunities for the management/restoration of otherwise unproductive woods & coppices? Or is it a technological sticking plaster to temporarily prolong the overriding of natural balances in pursuit of excess wealth for the few (a business opportunity like any other, just with an environmental strap line)?

Please let me know if you have a view as to whether CANW should/shouldn’t be supporting this kind of large scale corporate initiative. It’s an interesting discussion with wide-ranging viewpoints; perhaps we can float some of them between us for consideration?

Please contact Ross directly for more information on the project. [email protected]

The deal that NCFed negotiated with The Beech Tree / Insurance Experts some time ago has been questioned by some of our members with regards to its value. The aim of the deal was to get suitable insurance for woodland & coppice workers at a better price than one would through manually trawling the internet. We would like to put it to the test and see if it is actually better value than other deals members may have found elsewhere. It would be good to have some idea of people’s experiences so that we can share the knowledge & all benefit. If the NCFed deal is nolonger competitive & needs to be renegotiated then we will bring this up with NCFed & see if something better can be accomplished, or else stop promoting it. But if it’s still offering something favourable then it’s good to know that too, right?

• Please could you let me know if you have had a quote from The Beech Tree / Insurance Experts but decided to take out a policy with somebody else instead? And if so, why?

• If you are happy to share details of how much you pay for Public / Employers Liability, & what level of cover this gives you (e.g. £1m, £2m, £5, £10m) that would be helpful. Also any exclusions or specific inclusions that affect the premium… Thanks in advance for any information you are happy to share to help others get a better or more suitable deal.

I’ll try to assemble some Top Tips for choosing a policy for the next update, & will share a summary of other people’s experiences if I get any response!

Do we have any members with specific knowledge or experience in the sector who would be willing to offer a few words of advice to those who find the world of insurance a bit bewildering?

31st Jan, meeting will start at 19:00, but arrive from 18:00 for Jacob’s Join.

Edward and Romola have kindly agreed to host us again at Sprint Mill (by far the best place ever).

• Please come & have your say on how we can do things better
• Get involved with helping us to do things better
• Also, bring any surplus tools & see if you can sell them – we’ll set up a bring & buy space like last year
• Any craft work you want to try to sell, or just showcase, please bring it along too
• Bring an instrument so we can turn it into a bit of a session
• Bring some food to share, & eat other people’s
• Bring some drink to drink, & drink other people’s
• I’ll try to persuade someone to whip up a quiz

Sprint Mill can be found at:

What3words: https://w3w.co/magpie.loudness.directs

OS Grid: SD515961

Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zuqWE7HP94ArTWMo7

https://sprintmilling.wordpress.com

Led by Twiggy (07734 353202) From 9.30am . Please let Twiggy know if you are coming along.

Jobs list:

Removing old fencing from Sam’s old coup at the far end of the track behind the meeting bench.

Widening the ride alongside the side of the firewood coup 2a ( removing trees along the edge of the footpath)

There is still some dressing out to do on Gordo’s coup 

Bring a packed lunch, and (if you have them), fencing pliers, bill hooks , gloves ,

Location of Moss and Heights Spring wood – Bouth

what3words – racetrack.apple.starters

Go down the side road by the White Hart Inn at Bouth , keep left at the junction signposted Hay Bridge, go round a couple of corners till you see a gate with a byway sign next to it . This is the entrance to MAHS . We usually meet by the memorial bench about 400m into the wood. 

• Discount for members (e.g. those who have paid their 2025 subs)

BUY TICKETS HERE

Please share this to your notice boards & spread it liberally across the internet. Spam yr grannie – it all helps.

• Subs renewals were due on 1st Jan. Ha – you weren’t expecting that were you?!

A handful of you have actually paid – many thanks to those people!

If you don’t want to continue membership in 2025 please let me know & I’ll stop badgering you. Otherwise, please get your renewal in ASAP if you haven’t already.

Here’s a genius idea: why not set up a recurring payment to automatically go out on Jan 1st each year? That way you can read these future reminders & legitimately sit back taking zero action with a glowing sense of internal satisfaction & smugness, AND THEN, claim most of the money back via your WITW members special ticket price! Oh my goodness!!!

Account Name: TTs Coppice Association North West

NatWest Bank

Sort Code: 01-00-61

Account number: 20809336

Please put your name in the reference so we know who it is that’s paid!

Subs remain the same as last year at:

£25.00 Individual membership

£35.00 Company membership

[NOTE: Deadline for renewal will be the end of Feb, from which point only paid up subscribers will remain on the mailing list.]