Weekend In The Woods needs your help!
We’ve still got lots of Weekend In The Woods tickets left, sales are not going as fast as we have hoped. Please, if you are able, could you share it through your social media channels, or send to any other likely places? We really need to sell out to cover our costs, so it’s going to need a big push. Any help you can offer in promoting it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Moss & Heights Spring Woods FUN day! Wednesday, 1st May
All CANW members are invited to a “FUN DAY” in the woods. We’re hoping to revitalise these events by making them more interesting. There will probably be some real work to do, but there will also be opportunities to learn about coppice, woodland management, heritage crafts etc. & meet lovely knowledgeable people.
Not sure exactly what is on the agenda yet but it might well involve oak bark peeling for leather tanning, which is hugely enjoyable to do.
Organised by Bill Hogarth Memorial Apprenticeship Trust (BHMAT)
Contact Ian Taylor directly if you intend to come: [email protected] / 07813 696161
Additional oak bark peeling day at Moss & Heights Spring Woods Saturday11th May
If you can’t make the mid-week day then how about a weekend day? Or come to both! Our chairperson Dan Sumner will be peeling more oak from Helen’s old coupe. Again, all members are welcome to attend. Please contact Dan if you want to come to this one: [email protected]
Asian Hornet News (Thanks to Melanie Fryer for this summary)
The National Bee Unit has declared four risk areas where there will be intensive spring queen trapping following last season’s finds of 72 nests in the UK. During March 1,000 traps will be set, one trap per square kilometre, in 5km zones around nests that were found last season. The areas are in South East Kent, South West Kent, , East Sussex, Plymouth and Yarm in North Yorkshire. Local beekeepers in these areas are encouraged to set their own selective traps.
As ever, any Asian hornets should be reported immediately, preferably with a photo, via the Asian Hornet Watch App.
Alongside the information provided by the NBU please note a lone Asian Hornet was identified and reported in Preston on March 20th. The warehouse where it was found has regular wagon deliveries from France. A bee inspector attended, set traps and is monitoring closely.
The main concern is that the Hornets are not particularly seeking out bee hives. By the time they find them they will have already destroyed the local insect population over a considerable distance.
Woodland Pioneers 2024
Dates have just been released for this year’s Woodland Pioneers organised by BHMAT.
Booking is here: http://www.coppiceapprentice.org.uk/pioneersbook.php
Watch this space:
Two interesting things in the pipeline, for which I’ve very little information about as yet! But I’ll update you all as & when more info comes through:
1. A new tannery is in the process of being setting up & intending to use oak bark. Demand for oak bark might rise in the near future, & hopefully the prices will rise accordingly.
2. We are in the process of trying to sort out a training day on making thatching spars. It will probably be run at Sprint Mill, hopefully this summer. Details still to be arranged but bare it in mind…