January 2012
Hi all
Happy New Year !!
Just to startthe yearoff we've got
Light up the Woodlandon Sunday 29th January
Early on we can gather some wood and build a bonfire to light before it gets dark.
Make little lanterns for tea lights or candles.
Bring some jam jars so we can put tea lights in them to light up the path.
We’ll light the BBQ and put some potatoes in a fire.
Rab Erskine is coming to show us how to make fire by rubbing sticks, using a fire drill and sparks from steel. Hope he gets there early or the potatoes won’t be done.
Then as it starts to get dark we’ll get the bonfire lit, well probably about 3pm.
We’ve gotsome fire spinning- fire poi. A bit like juggling with fire and really impressive.
These are the folk from the Beltane Fire Festival so a real spectacle to see.
We’re trying to get a fire eater to help light up the dark too no luck so far but any contacts?
Any musicians for a sing song round the fire?
Any volunteers to help out a bit – well, if you’re there anyway ?
We'll start gathering wood late on in the morning and take it from there.
DIARY DATE
Wooplaw25
Wooplaw was purchased in 1987 and is the first community woodland in Britain and is 25 this year.
We're celebrating on the first weekend in September.
We've got Wooplaw25this year so our next wardens' meeting will be the first planning meeting for it.
The plan is to celebrate 25 years of Wooplaw and showcaseeverybody who has been to the woods over the years.
That gives us everything from musicians to fire eaters.
We're discussing it jointly with the CWA as mentioned above and once we can agree dates -justconfirmed yesterday that the CWA conference will be here and the first weekend in September.
That gives us a wee bonus for camping at Wooplaw because Friday 31st of August is a Blue Moon! Always nice to have a full moonwhen camping but having a blue moon really is special.
It really is a chance to celebrate all of the things which have happened at Wooplaw and for everyone who has been involved to come along and take part.
We really want a full programme for the weekend so anyone who has visited, helped, worked, partied, sung, planted, dug ditches, camped, been with their school, bird watched...... etc is invited to come back and take part.
It would be great to havesome legacy things done that weekend to act as a reminder too, maybe an orchard in Gullet Wood and......
Early days but here we go.
We'd love you to be involved so get in touch and tell us what you'd like to do.
We've got a wardens' meeting arranged for Tuesday 31stif you want to come along - just give a shout for details.
The Christmas Day Walk
Check out the blog too.
The beech tree
Another look at the blog for you.
Forgot my camera today and really wanted it.
Sandy and I went down to the recyling centre at Langshaw but they wouldn't take the tyres dumped at Wooplaw.
Anyway, SB local will pick all four of them up along with the wheely bin we seem to have acquired.
It's no use having a dustbin as the dustmen don't call.
Anyway, should be gone this week.
And there are two big sitka down between the cabin and the road.
You can see the really impressive root plates if you walk down the path from Axehead carpark to the cabin.
There is also a mystery tree lying beside the path at Axehead car park too.
It's lying down, it has a few roots on, it doesn't look as though it came from there either.
Another mystery and not a camera when you want one.
Trees at Wooplaw
There is an ongoing dispute as to whether Sycamore is a native British tree, but is now by far our commonest species of maple.
The seed is extremely fertile and not restricted in where it will germinate; everywhere from ancient woodlands to slag heaps.
The seedlings appear in May with two green wings which resemble the winged seeds which spiral down like helicopter blades in autumn.
Then two round leaves develop before the full versions arrive. These full leaves are five pointed and large, palmate in appearance, and borne on red stalks.
While the main stem on young sycamores is coffee brown that on mature trees is dirty green, often stained with dusty green algae.
The leaf buds are fat and green, (borne in opposite pairs) and the flower buds are pink, opening to tassels of hanging flowers in May.
The leaves often become sticky with secretion produced by aphids and a rain of this substance will fall in a sycamore wood covering everything (including walkers!)
The bark often flakes off on mature trees.
Sycamore produces large numbers of seed pods every year which spin off the tree in great numbers and the wind carries them quite a way, encouraging a rapid spread of the species.
Key distinguishing feature: fat green leaf buds in late winter
Already attested to in the 16th century, Sycamore now grows from the south coasts of England to northern Scotland. Many woods are now invaded by Sycamore, which will grow vigorously in shade and reaches maturity very quickly, so woods rapidly become a monoculture of sycamore.
It was thought that Sycamore was brought over to Britain in the 16th century for landowners who were looking for a rapid growing tree which could be used to give grandeur to their estates.
However, recent research suggests that Sycamore was common up to Roman times but died out due to a warming climate except in mountainous areas such as Scotland. The northernmost wood in Britain is on the Mey Estate, Caithness, Scotland. Nowadays, as it burns well, it is used for charcoal as part of woodland management.
The wood is excellent for carving and as general furniture timber for book cases etc
It was used to make rollers in textile mills.
In Scotland ladles for kail were scooped out of Sycamore wood.
On the Orkneys, spoons were carved from Sycamore.
Link to source.
So now you know.
Weare doing this.
Dates for Beanpole week 2012are be April 21st - 29 - so actually 9 days asthey try to include 2 week ends.
Just right for Axehead wood coppicing.
We can do some of the hazel coppicing over the winter and then sell the poles at our April weekend.
Saves a few bambooimports.
This month's optical illusion -count the letter "F"s in this sentence
Just right for the weather too.
Did you get them all?
When you are ready, highlight this sentence with your cursor to get the answer =EIGHT.
Bushcraft WeekendFebruary 17th - 19th
A group from the BushcraftUK forum are having a skill sharing weekend. There might be firemaking, netting, fishhook making and other outdoor skills.We'll have the green woodworking shelter up and running, and there will be lathes, shavehorses and other woodworky things happening.
Here's a LINK to Bushcraft UK to get a better idea .
Yourwelcome to come and see what's happening.
Big Project
This year we will be replacing the BBQ building and the tables in front of it.
As the main pole is rotting at ground level it might be best to use a few telegraph poles for this bit next time.
(any contacts with BT, Scottish Power etc?)
Some of the timber from BigWood can be used too especially for the tables and benches.
We'll probably need a wood miser to make the shingles (anybody gotsome larch that blew over in the storms?) so there'll be a lot happening.
As there will be trees coming down - probably the sitka that has fallen we'll try and do some of this in the week.
if you want to lend a hand then give us a shout.
So you cankeep your diary up to date......
2012
LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
January 29th Light up the Woodland - fiery theme.
April 29th Hazel and willow coppicing and National Beanpole Week.
May 26th and 27th Green woodworking weekend. Make your own shaving horse and/or pole lathe or just do some green woodworking
May 27th Horse logging - as part of the festival of the horse, Rab Erskine and friends will be extracting some timber from BigWood in the afternoon using their horses.
June 24th Wild in the Woods, Anna Craigen's family day building dens and 'mini bushcraft' things.
31st August - 2nd September - WOOPLAW25 weekend
October 20th and 21stTweedValleyForest Festival - Tweed Green, Peebles.
October 28th Halloween
Offers of events for the 'missing months' are welcome.
To become a member ofWooplaw or to make a donation, go to our web site,
Help save our trees and only print if necessary - thank you
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See you there.
Cheers
Bob Fleet
Wooplaw Community Woodlands is aLimited Company and a Registered Charity.
Company registered at Companies House No SC211012
Charity registered in Scotland Charity No. SC 030590