Mallinson Ltd - woodwork courses in Dorset. Perfect short breaks for everyone.

Last week saw the last regular course of '08, with a fine set of bowls being carved. It did become a bit of a race against the dark towards the end of the day but with the fire pits roaring and some nifty improvisation there was enough light to get work finished.

The stated intention of more than one guest was to 'get this done so I can give it to ... for Christmas' but by the end of the second day most (all?) bowls were going home with their makers as products of new found skills. Perhaps a gift certificate for a course would be a better bet ...

Talking Of Presents

Public courses start again in March next year but we'll not be idle in the meantime. There's plenty of work to be done on improving what is still quite a new woodland workshop, and we're also spending a bit more time in the office at the moment sending out Christmas present orders. Be they gift certificates or lovely, sharp and shiny tools, I really enjoy it - and the feedback I get from the pleased recipients later.

Don't forget that the deadline for tool orders is the 10th December and the 18th is the last date for posted (as opposed to 'instant') gift certificates.

Master-Class Reminder

By the way, while I remember, the new Master-Class that we launched in last month's newsletter (five days making your own pole lathe and shaving horse) has already had a very good take up. If you are thinking about joining us next September please do sign up quickly as places are strictly limited.

Private Bookings ...

Although the public courses have finished for 2008, we are still running our private bookings. After I've finished this newsletter, I'll be out in the workshop preparing for a group of 20 Graphic Designers who are coming down this week for their seasonal company outing. The plan is to spend a day in the woods carving some Christmas presents and decorations, and to also make a series of totem pole sections that will be assembled back in their studio in London. When all's done, they'll have created a sculpture that everybody has made their mark on. Head torches, paraffin lamps, flares and fire pits at the ready ...

We do have several enquiries for custom courses and events and if you have a hankering for a company outing with a difference or fancy taking a group of friends or family on an break in the woods, then please don't hesitate to call me to discuss your plans and the options. We are nothing if not flexible and with most regular courses being just two days in a week, we've plenty of opportunities to arrange other events at this rather special venue of ours.

... And Children's Parties

And on a similar note, we are also looking to expand what we can offer parties of children, with memorable days in the woods planned for youngsters to learn fire making, den building, whittling and more besides. We'll be providing further details about all this in the new year, but if you are interested in shipping a group of children down to our woodland workshop then just give me a call to talk it over.

We Have The Space

Of course, as anyone who's enjoying dining in the unique atmosphere of our tipi might have realised, it's big enough for 10 or so people, but bigger parties, like 20 Graphic Designers, would be a touch cramped. Fear not! Last week the old faithful version was dismantled and a new (to us) 30ft diameter tipi was - after an awful lot of heaving and sweating - erected in its place. And that means we've pretty well doubled the floor area. It may be causing some confusion with the neighbouring farmers and passing military helicopters but it does look magnificent, and long (and warm) lunches for much larger groups are now possible.

Seven Hundred Whips

Following Mace's piece last month on hedge laying, we have planted 500ft - yes, 500ft - of new hedge. This involved Mace and I 'slip planting' 700 whips of predominantly Hawthorn, mixed with some Crab Apple, Dogwood, Field Maple, Hazel and Spindleberry. These were planted in two rows about a foot apart with the overall aim being to divide a paddock into three. With each of us planting a row the competition was hot and now it's done we're both willing our respective rows on to see which performs better as it grows. The coming years will tell.

If you are considering planting a hedge (or standard trees, fruit trees or soft fruits) then we must recommend Ashridge Trees, who supplied us with the stock for our hedge (it is called their 'heritage' mix). They are very helpful, supply excellent quality stock and deliver nationwide.

www.ashridgetrees.co.uk

Grow Your Own

As well as planting hedges, woodland management work goes on in the woods apace at this time of year. Mace has been coppicing the old hazel around the woodland workshop and deeper into the woods - see 'In The Woods' below for more on this. In a few years time we should be harvesting poles for use in the courses and that's something I'm really looking forward to. We are also tidying up fallen and hung-up trees and generally looking after woods that had not been previously touched for about 50 years. We have plans to plant some willow in the next month or so too, but more on that another time.

That's about it for this month and this year. I look forward to seeing many of you here for a woodland break, be it a woodworking or an art course, in 2009.

Best Wishes and Happy Christmas

Guy and the team

In The Woods - Coppicing

I am often - OK, sometimes - asked why I describe myself as a 'woodsman' as opposed to a 'forester'. This is often highlighted when filling out on-line questionnaires, application forms and the like, as 'woodsman' is simply not a recognised job description. The answer is that as a woodsman and green woodworker/tutor, I pursue a traditional woodland livelihood, which means a highly seasonal existence. Woodland management and harvesting of woodland products is carried out in the winter months; value is added to those materials by crafting them into saleable items or utilising them as raw materials for courses, shows and demonstrations over the summer months.

As such, the understorey is as important and valuable to the woodsman as the high canopy timber trees, and the balance between the two is the main indicator of the health and lineage of that woodland. A working or worked woodland will often consist of a variety of species that, by and large, are there intentionally; they have either been planted, or nurtured to the exclusion of other species, by virtue of their value to local industry and agriculture. The traditional woodsman did not work in isolation simply to maintain the appearance and amenity value of any given woodland. He and his colleagues would be intrinsically linked with local thatchers, hedge-layers, farmers, estates, blacksmiths, gunpowder manufacturers, boat-builders, tanneries ... the list goes on. Bear in mind that this country's military and naval dominance, as well as it's pivotal role in the industrial revolution were borne on the back of dedicated and adept woodland management.

One of the commonest and highest value contemporary forms of working woodland is 'paint-ball and quad-biking centre'. Only joking ...? Seriously though, coppice is one of the highest value uses for woodland. Coppicing is the practice of rotationally harvesting areas of same species woodland over years, cutting close to the ground, in order to ensure high density straight re-growth. The cycle of harvesting dictates the potential use of the products, be it three year old hazel 'whips' used to bind the top of a layered hedge or forty year sweet chestnut to be cleft into planks or fencing rungs. The materials can literally be grown to size. The art of profitable coppice management is very hands-on and involved. The coppice worker must be able to recognize the optimum highest value product in each individual stick, and preferably know a few tricks for turning a bob or two from the remainder.

Ecologically, a well-maintained coppice woodland provides specific and diverse habitat for a massively varied range of flora and fauna. Owing to the rotational nature of harvesting a coppice (which is divided into areas called cants) the overall habitat is constant and at varied points in its growth cycle. Each harvesting season the preferred habitat (for example, five to seven year old hazel) simply 'moves a bit' as the neighbouring cant grows. Animals, insects and birds simply migrate to another cant that suits.

So, as Guy has already mentioned, I have started to cut some of the now derelict Hazel coppice at Higher Holditch Farm. Hopefully we should be able to bring areas back into rotation and increase the planting density to achieve straight, valuable growth. In turn there will be a readily available supply of materials on site.

One of the strategies that I'm employing to get the density up, is to pleach and layer some of the thinner whips and rods from each coppice stool (stool = the multi stemmed base of each tree, as opposed to things you make on a course).

Pleaching is similar to the hedge-laying technique whereby a cut is made into each stem, which is then pegged to the ground and earthed up. At each pegging point roots should form and, bingo, in a couple of years you have a new tree. Whilst this is labour intensive, it does utilise the existing genetic stock of the woodland, which is patently suited to growing there. In a few years, when the re-growth is harvested, the same technique will be used on the new stools until whole areas consist of closely packed trees all growing in competition with each other - and straight as a result!

The materials that have been cut will be used to create deer fencing to keep the b****rs off of all those temptingly sweet new shoots. Deer are a whole woodland management topic in themselves. Suffice to say, I was vegetarian for close to twenty years. Recently I have realized that I have a responsibility to protect my current and future livelihood. Therefore venison, rabbit and squirrel pie are now firmly on the menu!

Watch this space, and I'll let you know how successful it is in a couple of year's time!

Mace Brightwater

Woodland and hedge-laying contracts for this season and next are currently being sought.

E-mail: greenwood@brightwater.org.uk or 07891 779273.