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

The new TV series 'Mastercrafts', which includes an episode filmed in the Woodland Workshop, hits the screens on the 12th February ... and that's awfully soon! The programme is presented by Monty Don and is being shown on BBC2.

It seems like just yesterday that the film crew and trainees featured in the series were here, but since then the production company (Ricochet Productions) and the BBC have been busy getting everything edited and ready for viewing. What's more, according to the BBC, 'Wood' (our episode), will be the 1st in the series to be aired - at 21.00 on Friday 12th Feb on BBC2.

We don't want to spoil the surprise so we're keeping tight-lipped about the goings on in the woods but you can see an interview with Monty Don on the BBC website here and here you can read all about it here.

We've added a new page to the website about the series and we'll be updating this with some more pictures and information once it has aired.

Reading Matter

As you might expect, there's also a new book being published to accompany the 'Mastercrafts' series, which will be launched on 12th February as well.

One of the book's six chapters is devoted to wood and our woodland workshop and if you would like to pre-order it, it can be bought directly here (and at a £5.00 discount too!).

Whoooo Are We?

Along with all the 'Mastercrafts' related activity, we've also been working on our website, identity and general web presence. I just felt it was about time we overhauled our image to better reflect what we do nowadays, rather than my previous life as a cabinet maker!

So, we've now a new friend, Oscar, who's already appearing here and there and he'll be fully implemented on all stationery and online by the 12th February.

(And yes, that is perhaps one of the worst headlines I've ever come up with.)

And, Indeed, Where Are We?

Not only is Oscar new, we've also started a blog, a Facebook page and, good grief, we're even on Twitter now.

I'm not sure how all these facets of modern communications sit with a sustainable approach to life spent largely in a woodland workshop but once you get over the culture clash, maybe they're not mutually exclusive! However, we do intend to keep going with this newsletter, and anything significant that appears on these new 'channels' will appear here too.

Snow? Ha! Bring It On ...

Fortunately, we have been able to escape into the woods for at least part of January. Snow was a big concern after last year's disastrous shelter collapse under the weight of the stuff and longer-standing readers might recall that we re-designed everything to better cope.

Well, the theory of a re-design is one thing, reality is another ... but I was delighted (not to mention relieved) to find the new system worked as intended. The whole woodland workshop coped incredibly well this time and it took just a couple of hours to put everything back to normal once the thaw set in.

Pollarding Willow

Snow dealt with, we have also been very busy pollarding the 3,000 willow whips that we planted last year. That's a lot of willow and a lot of pollarding. It's worth it though, as that will enable us to take a crop at chin height of small diameter willow for the artist's charcoal-making courses this year.

Luxury

As well as woodland and workshop management, we've been building a larger dining shelter for this year's courses, which involved Adam doing some fairly heroic tree climbing to get some of the support structure installed. The photos show why I was very happy to leave that one to the experts.

And, as if this were not enough high level work, as soon as he was safely down on the ground he was then climbing the tipi to help install the new flue. This has made a huge difference and we now have a lovely hot tipi wood burner with no smoke, all ready for winter dining when it is just too cold to eat in the outside dining shelter. Luxury!

David Saltmarsh

I'd just like to mention that our friend David Saltmarsh, who makes fantastic chairs from green wood, has just put up his first website

Do have a look at his exceptional work. I simply could not resist buying one that was made from a yew tree felled when we left our old venue at Mangerton. My three boys used to play in the tree, and somehow that gives a very satisfying feeling when I'm now relaxing in it by the fire. I hope that it will be the first of many new sales for him for this year.

Gentlemen Of The Press

Finally, I'd just like to say a big 'thank you' to the Bridport News, the Western Gazette and the Dorset Echo for spreading the word about what we have been up to in the woods - it is very much appreciated. I can confirm that there are still gentlemen (and women) in the press!

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The Christmas gift certificates were as popular as ever with the lucky recipients now booking their places on the course of their choice. (Disappointingly, there were no last minute Christmas Day instant gift purchases this year though.) Don't forget that the gift certificates also make an unusual and popular Valentine's present!

That's it for this month. Thanks for reading.

Guy and the team

Tree of the Month: Eucalyptus species

As we are currently in the depths of the coldest winter for many years, at a time when any social interaction is a voyage through a miasma of cough and cold germs, I thought that this would be a good time to take a look at the eucalyptus species, a group of trees which are the source of the famously aromatic nose-clearing scent.

Eucalypts, or gum trees, are native to Australia, where they are the dominant tree-species, having adapted to survive, even thrive, in the wide range of habitats available in Australia, all of them challenging. As a result there are over 700 named species of eucalypts, of which only 9 are not Australian natives; there are also many other species recognised, but as yet unnamed, although in species identification the waters are muddied by the tree's willingness to hybridise, leading to a confusion of intermediate specimens of uncertain parentage.

Coming as they do from a generally hot and dry land, many species of eucalypts are unsuited for growing in the cold, damp climate of Britain; but adaptation to all available habitats is the reason why the tree is so widespread and successful across Australia, and there are a number of species from the cooler, mountainous areas of Australia and Tasmania which will do well in this country. A couple of commonly-seen species are the Snow gum, E. niphophila, which in Australia grows on the tree-line, at an altitude of around 6,000 ft, and is reliably hardy in Britain, and the Cider gum, E. Gunnii, and its relations, which hails from cool mountainous areas of southern Australia, and Tasmania.

Eucalyptus is a popular decorative tree in Britain because it gives such good value; as I write this, when all around lies cold and dark and still in the grip of winter, the gum tree in the garden down the road is still in leaf, and has the added benefit of an attractive, decorative bark. The bark is a feature of many species of gum, and can be strongly-coloured, as in E. gunnii, whose bark flakes off in summer, revealing fresh colours of yellows, greens and even pinks beneath; or the peeling bark of E niphopila, patterned with pale colours of grey, green and cream.

Gums continue to grow throughout all but the very coldest weather rather than developing winter buds; this means that young leaves borne on the trees can be vulnerable to frost damage at this time, but these quick-growing trees quickly recover from the damage sustained in a cold winter; in fact, they coppice so freely, that even if cut down entirely by frost, fire - or tree surgeon - eucalypts will sprout back from the base and grow with vigour, with some species capable of up to 6-10 ft of growth per year.

Most species of gum carry two types of leaf at all times; the mature leaf, which is usually long and sickle-shaped, starts to develop when the tree is about 4 years old. The juvenile foliage, which is different in appearance and can be very decorative, is often preferred over the mature foliage, and is widely used by flower arrangers. Because the gum coppices so readily, it is a very simple procedure to keep your gum tree cut back to a manageable size, to enjoy the more decorative juvenile foliage.

So, what about that aromatic oil, universally recognised for its head-clearing properties? Almost all species of gum grow in conditions where the sunlight is very intense, and as a result the trees have developed several adaptations to protect themselves from excessive water loss. The leaves are covered in a waxy cuticle to help reduce loss of fluids by evaporation, and further protection is afforded by oil-secreting glands within the leaf; these produce the oil that is harvested and processed into the medicinal eucalyptus oil. A final clever adaptation is the ability of the adult leaves to turn to present their edges -the smallest surface area- towards the sun; this is good for the gum, as it again acts to reduce water loss through evaporation, but bad for anyone hoping to shelter from the baking sun beneath a gum tree, as they cast very little shade as a result.

Interestingly, then, it seems that eucalypts have not developed these oils solely to help people from northern climes suffering from a head-cold; Further investigation reveals that the gums are supremely adapted to one of the natural hazards of the Australian bush, namely bush-fires. The trees thrive in a fire-prone habitat, and can, in extreme temperatures, even burst spontaneously into flame due to the flammable eucalyptus oil. Although the trees do burn in a bush-fire, they regenerate very quickly once the blaze has passed, regrowing from underground structures called lignotubers. These are stimulated by the fire conditions to produce new growth, enabling the tree to take advantage of the lack of competition once the fire has cleared away less fire-tolerant competing species.

I can't finish a piece on eucalypts without mentioning, of course, the koala bear, which lives almost exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, despite their unsuitability as a foodstuff. The indigestible leaves contain very little nourishment, but do contain substances such as phenolic and terpene compounds that are actively toxic. The koala appears to have developed the ability to live off of these leaves because there is, unsurprisingly, little competition for the food supply; as for me, although I do like the smell, I can't believe the leaves taste good!

Keep well,