Ancient Woodland Restoration - FREE workshops

Forestry & Woodfuel - Market Update - FREE evening seminar

The Kent Downs Woodfuel Pathfinder, in partnership with the Forestry Commission and the Deer Initiative, will present an update on the forestry and woodfuel sectors in Kent on November 20th.

This free event will focus on the changes taking place in the forestry sector and provide insights into future opportunities.  

In particular the event will look at how improving markets for chip wood, in part stimulated by a new biomass power station in East Kent, may require  enhanced mechanisation and collaboration among forestry businesses.

The event will take place at the Grasshopper Inn at Moorhouse on the A25 near Westerham.  The event will open at 6:30 pm and will include a free buffet.

More details can be found below.

To book your free tickets please click here.

This event is funded by the EU ERDF Interreg IVa Channel project ADAFOR.

Practical workshop on woodland management planning and stakeholder engagement

Making the most of woodlands: Practical workshop on woodland management planning and stakeholder engagement

The Sylva Foundation, BioRegional and the Forestry Commission warmly invite you to attend this free event which aims to help you identify and realise the opportunities which exist from managing your woodlands. 

This event will take place in the following locations:

• Surrey Hills AONB on Thursday 31st May 2012,  9.30am to 3pm, lunch included
• The National Trust’s Ashridge Estate on Tuesday 19th June 2012, 9.30am to 3pm, lunch included

If you would like to register for your free place at either one of these events, please so do by following the relevant link below:

Surrey Hills AONB event
Ashridge Estate event

Event details:

Well-managed  woodlands can potentially provide you with a host of benefits and opportunities. This event will support you in working with your woodland by:

• Identifying  possible markets for your woodland products with a session on producing for the woodfuel market.
• Introducing free tools and resources to help you manage your woodlands.
• A practical interactive session in the afternoon to demonstrate their use.

Experts will be on hand to advise you on aspects of management such as surveying and increasing the productivity of your woodlands.

The day will include the launch of a new resource to help in your engagement with your local community and other stakeholders who you may need to deal with through your woodland work, and as part of the process of developing an UK Woodland Assurance Standard management plan.

The new guidance pack and free promotional materials will help to guide you through this process, and a local woodland owner will be there to offer their first hand experience.

Fuelwood open days

Fuelwood are holding two open days (May 25th and 26th at Claywood, Warwickshire) to demonstrate their full range of machinery, which includes:

• New Sami – Autochopper
• New Splitta 400
• Woodcutta & Splitta Fuelwood Factory logs & kindling
• Transaw 350 XL – Firewood Processor
• KindletPro & Kindlet – kindling machine
• LucasMill Mobile Sawmill
• New 2012 Japa Firewood processors models
• Full range of log splitters
• Plus accessories - log decks, bagging chutes etc
• New X-Frame Bagga for 1m3 Log bags

Fuelwood are also distributors of Heizohack chippers.

To register please visit Fuelwood's website.

To read a report from Fuelwood's recent event in Kent at Berscoe Engineering, who are a local distributor of Fuelwood's products, please click here.

Moving towards low carbon farming

To book your place or for more information please call the Soil Association 0117 314 5127 or email pjohnson@soilassociation.org.

The Kent Downs Woodfuel Pathfinder would be happy to assist anyone considering biomass heating as a way of reducing on farm energy use. 

For free advice and support please contact Matthew Morris on 01303 815 171 or matthew.morris@kentdowns.org.uk.

Free workshop: Discovering Ancient Woodland

Renewable Heat Incentive - application help events

£20m for farming, forestry and horticultural businesses

Alan TYERS - Hayrolls, Highdown Farm
http://www.redraggallery.co.uk/

A new £20 million fund to help farming, forestry and horticultural businesses to become more efficient at using resources has been launched. The scheme aims to help businesses to become more competitive and more profitable, whilst reducing the impact of farming on the environment.

This announcement comes only a few days after the launch of the new £10m Woodfuel Woodland Improvement Grant by the Forestry Commission.

Farmers, foresters, woodland owners, agricultural contractors and horticulturalists can apply for grants of up to £25,000 to invest in green projects, new machinery and improvements to animal health and welfare so their businesses can grow in an environmentally friendly way.

The Farming and Forestry Improvement Scheme will fund projects that:

• save energy and reduce carbon emissions
• reduce dependence on artificial fertilizers through better use of manures
• improve soil quality
• improve animal health and welfare
• save and recycle water
• promote woodland management by processing timber more efficiently

In Kent the LEADER programme has been very successful at providing RDPE grants for a wide variety of land-based and rural businesses.  It is understood that the new FFIS scheme may replace LEADER, although there is underspend in some other regions and this may be used to top-up the Kent LEADERs (providing there is enough demand to warrant an extension).

More information on LEADER, the new FFIS scheme and a range of other topics will be provided at our forthcoming contractors event at the Dog & Bear (Lenham) on Thursday, November 17th. 

There are still some places left so please contact us if you would like to come along (matthew.morris@kentdowns.org.uk , 01303 815 171).

For more information go to http://rdpenetwork.defra.gov.uk/funding-sources/farm-and-forestry-improvement-scheme.