Three Strikes and You’re In
This week I've been invited to join the home team on their annual walk around the woods to discuss forthcoming projects. A sort of informal AGM I suppose. Any group like ours, utilising volunteers and other such minions, does well to engender within them a sense of ownership of the wood. The home team mostly work in customer-facing and timber construction roles and are often unaware of what goes on elsewhere on the site, so it is good to get them out to find out what is happening in the wider wood.
23rd January 2024
So let's tag along and evesdrop on them (hopefully they won't notice us!)
We start with a rousing speech from Emily pointing out how wellbeing, self-reliance, conservation, sustainability and even the arts overlap at Wilderness Wood. I have to agree with her since modern society tends to institutionalise us all to be dependent upon decisions made by the great and the good, when we as individuals also have a responsibility for our own health and wellbeing, the health of the planet and to help each other.
The route to our first stop takes us through the home team ‘village’, a collection of shepherds huts built and fitted out by various home team members (past and present) for individuals to have all the comforts of home. Self-reliance in action.
Part of the ‘Home Team Village’ - self-built shepherds’ huts for the home team to live in.
Beyond this is the vegetable garden managed by Anton, who also lives on-site in his converted box van. Once again with all the comforts of home, but sadly short of a roof. Yes, this was blown off by Storm Isha. Perhaps good for star gazing, but not when it is raining. Fortunately he has a temporary tarp solution to hand.
Anton explains about forthcoming vegetable garden development, including a new geodesic dome greenhouse and an irrigation system connected to IBC Tanks, to see the plot through the dry summer months. There is also potential to team up with a kindergarten project and the Wilderness Wood 'wellbeing' team to utilise the plot for education and growing herbal remedies.
This reflects Wilderness Wood's policy of getting at least three benefits out of any new project. “Three Strikes and You're In” I suppose.
Wilderness Veg Plot, with Geodesic Dome Greenhouse (bottom) and IBC Tank (top insert)
Our whistlestop tour next takes us to the Upper Paddock where later this year visitors may well see free-range chickens picking the ground clear of anything they can find. When the chickens are not in residence it also makes for a good camp site and recreational area.
The Upper Paddock, with the main house in the background
Then we are moving down to the Lower Paddock where we shoot the breeze about the site being repurposed for more wellbeing activities (as well as camping and recreation of course). However, it is suggested that people looking for a quiet retreat of mindfullness and massage may not find campers the best of neighbours. A complicated business this multiuse philosophy and rest assured we will have sorted it out before progressing.
The Lower Paddock with terraces (main house and Upper Paddock in background)
We pause briefly at the Bat Park Conservation Area where I get the chance to explain about our rabbit and deer exclusion fences. Jake adds that he had to lock the gates in order to keep humans out too. This was because a number of dog walkers took Bat Park to be a doggy exercise field and kindly left their dog waste to be collected by the Poo Fairy. Sadly we have to pay a premium for her services. Deer, Rabbits, Dogs(with owners) - “Three Strikes and You're Out!”
The Bat Park Heathland area with Acid Lowland Grassland area beyond.
Moving down the Cross Ride we arrive at Hemlock Valley where I explain the potential benefits of holding back the Wilderness Stream in more permanent ponds. The 106 leaky dams on site have proven how effective they are at moderating flood water in winter, so why not have a few permanent dams to replace some of the leaky dams and potentially have ponds and cascading waters all the way down Hemlock Valley? Well, during the Autumn, Winter and Spring months, if not during summer droughts.
The retained water will guarantee much greater biodiversity. It is no surprise that I disturbed my first ever woodcock in the new wet woodland area a few weeks ago and today spotted a grey wagtail feeding at the Reedbed Pond. Both of these species are attracted to water for feeding, so my obsession with retaining water on-site is starting to pay dividends.
Top of Hemlock Valley - this and other leaky dam locations are potential pond sites.
Finally we make it to 'Dan's Folly' (sometimes known as the 'bridge to nowhere'). Dan still has plans to create a significantly large pond to justify his bridge. Perhaps following the 'three uses' policy it had better double-up as a boating lake and trout farm? However, I am relieved to hear that the large dam required to hold the water back will now not encrouch upon my new ponds.
Dan’s Bridge (with new pond and dam inserted)
Our final discussion is with regard to the now abandoned funding bid for a boardwalk across the aforementioned new ponds. Sadly the proposed DEFRA funding comes with so many strings attached that it would be more sensible to do the job in-house using hardcore and Fittleworth Sandstone to create a path instead. We can also build the necessary bridges ourselves using our own chestnut, or even alder timber. Sometimes a less ambitious DIY solution trumps a more eye-catching externally funded option - especially when you consider the hours of work involved in bidding for funding.
New Ponds with Fittleworth Sandstone path marked in (bridge marked in purple)
The tour concludes at the new workshop buildings which now carry the grand title of 'The Forestry Building'. Not only does this collection of shipping containers, topped with a hand crafted timber framed roof, demonstrate Wilderness Wood's sustainable credentials (the only concrete used is the foundations), it means we can manufacture further timber framed buildings under cover and have all our landscape and building tools stored in one place. Moving the building operations means space is freed-up nearer The Hatch to repurpose it for more visitor-friendly craft workshops.
The Forestry Building - repurposed shipping containers and timber-framed roof
You see all the best projects bring at least 2 further benefits with them here at Wilderness Wood.
We have just about cracked how to enable readers to comment and ask questions specifically about anything covered in the blogs. I’ll try to answer your queries about conservation and wildlife. Questions regarding other aspects of the web site should be addressed to Dan and Emily at the email address below. Any answers I may give to queries are my personal opinion and are subject to potential errors on my part. Please feel free to correct me. David Horne