Knighton Community Woodlands Group

Knighton Community Woodlands Group are volunteers who manage woodlands for the benefit of wildlife and our members.  We come together to share and learn woodland skills, to manage woodlands sustainably and to allow our members access to affordable woodland products – such as firewood and timber.

We are looking for volunteers with the skills we need to expand and keep our organisation on a sustainable footing.  Perhaps you have recently retired, or moved to the area, and are looking to use your skills to benefit the environment and the local community?  We need volunteers like you with skills in wildlife surveys, fundraising, marketing, sales and ICT.  And we always need people for woodland task days – with or without woodland skills as we can teach you what you need to know.

We go out to local woodlands one day a week, usually alternating between Thursdays and Sundays, and volunteers choose which days to attend and how much of the day to stay for.  Volunteers work at their own pace and we provide all the tools and training needed. So, come and learn new skills while helping local wildlife!

It is a common misconception that untouched, or unmanaged, woodland is always best for wildlife.  In fact, unmanaged woodlands lose species over time as the canopy remains closed and the woodland floor stays dark.  Large animals, like bison and wild cattle, used to keep woodlands dynamic and open but they are now extinct.  Through traditional practices such as coppicing, we bring light back into the woodland, increase the variety of habitats and increase the richness of wildlife.

In ensuring that the trees that we fell for fuel or timber regrow or are replaced with new plants, we are creating a sustainable supply of woodland products that can displace fossil fuels and so reduce carbon emissions.  Through joining co-operatively with other local people we are enjoying, conserving and enriching our local environment.

If you’d like to know more about volunteering with the Woodlanders, please email woodland@tveg.org.uk or telephone: 01547 520374.  Our website has information about us and our volunteering opportunities: http://tveg.org.uk/wordpress/what-we-do/woodland-project