The Canada Woods Regeneration Programme is now in its final week with the contractors. Unfortunately, the weather over the last few days has hindered the stacking of the timber for onward transport and sale. Eventually there should be 60m3 in the stack which is enough to fill two log trucks. This timber will be weighed and sold, with the money raised paid back into Parish Council funds to help with costs incurred by this work. Any timber left over will be assessed for habitat purposes and pieces which can be used for making seating within the woodland and community park, these are clearly marked with a blue S. Those lengths and pieces of timber which are surplus to requirements will be available for the community to take. These pieces of timber will be clearly marked to avoid any misunderstandings. There may also be an opportunity to join a working party in Canada Woods with payment in fire wood 😊
The thinning process has made a remarkable difference to Canada Woods. The sun can now reach the woodland floor and I can’t wait to see what flora returns in the next year or two. Garden birds were already back in the woods last week feeding from insects on the brash piles. They certainly have room to fly within the woodland and when the understory begins to grow, they will have the opportunity to nest again within Canada Woods. There have been offers of bird boxes in the meantime. An additional offer of bat and owl boxes has also been received and we will make enquiries to the relevant organisations when we have reopened the woodland as to their cost and installation.
The beautiful oak trees are now in open space, and are magnificent! Please look up when you are allowed back in. The colour of the beech leaves is incredible now they have sunlight coming through them. The dappled shade within the woodland is stunning. I do feel privileged to have been allowed into the woodland with the contractors at every stage of the process. To see the sun shining on the river while standing on the top footpath was such a joy, at the end of the first week. I look forward to being able to share the changes with those of you who have observed the closure signage very soon.
There will be a hiatus before the small animals make their way back into Canada Woods. The cover is still too sparce for them, but they will return as and when the understory begins to flourish. The old post and rail fencing which was not able to cope without the support of the now felled trees will be replaced by a habitat hedgerow which we hope to secure from The Woodland Trust.
I know some people will dislike the changes and in the short term, the mess. Yes of course there is a mess. The brash has been chopped or chipped and it will take time to rot down. The habitat timber is still bright and sharp but that will also shape itself into the new landscape in due course. The new open spaces will need time to develop an understory and the siting of seating and other planned structures will also take time to achieve.
Canada Woods will be looked after and maintained by forming a Community Group. The Community Group will still have help and support from the Parish Council in terms of Insurance and fund holding. The Community Group will be able to fund raise for its own projects within Canada Woods and Community Park. There are volunteers who have been waiting patiently in the wings to help with Canada Woods once the contractors have finished. They have offered their help through this website over a period of two years. A big thank you so much to all of you, especially if you find yourself reading this update. Your help will be much appreciated in the near future, to clean up and to divert and widen footpaths. There is a plan to turn part of Community Park into a Community Orchard with the help of The Tree Warden Scheme and the funding offered by the Tree Council. The aim is to encourage the community to get involved in this project and I am so happy to say that the initial poll of residents culminated in 20 people coming forward to help plan, prepare and plant the orchard and to maintain it with the help of experienced orchard growers and The Tree Warden Scheme. The idea is to make Canada Woods and Community Park into an accessible learning environment for local schools. We also want to develop ideas put forward by the community when they were polled two years ago when the project started.
Funding will be essential to realise these proposals and the committee (6 so far) will be looking at funding opportunities as soon as the Community Group has been formally recognised. The Community Group ethos will remain the same, and that is:-
- To regenerate the woodland and promote healthy growth for future generations to enjoy.
- To provide an accessible and inclusive woodland space for the community.
- To provide a usable space for schools and community projects.
- To provide a Community Space on the amenity land adjoining Canada Woods known as Community Park.
- To generate a positive outcome from a two-year pandemic.
One of the priorities for Canada Woods is to repair the footpath MLAV2 which is falling away from just above the ‘bubbling kettle’. This is a major piece of work for which funding will be required. It has always been the intention to make Canada Woods as accessible as possible. This is one of the reasons we fund raised to put in the new pedestrian access to the river when we had to repair the river bank to stop the lower part of MLAV2 from falling into the river.
There is also a possibility of funding for a natural flood defence scheme in the lower half of Canada Woods. The possibility of creating an amazing habitat site along with stemming the flow of flood water appeals. The funding is from the Environment Agency and the application form is phenomenal…wish me luck!
Anyone interested in becoming a Friend of Canada Woods and Community Park can use the contact page on this website or find us on Facebook.