A Day of Woodland Inspiration at Ruskin Land

Companion and resident of Uncllys Farm on Ruskin Land, John Iles, recently hosted a group of volunteers and two staff from the Smallwoods Association based in Ironbridge. Their leader, Rebecca Vincent-Evans, writes about the day here.

A huge thank you to John Iles of Wyre Community Land Trust for welcoming six of our volunteers and two members of staff to Ruskin Land for a fascinating day of learning about woodland management

Based at Ruskin Land near Bewdley, the Wyre Community Land Trust has been caring for the Wyre Forest and the surrounding landscape since 2007. Its work is rooted in conservation, community involvement, traditional woodland skills and the remarkable legacy of John Ruskin. Ruskin Land itself was given to Ruskin in the 1870s, with his vision of creating a place that was “beautiful, peaceful and fruitful” continuing to influence how the land is managed today.

John took us around the woodland, explaining the management decisions that have been made over many years. We saw areas where thinning had opened up the woodland structure, allowing more light into the canopy and creating opportunities for regeneration and greater biodiversity. We also saw the challenges facing our woodlands, including ash dieback and oak decline, and discussed the importance of careful, long-term management to create healthier and more resilient woodland for the future.

It was particularly interesting to see how woodland management and conservation sit alongside productive use of the timber. The Trust has its own sawmill and woodyard, processing timber arising from its conservation work and turning it into useful products including timber, fencing, gates, stiles and waymarkers. (wyreclt.org.uk)

We also visited the forestry and workshop area, where we saw some wonderful examples of the things that can be created from locally sourced timber. The group was particularly impressed by the signs and benches being made there, demonstrating how woodland management, traditional skills, employment and enterprise can all be connected.

One of the most fascinating parts of the visit was seeing older spruce being removed as part of the ongoing management of the site, alongside areas of new planting. We learned about efforts to improve connectivity between woodland areas, creating a more joined-up landscape for wildlife. A recently planted area had experienced some losses during the hot weather – around 25% – but there was plenty of encouraging new growth and a real sense of a woodland being given a new future.

We also heard about the potential to restore part of the site towards heathland, another important habitat within the wider Wyre landscape. Heathland and open habitats provide valuable space for a wide range of wildlife and are increasingly recognised as an important part of a healthy woodland landscape. (Forestry England)

For our volunteers and staff, it was a brilliant opportunity to step outside our own woods and see how another community-led organisation approaches woodland management, biodiversity, regeneration and the use of timber. There were lots of ideas to bring home and plenty of conversations about what we could learn from one another.

And, of course, no woodland visit would be complete without good hospitality! A special thank you also goes to Richard, John’s neighbour, who very kindly kept us supplied with coffee, flapjacks and cold water. It was much appreciated after a morning exploring the woods.

It was a genuinely inspiring day, and we are very grateful to John for giving his time so generously and sharing his knowledge with us.

There is a lovely sense of connection between the work being carried out at Ruskin Land and the work we are doing through Smallwoods: caring for woodland, learning from the landscape, developing practical skills and finding ways to bring our woodlands back to life for people and nature.

Thank you, John, for such a fascinating and generous visit. We learned a lot – and we look forward to continuing the conversation.

Rebecca Vincent-Evans

Project Coordinator/People & Projects, Nature & Wellbeing

Web: smallwoods.org.uk