Social Forestry
New Leaf
update 2024 - last year this, long with 8 other projects aimed at sharing skills and nature connection with local people was cancelled by forestry england on spurious claims. This is happening to many small charities and cic’s across the uk.
Find out more HERE
New Leaf social forestry project operates from our base Kensley Sheds, our heritage handicrafts centre. New Leaf exists in partnership with Forestry England to teach new skills to a wide range of local disadvantaged groups, both young and old, whilst keeping the overstood coppice in good management.
‘Forestry Friday’s’ is an open access session, that anyone can join to find out more about sustainable woodland management, spend some time out in the forest, meeting new people and helping to keep the forest under good management. This could lead to further training and future gainful employment.
We work with Forestry England to bring disused coppice back into rotation. Coppicing is an important part of our heritage, an ancient practice of periodically taking wood in broad leaf woodland, from trees that sprouts back straight and fresh within a few years. This benefits the woodland as the trees and root systems live longer, and the clearings made make way for small mammals, birds, insects and forest ground fauna such as bluebells and other iconic British woodland species.
Coppicing also completes the cycle of creating fresh (green) wood for our green woodworkers to create beautiful and useful environmentally sound products, we also season and sell firewood, all the proceeds of which go straight back into supporting local people.
Spending time in nature, participating as part of a team in meaningful activity throughout the seasons can have a profound effect on mental and physical health. Each year we search for funding to allow us to train a small number of volunteers in chainsaw maintenance, cross cutting and felling - for many this is an opportunity into a new field of work, employment and connection to nature.
We aim to work with local disadvantaged groups such as:
Local unemployed people who want to learn new skills
Vulnerable adults
Offenders on rehabilitation programmes
Single parents who lack support,
People with mental health challenges,
Adults with learning difficulties and / autism
Young people not in or struggling with mainstream education (with our Rekindle Youth - Craft and Land Skills Qualification)
Anyone who may be lonely and isolated.
Kensley Sheds is a 'safe space' for social interaction and to learn new skills with no judgement or pressure.
If you would like to join The Rewild Project Woodland Management Team click below to fill out your details.
