Future Development Blog |
The development blog |
| 19th December 2012 |
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| Awards For All |
I am pleased to announce that we have recently secured £10,000 from Awards For All Scotland to help deliver new recreational facilities at the forest. Volunteers have already started some of the work and the rest will get underway in the New Year with a project completion expected in late spring. The money we have received will be used to: · Develop new trails around the bottom of the forest · Create more pedestrian access points into the forest · Erect squirrel and bird boxes · Provide new picnic areas · Erect new information & display boards · Install a bicycle rack · Improve and increase public car parking facilities Kilfinan Community Forest would like to thank Awards For All for this very kind support and to celebrate the completion of the work next year we will be having an official opening day for our first proper recreational area for all to enjoy.
Eamon |
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| 19th November 2012 |
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| Moving Forward |
Applications for the first of our new posts have now closed. We’ll be contacting applicants in due course for interviews and I for one will be looking forward to having some new faces around site and helping me deliver phase 3 over the coming year. We are also looking into setting up training opportunities and possible apprenticeship scheme at the forest. More information on this soon.
Eamon |
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| 31st October 2012 |
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| Forest Events |
This last week has seen KCF host two networking and knowledge share events covering woodland crofts and community woodlands. Both events where held in the Royal an Lochan Hotel in Tighnabruaich and where a success with over 50 people in attendance over both days. I would like to thank the Royal Hotel, all the speakers for their presentations and to everyone who attended. I would also like to thanks Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Forestry Commission Scotland, Community Woodland Association and the Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust for their support.
A new crofting website www.woodlandcrofts.org will be live at the end of November and for anyone wishing to know more on how to set up a community woodland contact CWA www.communitywoodland.org. Alternatively feel free to get in touch with me on 01700 811205 or eamon@kilfinancommunityforest.com.
Cheers,
Eamon |
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| 21st September 2012 |
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| Phase 3 |
Well, it’s been ages since my last post, in fact summer’s been and gone and autumn is here! So I thought it about time for an update on what’s happening at the forest.
I’m pleased to say that our application to LEADER & HIE for funding towards phase 3 forest development has been approved and work will start later this year. The work will involve a new 500m road, a milling shed/yard and a small garden retail outlet with 3 new jobs being created at the forest. This will be as a very exciting time for KCF and phase 3 will go a long way to a securing a sustainable legacy at the forest.
Work has also started on our first main recreational area with a new path down towards and along the Allt Mor burn being developed by a group of volunteers who meet each Tuesday. Their work was greatly enhanced by the arrival of The New Caledonian Woodlands team who came to the forest last weekend and helped out with a whole range of tasks. We have applied for lottery funding via Awards for All to help finish this space off and formally open it up to the public next spring.
Eamon |
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| 31st May 2012 |
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| Summer's Here |
Well, it’s been a while since my last post and summer’s here and the recent weather has made working at the forest a treat. I’ve seen red squirrels and roe deer near the office not to mention bluebells galore around our area of old oak. Summer has brought us a new part time company administrator and I would like to welcome Samantha on board and hope she enjoys working for the charity.
The summer months will see us try and take forward our micro hydro project after our feasibility study carried out by Highland Eco Design reported that we could generate around 67KW of power from the Allt Mor Burn. It can be a lengthy process with pre-planning taking around 6-8 months but it will be worth it. Financing the project is easier said than done but I’m confident we can get the support we need to get the project off the ground. Summer should also see the completion of our Forest Design Plan which will be submitted to the Forestry Commission for approval.
From the 1st of June we plan to start selling milled timber of all sizes and anyone interested in purchasing timber should contact the main office line on 01700 811205. Cheers, Eamon |
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| 6th April 2012 |
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| Our Meteorological Mast is up! |
Well it’s been a while since my last post and I for one am glad to see the back on winter and what a wet one it was! Over the last few weeks we have had our 60m meteorological mast erected up in the forest. It will be recording wind speeds for the next 12-18 months, after which it will be taken down again. If the wind speed data comes back positive then we can begin to look at funding our wind turbine which could generate a large amount of electricity and thus provide the forest and local community with much needed income. So time to play the waiting game to see how things develop...
Last week saw the end of phase 2 infrastructure at Achacrossan forest with Sara, Jean, Stuart and Dave all coming to the end of their contract period. The amount of work that has been achieved by them over the last 2 years has been pretty amazing. It has been great working with them over the 8 months and I wish them all the best for the future, they will be sadly missed!
Eamon |
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| 15th February 2012 |
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| Moving Forward |
It’s been a cold wintery February so far with lots of cold, sunny, crispy days at the forest and a much need respite from the non-stop rain and wind that we endured for most of January. The evenings are getting longer and spring is just around the corner and I for one can’t wait.
I’m pleased to announce that Green Energy Partners Ltd have been awarded the contract to deliver the next phase of our community wind turbine project. GEP have been brought in to bring technical assistance to help take the project to pre-planning stage. There are a number of phases that need to be undertaken with consultation exercises with key stakeholders such as the local community, Scottish Natural Heritage, Argyll & Bute Council and the Forestry Commission. These phases of the project will be lengthy, taking us well into 2013 and it will be then that we will know if a project can proceed with planning and construction stages. This is very exciting for us as a successful project could see major financial benefits to the forest and the local community.
Cheers,
Eamon |
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| 31st January 2012 |
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| Forest Damage at Achacrossan |
Well that’s January just about gone and its been an interesting month. We’re still recovering from the onslaught of the storms earlier in the month and still finding new pockets of windthrow all over the forest. Some of it is quite small but we have large areas (football pitch size and bigger) of trees that are down. Unfortunately there’s not much we can do about it other than do make sure that when we replant areas of the forest over the coming years we ensure that the trees are well spaced apart and cared for. A healthy forest needs trees that are able to develop good root formation and root strength in soil with good drainage. Soil quality is essential and its important that certain trees are planted in certain areas to fit into the natural regeneration of the land. Nature has a diverse, complex and instinctive development system and it’s not as difficult to copy it as one might think.
January also saw us receive planning consent from Argyll & Bute Council for our wind meteorological mast which will be going up at the beginning of March. The community wind project is going to be a long process but there are several key milestones in the life of the project and this is one of them.
We also had good news from SEPA who have issued us with our waste exemption licence which will allow us to accept compost from the local community. Well done to Sara and Jean from the Growing Green Team for all their hard work with the composting project. KCF aims be able to accept garden waste from the beginning of March.
Next update in February.
Eamon |
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| 15th January 2012 |
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| New Year New Blog |
Welcome to the first forest blog post. I thought Id kick it off this week as its a New year and 2012 feels like its going to be a good one so here we go....
We’ve some good news – wood fuel is now up and running and open for business. It’s quite a milestone for us as it’s our first real bit of ‘self-generating income’. I certainly feel like it’s a real step towards our vision of a sustainable forest for the future. Sales have been low but that will improve with time and we reckon our prices are pretty competitive (M3 loads £36, half loads £18, bags of logs £6.50 and large bags of kindling £3.50). And by buying from us you’ll be investing in your community, as every penny will get ploughed back into developing the forest. The wood we’re currently selling is spruce that we felled from the areas that are now occupied by the polly tunnel, allotments and site offices. It’s well seasoned and is testing at between 25%-30% moisture content, so it will burn well.
The forest has an extensive supply of wind-thrown and standing timber, which is really only suitable for firewood. We plan to fell some of the 1963 plantation (which is due for harvesting) in the next few months. The forest development plan, which we’re working on, will identify the next priority areas for felling. One of the key things for us is to build an access road so we can get to these areas of the forest and start the next phases of the projects aims and objectives and of course the replanting of trees. This, however, involves a significant investment and we’re trying to source funds at the moment. Wood fuel is something that local people identified as a priority in the initial community consultation carried out back in 2007, so it’s great to finally be able to offer it. If you’re interested in buying some logs, either call us or pop up to the forest office. Unfortunately the wood is for collection only at the moment, but there’s staff on site Monday to Friday and they’ll be happy to load the logs onto your vehicle. We hope to provide a delivery service in the future. If you’ve any questions about storing your wood, just ask. We’re always happy to help out and advise. 2012 is going to be a big year for us and there will be loads of exciting developments and plans coming to fruition. So do keep an eye of the blog for the latest updates. Any feedback, ideas, comments or insights are always welcome – this is, after all, your forest.
Next post will be about the recent storms and the damage they brought to the forest.
Eamon |
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