Community Woods
After hearing an interview I had with Brian Redhead on the Today programme the Monument Trust (a Sainsbury Family Charitable Foundation) contacted the Woodland Trust with the suggestion that we explore the possibility of establishing a Community Wood along the lines that existed on the continent. Andrew Thompson was employed as Community Woodland Officer and Pepper Wood, near Bromsgrove was purchased as the first of several community-based projects
At the start, Kenneth Watkins was wary of community involvement in woodland management because of lack of resources and the risk of the “waxing and waning” of local interest. In his view most woodland owners were unsure about management and he saw the Trust as the ideal recipient as long-term guardian. He expected local people to care enough to contribute to woodland purchase but that was it. Presented with the offer of £50,000 from the Monument Trust to the idea he revised his approach.
Trained in the practical aspects of woodland conservation management with the BTCV Andrew had a Cambridge degree in Land Economics and came well qualified to fulfil the role of Community Woodland Officer. With Monument Trust funding he had three years to explore its potential and he put together a proposal that would meet the needs of the Monument Trust. The idea was to involve the local community in all aspects of woodland management, from research into the history of the woods to learning traditional coppice crafts. Experience in this area was valuable when the Countryside Commission launched Community Forests in the late 1980s.