Set up and manage a community woodland
How do you set up a community woodland in Wales? This section looks at how to start, and key considerations.
From experience we know that deciding to start a community woodland group is an exciting and also a daunting step to take. Luckily over the past 10 years many community woodland groups have been established in Wales and there is now a great deal of experience and advice you can draw upon.
Getting started
Just as there is no single model of a community woodland group in Wales, then there is no fixed process for creating one. Each woodland group starts in a unique way – seeing how others did it can be a very useful, and give some tips based on real experiences.
- Publications –
- Llais y Goedwig Advisory note: ‘An introduction to Community Woodland Groups’
- Forest Research Publications: ‘Community Governance’
- Wavehill Report: ‘A survey of community woodland groups in Wales’
- Welsh Government Report: Approaches to Place-Based Community Visioning and Planning
- Greenwood Community Handbook: Information for local groups who are or want to be involved in woodlands/green spaces
- Pocket Parks of Northamptonshire: A Toolkit
- Experience –
- Llais y Goedwig Community Woodland Case Studies: Various
- Forest Research Community Woodland Case Studies: Various
- Wyesham Community Woodland blogs: Various
- The Mersey Forest Promotional Presentation: ‘Tour of the project’
- LlyG members blog: ‘One volunteers story: highlights in the evolution of Tre-Telynog Environmental Group’
- Useful contacts/links –
Finding a woodland & negotiating with landowners
In starting a group you may already have a woodland in mind, if not there are many Welsh woodland owners who can be approached including NRW, local authorities and private landowners who may be willing to work with you.
- Publications –
- Experience –
- Llais y Goedwig Community Woodland Group Case Studies: Various
- Forest Research Community Woodland Case Studies: Various
- Coed y Bont Community Woodland Sample: ‘NRW & Coed y Bont Management Agreement 2014’
- Llyn Parc Mawr Community Woodland Sample: ‘NRW & Llyn Parc Mawr Memorandum of understanding Dec 2015’
- Llais y Goedwig members blog: ‘Finding Woodland to Work on’
- LlyG member blog: ‘How town & community councils can help community woodland groups in Wales’
- LlyG member blog – New case study: Abergavenny Community Woodland Group & Arcadia Wood – a healthy relationship
- Useful contacts –
- Llais y Goedwig Enquiry Service
- Llais y Goedwig Resource: ‘Finding Land to work on: a Database of Welsh Woodland owners’
- Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Service: Woodlands and You
- Land Registry Database & Service: register of land ownership in Wales
- Community Land Advisory Service: Professional advice on community access and management of land
- Welsh Government Advisory service: ‘Guidelines on registering a village green’
Deciding on your objectives
Community woodland groups are established for many reasons, often in response to a particular local situation. It’s good to have agreement on why the group is being established and what it will do.
- Publications –
- Experience –
- Llais y Goedwig Community Woodland Group Case Studies: Various
- Forest Research Community Woodland Case Studies: Various
- Forestry Commission Scotland Advisory note: ‘Management planning for semi natural woodlands’
- Mersey Forest Community Woodland Website
- Llais y Goedwig member blog: ‘We want you and your ideas! Experiences in social surveying for a community woodland management plan’
- Friends of Llanbedr Woodlands Sample: ‘Project Plan’
- Blaen Bran Community Woodland Sample: ‘Project Plan’
- Useful contacts –
Choose a legal structure
A community woodland group needs some form of legal structure – there are a number of options to consider.
- Publications –
- Llais y Goedwig Advisory note: ‘Choosing a legal structure’
- Cooperatives UK Publication: ‘Simply Start Up – Guide to Starting a Community Enterprise’
- Cooperatives UK Publication: ‘Simply Legal” – Guide to Legal structures for Community Groups’
- Radical Routes Publication: ‘How to set up a Workers’ Coop’
- Experience –
- Useful contacts –
Governance
How the group is organised – and the way it will work (often set out as Articles of Association) – came in this category.
- Publications –
- Experience –
- Llais y Goedwig Community Woodland Group Case Studies: Various
- Forest Research Community Woodland Case Studies: Various
- Save Our Woodland Bassaleg Sample: ‘Consitution’
- Cwm Saebren Group Sample: ‘Constitution’
- Llangattock Community Woodlands Sample: ‘Constitution’
- Llangattock Community Woodlands Sample: ‘Articles of Association’
- Llangattock Community Woodlands Sample: ‘Memorandum of Association’
- Useful contacts –
Insurance
Before you undertake any activity in your woodland it is important to be aware of your responsibilities and to be properly insured.
- Publications –
- Experience –
- Golgyfa Gwydyr Community Woodland Sample: ‘Trust Insurance‘, ‘Liability Insurance‘, ‘Machinary Insurance‘
- Useful contacts –
- Llais y Goedwig enquiry service
- Rural Arbor Products: insurance for woodland owners
- Forest School Wales: insurance for Forest School Leaders
- Trust Insurance: arboricultural insurance
- Nature Save: Green insurance
- Tennyson Insurance (with Zurich): clubs, societies, charities
- Keep Wales Tidy: community group insurance
- The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) community group insurance
