Looking back at 2014

Another year gone,  but we've achieved a lot: 

A beautiful, much loved and much used  log-cabin shelter has been built;  a new entrance  track , and parking place has been constructed;  ride-side widening is completed, and the resulting timber has been cut and  organised properly.

Working with others and building up contacts

We have a few regular cord-buying customers, who live locally, we also burn a lot of wood ourselves in various wood burners and open fires, and plenty is left to rot down on the ground.

We have begun an informal bartering system too, exchanging skilled labour for firewood. This is something we want to develop more in future -  working with like-minded woodspeople who support our objectives , and who can offer Old Copse something in exchange for what Old Copse can offer them, without money changing hands.

Holly in the SSSI, Work in the birch

There's far too much holly so we've started a major thin . We want to finish this job during the next 6 months, At the same time we'll do more work in the birch side of the wood creating a meandering ride running roughly South to North, 'halo' thinning  round the many young broadleaves that are at present hemmed in by birch, while also creating additional glades and paths.  The final job in the birch will be by way of an experiment,  to clear fell an acre or so,  replanting with native broadleaves, and perhaps some nut trees and fruit trees if the soil will support them. Strong deer protection will be needed for this project, unless the deer stalker has been exceptionally successful.

Progress in the Pine plantation

Milo gets some felling practice in the Scots Pine

We'll continue thinning  Scot's Pine with a chainsaw in the coming months, and also perhaps try out a small harvester, but next Autumn  it looks likely that a 30% fell could take place.We had more or less given up on this idea, having done a lot of research, and vacillated first one way then another , but at last we might have found  a contractor who will do the job sensitively, at no cost, and moreover pay us for the extracted timber. So fingers crossed, by early 2016 we'll have solved the Scot's Pine plantation problem.

Next?  well, there will always be work to do , and improvements to make; that's the nature of woodland management. But by mid 2018 , which will mark the end of our first 5 year plan for Old Copse 2,  the aim is  that the initial major work of restoration will be completed and Old Copse will be well on its way to light,  health,  and increased bio-diversity.

Below is a letter (paraphrased) from Natural England
Old Copse is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and an Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW), part of which is Plantation on an Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS) . An ASNW is an area of woodland that has been continuously wooded since at least the 1600's; this is a good indication that the site has never been completely cleared of trees and as such has been woodland for thousands of years. These woodlands tend to be rich in diversity and the continued existence of such habitat is vital for the survival of many woodland species. Such sites now only occupy 1% of land area in the UK and concern about the continued loss of ASNW's has prompted the drive to maintain these woodlands in a healthy state and return PAWS areas back to native broadleaved woodlands. The area  was found to be in unfavourable condition when I carried out an integrated Site Assessment on May 12th 2012. The reasons for this were:

- Lack of open space and closure of rides.
- Ground flora lost to heavy shading in large parts of the site.
- Very little regeneration of young trees and saplings.
- Understory dominated by holly, no hazel or other shrubs.

A few more pines to fell to create a new view 

In a relatively short time I think it not unreasonable to hope our work has improved the status of Old Copse  (or at least, our 30 acres of it) from unfavourable' to 'recovering' . From there to 'favourable' will take a little longer than our first 5 year plan, but we'll be doing all we can to reach that point.

Cabin in the Wood Officially Opened

The cabin was officially opened in June, and the celebration  attended by a discerning group of woodland cabin enthusiasts. Enjoyed by all  despite the heavy showers - though  these  meant that the deck was fully utilised for shelter, and we had a good excuse to light the log burner,  which showed off how cosy and warm the cabin will be when it's not summer. The cabin,  Krysztof's skill, and the setting overlooking the Pond,  were much admired.  A large quantity of sausages were cooked on the open fire, and the cabin cake -  chocolate with raspberries and strawberries from the garden, went down well, as did the beer, especially the Polish Tyskie.

Enjoyable cabin titivation

Well, the cabin is now finished except for  non-urgent odds and ends. The decision on guttering has now been made,  and it is fixed to one side of the cabin so the rain run-off on that side will be directed  behind the cabin -  draining into a new small wild-life pond perhaps - we'll see.   The windows are finally in, made by Kryzstof in the end, who did an expert job, as usual. There is a wonderful piney resinous smell in the cabin  - I hope it doesn't disappear as the logs gradually season.

It's been fun outfitting it  from old bits and pieces no longer wanted at home, and long destined  for Freecycle or Gumtree. It's like furnishing a Wendy House. We're keeping it simple, a small table,  a rocking chair, to go with Sarah's imaginary banjo,  a pair of free standing shelves for storage, and a trestle table or fixed shelf for a little camping stove, to be used when the log burner isn't lit, or we don't have a cooking fire outside. It'll  be very cosy, and such a relief not to have to lug tools and equipment to and from the wood every time, and managing to forget some essential item. Not that we will be storing anything of value in the cabin - definitely no chainsaws on site.

We've been investigating different sorts of outhouses/dunnies. It won't be used all that much, but would be useful, especially for children. Also planned is a simple solar power set up to provide a bit of extra lighting when needed.  Already the cabin has given an idea of how managing Old Copse will be easier. BC (Before Cabin) each visit was a matter of arriving, un-packing, working like billyo, and then packing up and leaving -  in a hurry if it's started to pour down Either that, or having to stand under a dismal tarpaulin waiting for the rain to stop.  

We appreciate the difference in pace now -  we are visiting more, staying longer,  getting a lot more essential work done, but also enjoying 'cabin life' - taking time to sit out on the deck with a sun downer, while listening to and seeing wild-life in the wood and on the pond. It was a without a doubt a great decision to obtain planning permission for a traditional log cabin made from our own trees.

Cabin almost finished

Almost there. The chimney is on and the log burner works fine. Only a couple of rows of chinking to do (hurray) , and two windows to be fitted  - we decided against getting them from France as they wouldn't be in stock until the end of May,  perhaps even later, so Krystof said he'd knock a couple up when he returns from Poland after attending his God-daughter's First Communion . He mustn't miss that. Haven't yet decided about guttering. It wouldn't be good if the ground was badly eroded in one place by rainwater off the roof, but we might put some on one side of the cabin, and carefully direct the run-off. One nice job will be to use some of the sand-stone (which is everywhere in the wood) , to clad the visible footings.

It's been such an enjoyable experience, we've learned a great deal about log cabins and have been very much involved with all stages of the project. As a thank you, Sarah is building Krystof a web-site to advertise his many skills and tell people about traditional Polish log cabins. Ours is the first ever in England, I think there will soon be a lot more. But perhaps he should re-think the chinking, it looks lovely, but next time he might want to consider a less labour intensive alternative. Though I doubt it, because to do it differently  wouldn't be traditional. 

Chinking in the sunshine

Here's a short video -  it's not bad considering it was recorded on a phone in brilliant sunshine - showing Krystof making Polish log cabin chinking. He kindly slowed down the process for the video. Quite a meditative activity, like knitting. The cabin should soon be fully chinked at the rate they're going.

Then the only work left to do is to install the windows - ordered from France, but not in stock until the end of May, though we are still searching England for a manufacturer of inward opening windows.  We look forward to using the cabin as our base for forestry work.

Bluebells now in flower, earlier than last year - it's gratifying to see them in such abundance especially where the bracken has been bashed. Don't think there'll be time to do that along the OC1 Ride this Summer, too much work to do in OC2, and ongoing firewood processing. Five Canada Geese and one Grebe spotted on neighbouring Hammer Pond. Hope they'll decide to visit Hawkins Pond soon. 

Chinking-tastic

Krystof returned from Poland with cabin shopping. A beautiful log burning stove, a third of the price of a similar one if bought in England, also a number of large bales of what looked like finely shredded straw or paper packing material. I wondered what the material was protecting, to discover that there was nothing inside the bales - this was the chinking.

Stove with chinking material

I thought that somehow this material would just be stuffed into the gaps and crevices  between the logs. Chinking methods vary a lot.  For example, The Finns use moss, and North Americans use bits of wood held in and smoothed over with a mud and cement mixture. It is also possible in the U.S to buy ready-made plastic chinking that is squeezed into the gaps, a bit like Polyfilla. Polish chinking is made from the fine inner bark of a particular pine tree, and there is only one manufacturer of it in Poland.

Nothing as crude as stuffing handfuls of it into the gaps though. Krystof demonstrated the authentic technique. Take a small handful of material in the right hand, run the long strands  between two fingers to even it out, while in your left hand take a small amount and roll it on your thigh until it coheres into a small ball. Fold over the top part of the material in your right hand, place the ball on top of that, fold over the top part again, and then twist as hard as you can until it resembles a small hammer, or perhaps an onion. Oh, and don't forget to keep your chinking material slightly damp. Easy!  Then, when you have assembled a reasonable amount you push these little 'onions' into the gaps and use a tool to pack them in as tightly as possible, both outside and inside the cabin. We had a go at making some, nowhere as easy as it looks.

I wondered if these onions could be purchased ready- made.  I imagined be-scarfed Polish ladies in the mountains sitting round a stove chatting companionably in the long snowy evenings, their hands flying and  sacks rapidly filling to be sold to log cabin builders.  If so, then I think our Krystof made rather a big mistake in electing to make them himself. It seems a monumental task, Kris and his two helpers are pretty fast but the onions mount up slowly. Five days so far, and the chinking is only a third done. It does look lovely though, like nothing I've seen before. Reminds me of neatly piped cream between two layers of sponge cake.

Everyone is busy chinking

This takes a long time

Bales of chinking material

Little 'onions' packed in firmly

The window wall is chinked - looks great!

Roofing tales

The cabin roof is on. Dark green corrugated 'iron',  it looks good, and will look even better once it starts to weather. A decision on the cabin roof has been a difficult one to make.

Our first idea was to have a 'green'  roof which would eventually seed itself from the surrounding vegetation. Green roofs became popular in 1970's Germany as a way of greening up the urban, rather than the rural environment, which has plenty of stuff growing in it anyway. We thought that a self seeded roof among the Scots Pine would end up being seeded primarily by giant bracken, and we've got plenty of that elsewhere thank you very much.  Also, although a green roof might appear to be pretty basic, they are in fact carefully engineered to be watertight. If anything goes wrong they can be tricky to repair.

The second idea was to have wood shingles or shakes. We priced up a roof of shingles and decided that gold leaf might be cheaper.  Apart from the cost, we thought they might make the cabin -  a solid little structure, full of character - look twee.

Third idea was to attach thin birch poles from the wood, to the roof battens, under which is a breathable waterproof membrane. The birch would most likely look ok. The poles would of course rot down after a few years perhaps forming a green roof of sorts, but would have to be periodically replaced. Not a bad idea, but not sure how and if it would work.

Finally, we remembered our various travels,  and the ubiquity of the humble 'tin' roof, in Australia, Africa, South East Asia , South America, in fact all over the developing and developed world. A tin roof is the material of choice for the many log cabin builders of North America and Canada. Inexpensive and practical, a good looking architectural classic.  A prime consideration was that the cabin is to be a working forestry structure, and not a dwelling. It  is important to end up with something no-nonsense and fit for purpose, that blends in as well as possible with the environment.

Log cabin bulletin

The build goes on apace. The craftsmen have gone off to Southern Poland in the van to visit families and to return with a log burner,  and the mysterious 'chinking' - more on this when they return. The door is on, and adorned with a sturdy Moroccan bolt, hinges, door handle, and hand made nails, all the iron forged by hand in a Marrakech Souk, and much approved of by Kris the master craftsman.

Marrakech Blacksmiths: Note the tiny crucible where they forge their iron 

The wily fallow deer have been successfully evading Stuart and his gun since before Christmas, however he did manage to bag a small one a couple of days ago, much to his satisfaction. We were invited to view the gralloching,  but politely declined.

The bluebells are putting out their shoots all over the place, including in the ruts left by the tractor. Marsh tits and goldcrests are flitting in the Scots Pines, and the woodpecker is busy. Roll on Spring.

Cabin progress after weeks of rain

The felling of 45 (at the final count) large Scots Pine,   and dragging them by tractor to the cabin site, was a lengthy job. The ground was saturated and the tractor chewed up the ride quite a bit, but on the plus side, for the first time Old Copse looked like a proper working wood. We thought that the actual cabin build wouldn't start for a couple of months, but Kris and his team of 3 were raring to go. The rain had stopped, the sun came out, so why not?

Piotr had the job of hand stripping the bark from the logs with a 'spud', while Henry and Krys cut saddle notches at either end of the logs and then used a manual hoist to lift them into place.Tremendously  hard work, and a bit scary to watch. But these chaps are true expert craftsmen from Southern Poland where log structure building is traditional. It is so exciting seeing the cabin take shape - the door and window are both cut out, and only the floor and roof to finish . Not to forget installing the log burner that Kris will bring back from Poland.

The ride was in a right state once the felling and moving vehicles had departed, but we quickly got to work stamping down the edges of the largest ruts,  and patching up the worst trenches so that our little van could get down the Ride without toppling into a hole. (Shall we buy a 4 wheel drive ? - we're trying to resist. ) We remember the mess caused a few years ago when  a previous  vehicle was allowed onto the Ride, trampling and tearing it up, but we encouraged its fast repair by filling in the worst of the holes.  One thing we have learned is that the wood quickly recovers from 'damage', and that  there is no need to be overly precious about it.

Now most of the Ride is dry, and as we walked up it in the sunshine the other day we saw that the brimstone and peacock butterflies were back . Brambles are springing up all over the place, as a result of the clearing we've done - a result that we will need to monitor. I recall seeing in Australia many acres of land smothered in inpenetrable brambles;  do we want that in Old Copse - I don't think so. Though I expect the deer population will help to keep them down.

A cabin in the woods

Last year we obtained 'permitted development' approval to build a small woodland structure that would give us somewhere to shelter in bad weather while carrying out forestry work,  and also provide a social focus and a place to enjoy the wood in considerably more comfort than squatting on a wet log under a flapping tarpaulin.

We considered our options. We heard  stories of small wood owners who had put garden sheds and similar on their woodland,  including a sad story of a chap who arrived one day to find that his shed had been broken into and all the contents removed. This was bad enough, but a few days later he returned to find the shed itself had been dismantled and carried off.

So we decided that we needed something very sturdy and as vandal proof as possible. We looked at the possibility of getting a shipping container into the wood, but apart  from the size and ugliness factor, it would have to be craned to the (sloping) site. Not easy. We then found a firm that provided a flat pack arrangement which their promotional literature showed being  used as an office,  in refugee camps, and at army checkpoints. This had certain  advantages over a shipping container, being easier to move to the site, and smaller. But we decided that neither would do. Both options would need disguising in some way, with, for instance, wood cladding.

A grandson then suggested  that a proper log cabin was the answer. This seemed like a great idea particularly if we could use our own timber. The wood is partially 'PAWS', (Plantation on an Ancient Woodland Site) and so we had plenty of 60 year old Scots Pine that we had to get felled anyway as part of our management plan. But who would build it? We gave it careful thought. There is no tradition of roundwood log cabin building in Britain. Our internet research initially turned up adverts for what were called 'log cabins' but which were in fact factory made chalet type buildings, one step up from a garden shed. North America seemed to be full of people building their own traditional roundwood log cabins. There was also plenty of information from the Nordic countries and Eastern Europe, though not in English.

We also found a few small companies  in Scotland and  on the Welsh borders who offered roundwood log cabins built to Eastern European and  Scandinavian design. But we could find no-one nearer home in Sussex. So we had to do a bit of lateral thinking. We searched for Polish clubs, and without difficulty found  a Polish Social and Cultural Society. We contacted the secretary and she managed to find us a small group of Polish craftsmen from southern Poland who had the skills needed to build us a log cabin in our wood using our timber.

Last week a start was made despite the appalling weather. The forester, David Abbott of Sparrowhatch Forestry in Sussex came in to fell 40 large Scots Pines. and cut them to lengths.  Kris, Mariusz and Piotr followed hot on his heels to handstrip the bark from the logs.  The actual build will start when the weather gets a little better, probably in May.

We'll keep you posted.

Cabin foundations

Bark stripped from the logs