Happy new year everyone!
At Dynamic Woods we start 2024 after a very busy 2023 getting things off the ground.
Arriving in July with a pre-existing organization, but one that had never had an employee before, meant there was lots of work to do initially, sorting the logistics of the charity. Sorting the accounting, dealing with HMRC, insurance, building an office and creating a website all took a significant block of time.
I am still very happy and a bit surprised at all the things we managed to get done around all this work. Some aspects of our aims have gotten off the ground faster than I had expected, which is a great feeling. Through a contact at Venture Scotland, we have had two groups come for overnight stays at Inzievar, one camping in the woods and one staying and using our new classroom space. The second group even helped clear some rhododendron in the woods and it was amazing to have so much help. With the group helping me, what we did in two hours that would have taken me days! We also partnered with ASHS to help deliver their Working Woods course and are helping publish the newest edition of ASHS’ magazine, the Full Circle.
In August Dynamic Woods joined the Northwoods Rewilding network, created by Scotland: The Big Picture to help small and medium landowners who want to restore nature and improve biodiversity on there land. They have been a big source of help and inspiration as we plan our next few years, helping guide our management principles.
We have now finished our consultation process for our forestry management plan and are in the process of drafting it, along with a felling license application so that hopefully we can hit the ground running in the woodland come spring and summer. Our key aims in the woodland for the year center around our biggest projects: creating a new pond/wetland habitat and removing ex plantation nonnative conifers and replacing them with a mix of native species, namely Aspen, Scots Pine, Oak, Rowan, Bird Cherry, and Hornbeam. There is loads of other work we are looking to get started on as well: a new path around the existing pond; more tree planting and understory enrichment; and as always, rhododendron management.
In 2023, a lot of the work was laying the foundation for the future, whereas for this year it is time to begin executing on our objectives and I am excited to see what we can do here at Inzievar and how else we can drive positive change around Scotland.
Johannes
Operations Lead
