Traditional Woodland Management Skills Course
Woodlands and hedgerows are taken for granted as part of scenery, but to a large extent, the framework to our landscape provided by trees is the product of hundreds of years of traditional woodland management carried out by skilled woodsmen. Sadly though, these skills are being lost and with them our managed woods, coppices and hedgerows. To slow the loss of these traditional countryside management skills in the Ring of Gullion, a course was developed which covered all aspects of woodland and hedgerow creation and management. The course gave an insight into the various management skills and techniques.
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- Hedge laying at Glassdrummond Wood
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- Creating a new living willow structure – Willow is pointed to ease planting
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- Geotext base is put down to remove competition from the grass
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- Planting points are marked out before holes are made in the fabric
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- Willow rods are matched into pairs of roughly equal strength / thickness
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- Sketch of how the main structure will be constructed
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- Narrow holes about 1-foot deep are made for each willow rod
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- The first four strongest rods are used to make the core structure
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- Subsequent rods are added in pairs to build up the main structure.
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- Horizontal weaving helps hold the overall shape and provide strength
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- Completed willow dome
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- The dome is now ready for young visitors
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- Traditional wood crafts
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- Willow weaving
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- Spoon carving
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- Pole lathing
