Wood for Good
Lydia Huws, Senior Architect at Down to Earth
The Wood for Good project explores how the community and nature can benefit from developing potential products from the Skyline woodland estate in Treherbert. This is a unique opportunity to re-invent the relationship between the community and the landscape to meet social, economic and environmental needs. The project is a great example of the application of the Placemaking Wales Charter in a rural context, with strong community involvement and the development of an identity building on the unique qualities of the landscape.
The project follows almost a decade of community conversations around access to the landscape and sustainable use of our natural resources towards more climate-positive futures. The use of local timber for multiple benefits became a central focus of the recent Future Forest Vision. The community and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have entered into an unprecedented co-design agreement that allows the community’s values and vision for the future forest to shape the way the forest is managed for the next 100 years. This co-produced Future Forest Vision has been developed by a citizen’s panel working with NRW and will be shared with the wider community. This is creating a wide community movement interested in the future of the forest and sustainable social enterprise.
Combining Down to Earth’s experience of inclusive and interactive engagement, as well as our practical experience of delivering woodland management programmes, outdoor adventure activities, traditional craft programmes and sustainable construction programmes, we are working with the local community over 24 months to explore how the woodland estate can be managed to create the greatest short, medium and long term social, economic and nature benefits.
The Wood for Good project began by building a traditional roundhouse in the area, funded by Severn Wye, using timber sourced from local woodlands and traditional, sustainable techniques. We are now working with community members to sustainably manage local woodland, to produce products that can be designed and manufactured locally. The courses are open to everyone of all needs and abilities and work to build confidence, improve health and well-being, and increase community connection through practical, accredited skills in the outdoors.
Working closely with the community of Treherbert, the Wood for Good project will continue to deliver programmes that are clinically proven to improve mental health, as well as offering a space for gaining qualifications, whilst the community explores the potential products which could be developed out of the woodlands. This project will result in the community taking forward potential business ideas derived from their woodlands. This approach will be driven by the community's needs and what they identify as products with the greatest potential to generate a sustainable local economy.
Wood for Good – doing good things together (downtoearthproject.org.uk)
Down to Earth
Down to Earth is a group of Not-For-Profit Social Enterprises with almost a 20-years' experience of delivering award winning, transformative, evidence-based educational and healthcare programmes for vulnerable and highly marginalised community members. We believe that you can tackle social inequality and sustainability at the same time through nature focused, relationship centred projects.