Small woodlands are an integral part of the landscape in the North East of England. In the past they would also have played an essential role on the farm and provided a haven for wildlife, but unfortunately this is no longer the case and almost a third of woodlands are now unmanaged. The aim of WoodsWork is to bring these woodlands back into management and thereby generate additional income and biodiversity benefits.
WoodsWork consists of a wide range of complementary training opportunities for farmers and small woodland owners to provide the skills, knowledge and incentives to bring their woodlands back into management. The objective is to assess the training needs of small woodland owners and offer a suite of over 25 courses, including technical qualifications, management skills and knowledge of market opportunities and grants. The combination of courses, in conjunction with the advice, support and contacts offered by RDI, delivers a significantly more effective result than stand-alone courses.
The two year project is funded by ERDP, a portion of RDI’s trading surplus and, in an innovative step, sponsorship from private sector companies active in the sector. At the halfway point WoodsWork had already achieved over 70% of its target outputs.
For courses coming soon please click here for the events pages.
