Oakley Woodlands Group
About our group
Oakley Woodlands group (OWG) was formed in 1997 with the support of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and the Hampshire Wildlife Trust to manage Cowdown Copse and St. Johns Copse. OWG members are all unpaid volunteers from the community.
The group’s aims are to:
• restore and maintain the woodland and its wildlife
• encourage a sensitive co-ordinated approach to the management of the woodland environment
• encourage and promote community involvement
• encourage educational usage of woodlands by local people, schools and youth organisations
Activities
The group has a varied and interesting work timetable. Its summer programme comprises of surveys of flora and fauna, guided walks and moth evenings. Winter events include footpath clearance, hazel coppicing and replanting and sorting and selling of woodland produce such as stakes.
The sites
Both Cowdown and St. Johns Copses are genuine examples of managed woodlands, and several species of wild flowers can be found in both woods which are indicators of ancient English Woodland. The predominant tree species are oak, and birch. Hazel dominates the shrub species.
Unusual sales
The group was formed primarily to restore the coppice cycle for conservation purposes and to provide amenity value to the public. However, we have endeavoured to make and sell simple products from the materials arising from cutting coppice, all the profits from these activities help to pay for the group’s running costs. We have mainly made garden products such as beanpoles, peasticks and stakes, and we started making charcoal using a hired kiln and this has proved very popular with some bags finding their way as far as Cumberland and France. One of our members, trained in chainsaw use, has made and sold oak strips for garden constructions using the timber from oaks which have fallen naturally or been trimmed for safety reasons. Another of our members has made turned mushrooms for garden decoration, many of which have been sold at the Village Show.
Occasionally we get unusual special requests, one was for 'facines' which are bundles of brushwood used as stakes in rivers and ponds alongside the banks to reduce erosion. We have supplied these to several local conservation bodies. Recently we sold some hazel poles to a member of the Hampshire Coppice Craftsmen’s Group for making mini hurdles – look out for them at some of the local agricultural shows. Perhaps our most interesting sale was 130 clean hazel poles 1” to 1.5” diameter and 8’ to 10’ long, these were purchased by a cooper who came all the way from Liverpool to collect them. They are destined to be made into mediaeval barrels which are constructed with hazel, rather than metal, hoops – we understand the barrels will eventually be displayed at Dover castle.
Future work parties
Saturday 5 December - Cowdown
Wednesday 16 December - Cowdown
Saturday 19 December - Cowdown
Wednesday 6 January - St. Johns
Saturday 9 January - St. Johns
Wednesday 20 January - Cowdown
Saturday 23 January - Cowdown
Wednesday 3 February - St. Johns
Saturday 6 February - St. Johns
Wednesday 17 February - Cowdown
Saturday 20 February - Cowdown
Wednesday 3 March - St. Johns
Saturday 6 March - St. Johns
Wednesday 17 March - Cowdown
Saturday 20 March - Cowdown
All tasks are related to woodland management. For further details please see the Work Party Leaflet or contact Brian Slater on 01256 780810