Sustainable Wood Collection Workshops

One of the goals of our Elephant in the Woodland project is to enable Uralla Shire residents to source their firewood, in the knowledge that it is being collected in a way that has a low ecological impact. We have done a number of workshops to educate landholders, those who collect their own wood, those who buy their firewood and those who supply firewood for members of the community either for family use or to supply for income. 

Backtrack students learning how to measure and calculate the tree circumference.
Backtrack Ag Lads learning how to do a biodiversity study and what wood to collect for firewood.

ZNET has been working with the Backtrack Youth Group to educate the students on sustainable firewood collection. They collect firewood as part of a fund raising measure to support the group as well as giving the students training in using chain saws etc. The first workshop was at Balala where they were a part of the biodiversity study on this property. The second workshop was on how to estimate how much coarse woody debris as well as identifying the type of trees. 

You can download the Checklist for collecting wood.  that was developed for the students as well as the Firewood collector package.

Backtrack students learning how to pace out a 20 meter square.
Backtrack students learning how to pace out a 20 meter square.

We had a training day for landholders and wood collector Shane Swilks to understand how to collect sustainable firewood. It was a great location to understand some of the different types of woodlands in the New England. 

Saplings growing where a tree has fallen
It is important not to damage any new saplings growing when cutting wood.
Wood collecting workshop. Learning how to collect firewood sustainably
Ecologist Dave Carr conducting a sustainable firewood collecting workshop. Wood collector Shane Swilks attended this course.
Ecologist Dave Carr pointing out some of the biodiversity on the ground.
Ecologist Dave Carr pointing out some of the biodiversity on the ground
Another group of landholders and firewood users attending a sustainable firewood workshop at Arding.
Another group of landholders and firewood users attending a sustainable firewood workshop at Arding.

The sustainable firewood workshop held at Arding had a number of attendees. The landholder got a lot of invaluable information from ecologist Dave Carr about his site and preserving the biodiversity. 

 

We are planning to have a workshop in 2020 when the restrictions on groups are lifted. If you are interested in attending you can contact Trish at projects(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)zneturalla.org.au

What is Sustainable Firewood?

Firewood

Sustainable Firewood suppliers