Green Village training – Local use of wood

products from broadleaf plantations in Ireland

Jerry Hawe Steven Burke Sylviron Limited, Appleyard, Turlough, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland. jerry@sylviron.com

Introduction

‘Green Village’

The Green Village project brings together partners from 9 European states – the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Slovakia, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus – who share common problems in their local rural areas, such as outward migration of young people, aging populations, abandonment of land, loss of traditional skills and income strands, and disintegration of the cultural landscape. The partners also recognise and share a number of opportunities for sustainable development on a village scale, through contemporisation of traditional skills, rural energy supply, empowerment of communities and development of new markets for natural, local and sustainable products, including rural food and wood but also culture and nature, through the development of touristic offerings. These opportunities need to be brought into Vocational Education through a collection of study modules for delivery on a village scale to local people, practitioners & visiting students, in order to kick start rural regeneration. Through a series of Work Packages (WPs), the project develops 6 modules, on Sustainable building, Rural energy, Empowering communities, Rural food, Sustainable ancestors and Wood products. Further WP's are on Access to Rural Research - ensuring that science supports the modules, i.e., in terms of carbon emissions; Dissemination - to be sure that project results are widely read and multiplied; Learning by Doing - testing models and ideas through a series of practical training actions delivered by local and international experts to local people in each rural area and visitors from twinned partner regions. The modules will seek to transfer appropriate technologies between regions and people, and will be transferable to all rural areas in Europe. The project is SME-led, the consortium includes 3 SME's, 3 NGO's, 1 Public body, 2 research organisations; see http://greenvillage.hylates-eu.com/ The project partners are cognisant of the economic aspects of rural development and recognise that VET must result in jobs, product development, enhanced markets and increased rural income. To this end, the target groups for the curriculum developed include practitioners and businesses as well as villagers, who include farmers, foresters and forest owners. VET trainees are also targeted; they are from local, rurally based schools who have strong industry linkages and develop trainees for local jobs.

(Clark, 2010)

‘Sylviron Limited’

Sylviron Ltd where established in 2001, to provide consultancy and forest management services to the Irish forestry sector. The company specialise in the establishment and management of broadleaved woodlands. Sylviron’s work aims to promote Sustainable Forest Management and incorporates multi-functional – commercial, environmental and social – management objectives.

Europe

Sylviron have had a European role since their formation and, since 2004, have been involved in a series of large transnational, multi-partner projects in the areas of: Innovative wood product development; Wood energy; Forest recreation; and, Environmental heritage. This experience and strong European partnership links directly support the work of the Green Village Multilateral project. Sylviron also run the ‘Leonardo da Vinci Vetpro’ professional placement programme ’Forestry Trainer Exchange’ – ForTEx

Ireland

Sylviron’s current domestic work programme focuses in three key areas:

• Mature broadleaf woodland management planning & delivery of existing management programmes

• First rotation broadleaf plantation establishment & management

• Broadleaf silviculture research

Broadleaf woodland management

This work focuses principally on the conservation management of mature broadleaf woodlands; be they long established old estate woodlands or remnants of semi-natural woodland cover. Management planning and operational programmes are carried out on behalf on both public and private sector woodland owners. Where appropriate, woodland management operations may focus on commercial objectives including the harvesting, marketing, processing and utilisation of specialist hardwood timber lots.

Farm forestry

Plantation establishment and management (linked directly to the company’s research work) is ongoing and seeks to employ the most up-to-date silvicultural best practice with regard to establishment methodology, early tending and thinning interventions, including the development of appropriate harvesting systems and innovative wood products.

Research

Sylviron are contracted to Teagasc within the national ‘Broadleaf Silviculture Research and Development’ – BSilvRD – programme. The company are responsible for the delivery and monitoring of scientific trials in the areas of:

• Plantation establishment – optimum species mixtures / establishment of ‘shelter in advance’

• Reconstitution of poor quality broadleaf plantations – implementation of alternative silvicultural systems

• Thinning practice – intensity and methodology

Context & Sustainability criteria

‘Afforestation in Ireland – changing trends and future use’

“Council Regulation (EEC) 2080/92 instituted a Community aid scheme for forestry measures in agriculture. Its’ aim is to promote afforestation as an alternative use of agricultural land and the development of forestry activities on farms. In the long term, this should lead to less reliance on timber imports to the Community, a reduction in food surpluses, sustainable rural development and improvements in carbon sequestration.

The scheme covers:

• Afforestation costs;

• A premium payable to cover maintenance of afforested areas;

• A premium to cover losses of income from afforestation of agricultural land; • Investment aid for the improvement of woodlands owned by farmers.

By 2000, just over 500,000 ha of land was afforested under this Regulation. The majority of afforestation of agricultural land under this Regulation was conducted in 4 countries: Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal (40% of which was planted in Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal comprised a total of another 40%). Private individuals received 98% of aid paid to cover afforestation costs. The largest percentage increase in forest area occurred in Ireland (~12%) followed by the United Kingdom (just above 2%). All other countries’ forest area had increased by less than 2%. The average area of woodland per private beneficiary was 6 ha. Overall, 40% of afforested areas in the EU involved conifers and 60% broadleaves. Some countries favoured broadleaves (e.g. the Netherlands) whilst (initially) Ireland favoured conifers.” (Kent and Short, 2005) However, as social and environmental pressures came increasingly to bear on Irish forestry (afforestation), whereby woodlands where required to perform a broader range of functions and ecosystem services, and not impinge upon the integrity of other habitats, such as peatlands, wetlands, waterbodies and rivers; so broadleaf planting was promoted more strongly. Where broadleaves accounted for 15.9% of all new planting in Ireland in 1998; this rose to 37.9% by 20101, (Forest Service, 2010).

In the context of the Green Village project; broadleaf plantations can play a critical role in providing a range of services to rural communities. Indeed, by developing the natural symbiosis between new broadleaf woodlands and rural populations we may achieve key sustainability criteria in the future development of each community.

To understand this context it is useful to look at the composition of Irish forestry as a whole and how it interacts with rural communities. ___________________________________________________________________________ 1Afforestation in Ireland rose from a total (afforested) area of 437,483 hectares (ha) in 1992 to 666,001 ha in 2010. 86% of this increase was in the private sector. Over 31,000 ha of new broadleaved woodland was planted between 1998 and 2010, (Forest Service, 2010).

Figure. 1 – Irish forestry and the ‘Green Village’

In figure 1, the existing commercial softwood resource has been developed, largely in the public sector, since the beginning of the twentieth century. This mature resource primarily furnishes large strategically located processing units. Likewise the growing private softwood resource will seek to do the same (where sufficient economies of scale can be achieved). Mature broadleaf woodlands are highly fragmented (<1% of Ireland’s land area), have very limited productive potential and mainly provide social and environmental services in their immediate area. However, clusters of plantation broadleaves, exist in the immediate hinterland of virtually all rural communities in Ireland. The centralised market opportunities for this timber are extremely limited. Even in the growing firewood market, the production costs – harvesting, processing and logistics – are so high, relative to low volume outputs, that local marketing makes by far the best economic and environmental sense. Beyond firewood, new and innovative wood products should be sought from plantation broadleaves. This is necessary in order to:

• Create new business and income streams in small scale local markets

• Promote substitution with high carbon synthetic products • Create an ongoing economic value associated with these woodlands in order to secure their future

Broadleaved plantations can not only provide local fuelwood and timber markets; these woodlands can excel with regard to the provision of additional ecosystem services: They can provide semi-natural habitat and havens for biodiversity; shelter for livestock; recreational areas; and ultimately a pleasant, natural landscape, which may be critical in support of the development of a contemporary tourist trade.

In this context, this training action focuses on developing new and innovative outlets for local (small diameter) hardwood. The action packages the skills necessary to sustainably harvest the raw material, process and utilise it in product development. Training is targeted at two principle groups: 1.) Young people who are already undertaking vocational training in the areas of forestry, sustainable land management and wood working; and, 2.) Local community representatives, farmers, forest owners, foresters and forestry development organisations.

Who took part

VET trainees

Luke Hemmings, Forestry Student Alasdair Wallace, Carpentry student Rachael Flynn, Forestry Student Nicholas Whittaker, Forestry Student Liam Dalrymple, Forestry Student Community and sectoral stakeholders

Daniel Gill, Willowworks fine cabinet making & Irish Native Hardwoods Eamon Madden, Irish Native Hardwoods Rose Hogan, Forestry owner Francis Burke, Farmer and forestry owner Frank Keane, Galway Rural Development Ltd Martin Lodge, Forester Training delivery

Steven Burke, Sylviron Ltd Observers

Mark Graham, Grampus Heritage Jerry Hawe, Sylviron Ltd

Description of the action (including technical data)

This action combines Green Village work packages: 1. Engaging communities; 2. Exchange of Knowledge; 3. Learning by Doing; 4. Dissemination; and, 7. Curriculum Development The practical objective of the training action was to build a simple shelter, using traditional skills and local materials. The student group would practice and develop their skills in a wide range of traditional carpentry techniques. They would learn about hardwood plantation silviculture and the background to growing and harvesting the timber they were using. The action would also serve to disseminate simple roundwood use to local stakeholders.

The site for the “chestnut barn” as it became known, was cleared of top soil which was replaced with gravel. This helped with drainage, but also kept the site clean and safe. The position of the concrete piers was found by using the traditional batter board method, ensuring squareness by checking diagonals. The building is 10ft x 20ft. We then dug 2ft holes at the four corners and two at the centre of the 20ft axis. These were filled with concrete with timber boxes bring the concrete above ground. Metal brackets were inserted while the concrete was still wet. The brackets are used to attach the chestnut posts to the foundation.

Figure 2. – Concrete piers

The chestnut for the project was sourced locally from a beautiful woodland, grown from seed by Ms Rose Hogan. Eight 20yr old sweet chestnut, Castanea sativa, trees

were chosen from a section of the woodland which was to be converted to coppice. These eight trees provided the material to construct the three main bents that carry the roof and walls. The chestnut trees were used in the round. “A timber pole is stronger than sawn timber of equal cross sectional area, because fibres flow smoothly around natural defects and are not terminated as sloping grain at cut surfaces”, (Jayenetti, 2010).

Figure 3. – Sweet chestnut poles

Using smaller diameter poles with the same structural strength of larger sections of sawn timber gives the opportunity to use poles straight from the young woodland in construction. The chestnut was peeled and cut to length – three poles at 9ft and three at 7ft, plus eight at 10ft of smaller diameter. These shorter lengths are used to join the main poles together to form ‘bents’. The traditional mortise and tenon is used throughout the building. The shoulder of the tenon is cut to fit the shape of the round wood. In order to find the position of the joint, we used a chalk line. The centre of the top and centre of the bottom is found and a line is snapped along the centre of the post. All measurements are taken from this line. A tenon is cut on top of each post to attach the wall plate. Mortises are cut at 2ft and 4ft along each post. These are used to attach each post to its corresponding post to form a bent. A slot is cut at the bottom of each post to attach the bents to the foundation. Once the bents were put together the joints are secured using oak pegs. The bents are then stood up in position, and bolted to the piers. A temporary brace is used to hold the bents upright.

Figure 4. – Trainees cutting joints

Figure 5. – Uprights erected

With the bents in place, we went about milling the wall plates. We used Norway spruce from a local plantation owned by farmer Francis Burke. These timbers were milled on a LT15 Woodmizer.

Figure 6. – Training on the Woodmizer mill

Four 5 inch x 5 inch x 12ft beams were milled and joined to give us two 21ft beams for the wall plates. The beams were joined with an edge halved scarf with bridled butts, (Sobon and Schroeder, 1984).

Figure 7. – First cut on the wall plate joints

Figure 8. – Completed wall plate joints

We chiseled mortises on the wall plate to correspond to the top of the posts, and laid them into place.

Figure 9. – Wall plates fitted

Wind braces were fitted to give the building rigidity. 12 4 inch x 4 inch rafters were also milled from Norway spruce. Once the rafters were fitted a layer of boards was nailed across the rafters, recycled tin was used to weather proof the roof.

Figure 10. – Rafters being fitted

Wane edge boards were nailed to outside of the frame to create walls. The most visible side of the barn, split ash poles were used to create the wall, purely for visual effect.

Figure 11. – Completed barn

This barn was simple and inexpensive to construct. The sawn timber in this build could be replaced with round wood, reducing the need for a sawmill. All the joints and construction was done by hand. On the final few days of the project, using some of the skills we had developed, we made some greenwood chairs and stools. We used some of the materials left over from the build and some sawn hardwood donated by Daniel Gill of Willowworks. The furniture made could be sold at a local market or passed on as gifts, as in this case.

Figure 12. – Dissemination to local woodland owners and stakeholder organisations

Next steps / legacy

As mentioned, the two primary target groups for this action where vocational trainees and local timber growers, farmers and wood users (and associated stakeholder organisations). Hopefully by bringing these groups together within this training and dissemination action not only have the skills necessary to utilise small roundwood to a high quality specification been passed on; the broader community have been stimulated how they can sustainably utilise their local woodland produce.

Common practice in rural Ireland would be to build such a barn or small shed from imported, high carbon, synthetic products. In this case, an attractive, low cost and functional building has been created entirely from natural, sustainable, carbon neutral products sourced entirely within the local area.

With the necessary curriculum pack in place, this model can be passed on to all those rural communities targeted by the Green Village project. ‘Local producer groups’ are being promoted throughout Ireland primarily by the State agri-advisory agency Teagasc, and by forestry practitioners and growers. These groups require innovative, practical curriculum particularly to support broadleaved plantation management and associated wood product development.

References Jayenetti, L. 2010, in Law, B. Roundwood Timber Framing, Permanent Publications,

Hampshire, England Kent, T. and Short, I. 2005, Agricultural Uses of Roundwood in Europeans Using Roundwood Innovatively and Sustainably, DGEAC

Forest Service, 2010, 2010 Annual Report, Department of Agriculture, Food and the

Marine, Dublin Sobon, J. and Schroeder, R. Timber Frame Construction, Garden Way pub.