The experience of Community Forests

The experience of
Community Forests
Twenty years of environmental
regeneration
Clive Davies
Clive Davies Associates
Green infrastructure advisors
About
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Community Forests are about environmental
regeneration and communities; two terms are used
commonly in this context Quality of Place and Quality
of Life
Place
People
Community Forests work here
Roots
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The origins of
Community Forests in
England can be traced
to the following
occurrences:A major shift in
forestry policy
10 years of preceding
dereliction
The advent of
multiple-benefit land
management
Railway line closed in 1950’s
Providing areas for recreation is a key
aim for Community Forests, this
disused railway is now a walkway
Programme
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The Community Forest
programme was
launched in 1988.
By 1992 twelve areas of
England had been
designated.
The first task was to
produce a strategic plan
and appoint a small
team of professional
staff to coordinate
activities.
Scotland
55 North
North East
Community
Forests
The Community Forests were located
in and around some of England's
major centres of population
Boundaries
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No major land
ownership changes.
Partnership became a
key word.
Initially restricted to
work in the urban
fringe but not in
urban centres.
Ambitious targets for
woodland cover but
they were always
much more than
forestry projects.
Corus steel works
Image enhancement remains a priority.
Screening large industrial structures enhances
the living conditions for residents and makes
the locality more attractive for new investors
Forest Plans
Producing Forest Plans
was the first priority;
these Plans had the
following purposes: To create a vision for
the local area
 To describe a strategy
 Provide a document
that would impress
funders
 Secure the interest of
policy makers and local
politicians
In most Community Forest areas woodland
cover was very low so a high priority for the
Forest Plans was to show how and where
new planting could occur
Community Forest Structure
Small enabling
team of 5 – 8
people set up
independent
of the local authority
Matched funding
agreement
between central government
and local government
of 1:1
Community
Forest
Structure
Forest Plan
Vision, strategy
and targets
Partnership between
central government,
local government,
NGO’s and representatives
of the Private Sector
Delivery of
projects
Regeneration typology
Typology
Reclamation of former industrial and
landfill sites for ‘green end’ uses
Increasing woodland cover with access
on farmland on urban boundary
Providing new ‘off road’ linear trails
often using old industrial railway lines
Screening industrial structures
between housing areas and factories
Improving visual amenity next to
road and rail corridors
Planting trees as future wood fuel
Greening of new development sites
to improve there marketability
Improving the quality of existing open
space near to housing, schools, hospitals
New local nature reserves
where people can get ‘close to nature’
Creating new visitor attractions
for local people and visitors
Examples: West Park
West Park, Darlington in 2001, a former
factory site has now been developed for
housing and the area shown red
developed as a Woodland Park
September 2007 the site has rapidly
matured and is now a popular visitor
attraction. In addition to the natural
features artwork and play facilities
have been included
Examples: West Park
4X extreme course
The sculpture celebrates the fact that
the world’s first passenger railway
passed this site in 1825. INSET: An 4X
extreme BMX course has been built for
youngsters
Examples: Herrington
Penshaw monument
Closure of the coal mine
was followed by major
land-forming throughout
the 1990’s
Tree planting and water features have been used to
create a new country park with views to the
Penshaw monument. The monument is well known
locally for the legend of the Lampton worm
Examples: Whickham Thorns
Sport training facilities such as the
climbing practice boulder have been
created in new settings
Examples: Cowpen Bewley
Residential housing
Visitor centre
Cowpen Bewley was created on a
former landfill site and land owned by a
chemical company
Examples: Cowpen Bewley
The area includes extensive wetlands
and is popular for walking and bird
watching
Examples: Admiralty Ecology Site
A former WW2 USAF base is now being
used as an area to educate children
about woodlands and nature
Examples: Stillington Forest Park
Developed on a former industrial site
the Forest Park contains numerous
areas of open water which are popular
with fishermen
Examples: Summerhill
High ropes course
New visitor centre
Old farm buildings
Summerhill is an area of former agricultural
land that has been left isolated by housing
development. The land has now been
developed with recreation and biodiversity as
key considerations. An archaeological
exploration of a medieval village has proven to
be popular with local residents
Lessons to create success
Employing a
dedicated
coordinating team
Meeting the core operational
costs of the project team
from public sources
is essential
Having a strategic
plan with
public and
political support
Creating success
Spending money on
promotion and publicity
is a good investment
A clear ‘theme’
helps in marketing e.g. forests
or wetlands
A Partnership
approach works
Being
semi-autonomous
of local
government
helps
Lessons to avoid failure
Expect to manage
conflicts especially
with private landowners
Work with local communities
as public support
is vital to maintain
Work with nature
not against it,
it is much cheaper too
Avoiding failure
Do not restrict options
over land ownership
sometimes it is best
for land to be held publicly
Be vigorous in
arguing for resources
Use external advisors to
provide impartial advice
Grant incentives are rarely
enough to encourage
voluntarily planting of trees
or managing private land
ecologically
Green infrastructure
From 2002 onwards
Community Forests have
adapted to using green
infrastructure planning
as a key tool this
means:
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Thinking of green space
as infrastructure.
Making urban greenspace part of a response
to climate change.
A network of natural
resources providing
ecological services.
Green infrastructure definition
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Green infrastructure is the
physical environment within
and between our cities,
towns and villages. It is a
network of multi-functional
open spaces, including
formal parks, gardens,
woodlands, green corridors,
waterways, street trees and
open countryside. It
comprises all environmental
resources, and thus a green
infrastructure approach
also contributes towards
sustainable resource
management.
Green infrastructure network
The green infrastructure network is
clearly seen from the air
Green infrastructure functions
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Sustainable resource
management
Biodiversity
Recreation, particularly
relating to non-car
routes
Landscape of green
spaces from and
aesthetic, experiential
and functional point of
view
Regional development
and promotion.
Finale
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