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Corner wood Management Plan
February 2013
The Cornerwood project at Cardigan Castle Medieval day
Picture taken from the Tivy Side Advertiser August 14th
2012
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Contents
1. Summary
2. Perspectives
3. Baseline
4. Design/ Strategy
o Cornerwood Mission Statement
5. Business and Improvement Plan: Land Based Activity
o Food
o Income
o Business Plan 2013
� Intro
� Aspects
� Marketing Outlets
� Activities through the year
� Example Expenditure
� Example Events Diary
� Financial Forecasts
6. Land Management
o Biodiversity and Landscape Assessment
� The 8 Cants of Cornerwood
� Forestry Plan
� Landscape Considerations
• App. 1: Management Comparisons
• App. 2: Birds observed
• App. 3: Mammals observed
• App. 4: Flora
• App. 5: Glossary
7. Energy and Water
o Domestic Electricity Generation
o Workshop Electricity Generation
o Domestic Heating
o Domestic Cooking
o Water Use
8. Waste
o Domestic Food waste
o Grey Water
o Human Faeces and Urine
o Green waste
o Livestock Manure
9. Zero Carbon Buildings
10. Community Impact Assessment
o Positive Impacts
o Negative Impacts
11. Transport and Travel Plan
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o Residents
o Enterprises
o Visitors
o Strategy
12. EFA
o Report from 4th
World Ecological Design
o Other Footprints
13. Phasing, Monitoring and Exit Strategy
14. Section 106 undertaking
15. Declaration of support
……………………………………………………………………………….
o Appendix 1 – Constitution
o Appendix 2 – Outline specifications for buildings
o Appendix 3 – List of accompanying drawings
Part of the Cornerwood stall at Tegryn Carnival 2011
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1. Summary
The site for the Cornerwood project was initially purchased in 2006. After a period of
observation (in accordance with permaculture principles), in 2007 we began seasonal work in
the woodland living in temporary accommodation and spending the early years over-
wintering in Portugal. Permission for the timber storage shed and tracks was granted in
February 2009. It was only with the planning precedent set by the Lammas project in August
2009 and the emergence of a National planning policy for low-impact developments in July
2010 that the possibility of attaining planning permission for full-time residence as
sustainable woodland workers was explored. In October 2009 one household (Mel Robinson
and family) moved onto the land permanently and approximately one year later the second
household (Tracy Styles and family) followed. We then diligently researched and compiled an
application for permission to create a sustainable woodland project. This application was
refused by Ceredigion County Council and went to appeal on October 23rd
2012. The appeal,
whilst recognising the project’s many achievements, was refused on the grounds of
inadequately designed dwellinghouses.
Since this decision National Planning Guidance has emerged providing further support for
sustainable development (PPW – Chapter 4). After contemplating the appeal decision we
have decided to continue to pursue our dream for a woodland-based low-impact
development. We consider that sustainable initiatives such as ours form a really important
part of the transition that our society must undertake in order to create a secure and viable
future for the generations that follow us.
This management Plan forms part of a new planning application that attempts to draw on all
the project’s strengths whilst redesigning those elements that had been previously
considered to need more work.
It must be emphasised that Cornerwood is essentially a project being driven by lay people
with minimal financial backing and the task of compiling complex planning applications
alongside endeavouring to create the foundations for our land-based enterprises whilst living
off-grid in temporary accommodation has been challenging for the group.
Nonetheless we have assembled a planning application of merit that demonstrates
compliance in all the key points within the OPD policy, and shows a clear commitment to the
principles of sustainable development, and demonstrates that the group has the ability to
deliver the project’s objectives over the long term.
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2. Perspectives Tracy Styles and Ian Critchleys’ reasons for our existence:
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, Sustainability is the long term
maintenance of responsibility, which has environmental, economic and social dimensions
and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use.
[Quote from Wikipedia - What is sustainability?]
“We chose to follow this way of life to enable us to use our share of the world resources. In
this time of economic hardship and environmental degradation we believe people should
be looking more to their own local resources and not perpetuating a wasteful society. We
chose to live in this way to enable us to go some way to addressing this overarching
problem, by striving to be sustainable in the true sense of the word for ourselves and our
children.
For a very long time our goal has been to work a piece of woodland. We have gained
many skills and much knowledge. Feeling truly blessed to bring one beautiful piece of now
broad-leaved wood land in to profitable cycle and management , within the living
countryside of West Wales.
We are modest, motivated, hardworking people who are enjoying the challenge of
generating our own income and meeting our needs with our own hands. Working in
harmony within wood land surroundings, passing on knowledge and skills for future
generations.
We have a rural business in an area of high unemployment and as seasonal workers we no
longer perpetuated the benefit culture living in a house we ill afford. Now with lower
living cost the business has begun to thrive. With the advent of TAN 6 we are now
approaching the age old problem of work and shelter within a truly sustainable rural
enterprise which we believe should be celebrated as an innovative and positive asset to
Wales forward thinking approach to climate change and the implementation of the ‘ One
planet development’ policy.”
Mel Robinson and Jeff Clarke-Why we chose TAN 6:
A life long interest in environmental issues has lead us to view the planet as a living
organism. We feel that modern society’s pursuit of monetary gain over human and
environmental concerns has resulted in a crisis in both resources and biodiversity. We
refuse to be part of the problem and consequently are striving to be part of the solution.
By chance Ian and I received a small inheritance. By combining our money we aimed to
acquire a small woodland which we would work cooperatively. This would allow us a
means to work and contribute to society and the local community without compromising
our beliefs.
We searched for over a year for a suitable woodland. Knowing that coppicing is one of the
few patterns of symbiosis known in nature where humans are part of the relationship, and
that managed well, coppice can sustain more people per acre than any modern forestry
alternatives, we eventually decided to purchase Corner Wood. This had been planted with
a cash crop of western hemlock and clear felled some 15 years previously. What remained
was natural regeneration of mainly birch with overstood hazel and willow coppice
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interspersed with larger broadleaf standards. We knew that with sensitive management the
biodiversity in this woodland could be increased while at the same time providing us with
work and an income. Further, Corner Wood stood between 3 SSSi’s and our management
would result in a natural bridge being formed between these 3 sites, thus returning the
woodland to it’s previous condition before the hemlock plantation.
We worked as seasonal woodland workers on our own land, spending Monday to Friday
living on site and returning home for the weekend.
In 2009 our landlord had his property repossessed and we lost our accommodation. To
solve our housing problem, we moved on site temporarily to build the timber storage shed.
During this time we noticed the following things:
1. Although the deer still utilised the woodland their damage to trees decreased.
This was confirmed by the Deer Protection Society.
2. Running costs were reduced as a result of living on site. This meant the rustic
furniture could be sold at a lower price and become competitive with larger DIY
stores and garden centres.
We had found a way to make the business and woodland management successfully coexist.
At this point it became obvious that for the business to continue to flourish we must remain
on site. This became increasingly difficult with the council as they struggled to comprehend
that traditional seasonal woodland management was a continuous cycle inoverstood
woodland. Rather than enter into an on-going dispute over what constitutes “seasonal
work”, and as all our children had entered into full time education, we decided that TAN 6
“One Planet Development” would provide us with a suitable foundation needed for our
business. Thus allowing us to continue to live and work in a sustainable fashion without
compromising our environmental beliefs.
We find ourselves at an interesting point in planning history. The need for more housing
development is being pushed by central government, whereas individual counties are
trying to resist development in rural areas. Forestry land is predominantly either
commercial plantations or neglected woodland, much of which like Corner Wood is
overstood coppice. A strong resurgence in traditional forestry practices calls out for the
needs of more acceptanceof woodland dwelling and an understanding that woodland
dwelling is part of our cultural heritage. Local Agenda 21 calls for sustainable
management of our resources, while modern forestry is based on monetary value and short
term thinking not on the sustainable management of our resources. The acceptability of
low impact forest dwelling linked to traditional management and modern marketing seems
to be the most sensible way forward.
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3. Baseline
Corner wood is a square parcel of woodland, 5.9 hectares in area, located close to Cardigan,
along a minor road from Llangoedmore to Llechryd. The woodland was originally part of a larger
woodland estate which has been sold off in sections. The lease of Cornerwood is jointly owned by
Melanie Robinson and Ian Critchley who in turn have granted powers of control and management
to a Cornerwood Association. Planning Permission was granted in 2009 for a timber storage shed
along with access tracks.
There are two families living in and working in the woodland. We currently run two vehicles and a
motorbike from the site, grow approximately 30% of their food from a mixture of the site and an
allotment in the local town, and live a frugal lifestyle that involves lots of recycling and donations
from supporters. There are no provisions for mains services on the site. We generate our
electricity from photovoltaic panels and have composting toilets and an independent water
supply.
Our land based enterprises revolve around woodland crafts and horticulture and our group has a
strong presence at local craft events. We produce seasonal decorations, furniture, firewood,
sculptures, various timber crafts and would like to move into mushrooms, charcoal and bees. We
also have a thriving poultry scene and make jams, preserves and other home goods. Pigs are
utilised for rotivating the garden areas.
There are no footpaths across the site. The site is bordered along one edge by a County road.
Additional baseline data is provided throughout this management plan.
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4. Design/ Strategy
Cornerwood will be a living example of a small-scale woodland managed using a combination of
traditional woodland skills alongside permaculture design and growing techniques. The project
will integrate subsistence living, with land-based enterprises with low-impact lifestyles. It will
include an educational aspect that will enable the project to share the techniques and
understandings that allow a small patch of woodland to substantially support two families in a
sustainable manner.
Corner Wood Mission Statement.
AIMS
• To live and work in a sustainable way.
• To work co-operatively.
OBJECTIVES
• Lifestyle
o Working every season
o No T.V, we make our own entertainment i.e. play cards/games, do craft, talk, and
listen to radio.
o Trading, Bartering and swapping goods with friends and neighbours.
• Land based Activity
o Grow at least 35% of our own food from the site using horticultural, animal
husbandry and foraging skills.
o Brew own beer and wine.
o Make own jams and pickles.
o Cook from scratch, no ready meals. Similar food to war time rationing i.e. don’t
throw away, we re-use the next day.
o To generate sufficient income from the woodland to meet all our minimum
income and food needs.
o Pro-active marketing, always looking for new outlets/customers
• Land Management
o Managing the land to improve habitat and biodiversity health
o Utilising all forest materials, not just timber
• Energy and Water
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o Using our own firewood for cooking, space heating and hot water
o Producing our own electricity
o Apart from the chainsaw, a preference that all tools are hand powered.
o Using our own water supply
• Waste
o All biodegradeable waste processed on site
o Recycling/ Re-using everything that we can
o Aim for zero wastage.
o Wood stain/wood oil is bought second hand.
o House hold items/Birthday presents are sourced second hand.
o Clothes are from charity shop or passed down.
• Zero Carbon Buildings
o Buildings are heated entirely from the site
o Buildings are built using predominantly local, natural or recycled materials
• Community Impact
o We become an asset to the local community, producing food, craft and providing
educational opportunities around sustainable living and woodland management.
• Transport and Travel
o Minimise vehicle use.
o Pool vehicles/lift share.
o Live on site so there are no commuting costs.
o Drive small, efficient vehicles with cheap tax.
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5. Business and Improvement Plan: Land based activity For broad objectives please refer to mission statement (Chapter 4).
For proposed monitoring arrangements please refer to Chapter 13.
Food
If we look at our previous food spend patterns:
From the 2010/2011 EFA:
Household spend Tracey Styles and family Mel Robinson and family
Spend £ Home
produced £
Spend £ Home
produced £
Meat and meat
products
96 0 0 0
Poultry Meat and
poultry meat
products
37 150 0 200
Fish 133 0 0 0
Fruit and
vegetables
780 500 1000 0
Oils and fats 56 0 100 0
Dairy 307 0 990 0
Grain mill products 65 0 232 0
Bread, biscuits and
cakes
305 0 272 0
Cocoa and
confectionary
111 0 111 0
Other (inc
preserves)
276 50 1536 50
Non alcoholic
beverages
184 0 158 0
Alcoholic
beverages
1040 0 540 0
3390 700 4939 250
We estimate that approximately 7.5% of our food needs derive from poultry (697/9279),
24.5% of our food needs derive from fruit and vegetables (2280/9279),
21% of our food derives from other foodstuffs (1912/9279),
4% of our food needs are non alcoholic beverages(342/9279),
and 17% of our food needs derive from alcoholic beverages (1580/9279).
From these four categories we expect that within 5 years:
100% of our egg and poultry meat needs will be met directly from activities on site. There is an
existing poultry business comprising of between a dozen and two dozen laying hens at any one
time. We estimate that there are no costs associated with this – the grain being donated from a
neighbouring farm.
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75% of our fruit and vegetable needs will be met directly from activities on site. Top fruit and
soft fruit have already been planted at the project and there are plans for a large vegetable
garden. We estimate that there will be approximately £180 a year costs associated with this (seed
and string)
50% of our other foodstuffs will be derived from the site. Products include herbs, jams,
chutneys, honey, pickles, wild food gathered, etc. We estimate that there will be approximately
£36 a year costs associated with this (sugars and vinegars).
50% of our non alcoholic beverages will be derives from site (fruit juices and herb teas).
100% of our alcoholic beverages will be derived from site – with wines and beers brewed using
grown and foraged materials. We estimate that there will be approximately £115 a year costs
associated with this (sugars and yeasts).
2017/2018 projections (two households combined):
Current
annual
Consumption
(£)
Proportion
to be
generated
from site (%)
Quantity
to be
generated
from site
(£)
Associated
Production
Costs (£)
Quantity
to be
generated
from site
(excluding
costs) (£)
Land-based
produce as a
% of annual
food
consumption
Poultry 697 100 697 0 697 7.5
Fruit and
Veg
2280 75 1710 180 1530 16.5
Other 1912 50 956 36 920 10
Non
alcoholic
beverages
342 50 171 0 171 2
Alcoholic
beverages
1580 100 1580 115 1465 16
In total Corner wood expects to derive 52% of its foodstuffs directly from the land within 5
years.
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Income
Please note that for reasons of simplicity we have not factored inflation into our accounting
figures – both in terms of household need as well as business income/ evaluating land-based
produce.
Currently there are 3 children living in the project. Robin was born in March 1996, Alf in March
2000, and Ellie in January 2000. In 2016/2017 they will all be 17 and older. As a result we expect
at least some of them to have left home – resulting in lower travel and clothing costs
Household needs
2010 -11
2016- 17
(projected)
Mel
Robinson
and
family
Tracey
Styles
and
family
Notes Mel
Robinson
and family
Tracey
Styles and
family
Total
Telecoms
Telephone/ internet/ communications
405 381
405 381
786
Clothing Clothes/ footwear
364 210
Reduced due to
children leaving home
182 105
287
Food spend
foodstuffs bought in (inc Alcoholic beverages)
4939 3390
48% of
food bought in
4454
Travel spend
Purchase and maintenance of vehicles
350 240
350 240
590
Vehicle fuel costs (including insurance)
1592 1820
Reduced due to
children leaving home
1192 1420
2612
Tax Council tax costs
0 0
700 700
1400
TOTAL INCOME NEED (£/annum)
10129
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Corner Wood Business Plan 2013
INTRODUCTION: Corner Wood generates traditional woodland produce in a manner that
enhances biodiversity by using permaculture principles. This will benefit both the traditional
markets and the rural economy of Ceredigion, as well as playing a vital role in the transition
towards a low-carbon society. The traditional management of continual cover, advocated by the
Forestry Management Plan (Chapter 6), ensures employment throughout the year.
AIMS:
• To continue a sustainable production of marketable coppice, timber products and
later charcoal.
• To develop markets for non-timber products like saps, fibres, nuts, mushrooms and
honey.
• To market produce from the woodland as locally as possible.
• To develop a national market for certain produce (for example small pole lathe items)
through the creation of a Cornerwood website.
• To demonstrate and provide training in traditional woodland management and
coppice crafts.
• To promote low-impact living.
OBJECTIVES:
• To reinstate the overstood coppice and get it back to a seven year cycle.
• To use overstood coppice to make rustic furniture and garden accessories.
• To use birch thinnings for horse jump bundles, pea sticks, flower stakes, faggots and
bean poles.
• To continue to develop markets for small woodland crafts (such as spoons, baby
rattles, dibbers and priests).
• To use the pole lathe to make replacement rungs for repairing vintage chairs. These
will be sold to local furniture restorers.
• To use burrs for high value crafts, to be sold in local galleries.
• To continue to make bespoke wooden buttons to sell to local craft outlets and textile
artists.
• To make broaches and necklaces from branches to be sold for less than £4 on craft
stall for people with little spending money.
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• To harvest tree seeds to go to national seed banks, and continue to maintain the stock
in the tree nursery for local replanting and sale outside.
• To use woodland produce to make seasonal decorations. i.e. birch brooms for
Halloween, wreathes from holly and ever greens for the Christmas markets.
• To continue selling excess eggs from the gate.
• To continue making chainsaw sculptures.
• To start keeping bees and sell the excess honey from the gate.
• To promote the use of round wood coppice timber for building i.e. pergolas, trellises,
garden fencing etc.
• To reconnect people to their woodland heritage and skills by providing green
woodworking courses both locally, and nationally through St.Dogmaels Coach House.
• To build an all-weather picnic area for school visits, birthdays and family gatherings.
This will be hired to the public.
• To use overstood willow coppice for charcoal production.
• To use butts for chainsaw sculpture to be sold from the gate and other local outlets
i.e. garden centres and galleries.
• To continue to plant and coppice osier for making baskets to sell locally. Excess osier
to be sold to local weavers or as stock to plant.
• To develop a mushroom growing enterprise.
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Aspects
Please note, that in the subsequent pages the following abbreviations will be used:
HOUSEHOLD A: HOUSEHOLD B:
Melanie Robinson Tracey Styles
Jeff Clarke Ian Critchley
ASPECT 1 HAZEL COPPICE, RUSTIC FURNITURE & GARDEN & HOME ACCESSORIES.
There is neglected coppice at Corner Wood. A sustainable approach is being employed, opting for
continual cover. A cant of 2 acres is harvested and managed every year, employing a lose 7 year
cycle, although this is dependent on the product.
Coppice is cut from October to January and the wood is stacked along the ride. The wood is
carried out during the cold frosty weather when the undergrowth is lowest and the ground is
hard, reducing the amount of work needed and thus increasing profit.
Rustic furniture is an expanding and popular market. Our production is currently outstripped by
demand. The furniture is produced in the workshops from January to September.
GARDEN & HOME ACCESSORIES
This section includes chopping boards, candle holders, bird boxes, bird feeders, planters, obelisks
and recycled pallet furniture.
Bird feeders are made from small rings of birch with the centre drilled out, these are then filled
with fat and bird seed, and retail at £3.50. The planters and bird boxes are made, in the workshop
using off cuts and appealing logs . Bird boxes and planters are sold from £5- £20 at craft fairs,
garden shows and on the gate.
An off- shoot from the planters has been garden chairs. These are now relatively quick to make (2
– 3 hours /chair) and thus come in cheaper than the traditional rustic furniture. These chairs
retail at £30 and the lower price is good for the current economic climate.
The chopping boards and candle sticks are made from exceptionally beautiful pieces of timber
found in Corner Wood. These are quick to produce, often only requiring sanding and oiling.
Chopping boards sell for £10-£40, candle sticks £10-£20.
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HURDLES
These are produced, in the workshop or at pole lathe demonstrations, using two year old willow
and hazel rods, cut from Corner Wood. The hurdles made are of a small size for edging a flower
bed, this makes transportation easy, and we always advertise that we can make larger sizes if the
customer wishes. A small hurdle is quick to produce and retails at £4.
WALKING STICKS
Thumb sticks are cut from hazel, birch, wild cherry and ash. These are sold for £1.95 as they are
or, whittled and briefly sanded for £6.95.
OBELISKS
These are made by planting a large flower pot with sweet peas or beans. The flower pots used
are recycled from the local tip and are free. We use our own compost. Five 2 year old hazel rods
are arranged in a pyramid for the plants to grow up. These sell for £6 each. This was a new
product this year and we sold all that we made. The sweet peas were more popular than the
beans.
ASPECT 2 BIRCH THINNINGS
The self-seeded naturally regenerated 15 year old birch is one of the predominate species of
trees to be found at Corner Wood.
A sustainable approach to the management is being employed,opting for continual cover. A
similar approach to Hazel coppice is being employed.
An area in the wood is identified as the current cant. Firstly the worker identifies any trees with
dead tops; these are the first to be felled. Secondly, smaller trees that are seen to have
particularly healthy well-balanced tops are cut, leaving trees that are favoured and better
formed, although this could be seen as subjective. The tree is felled and the bottom half is taken
for firewood or bean poles.
BEAN POLES
Currently our bean poles are priced cheaper than local garden centres. There is a need to
convince the public of the benefits of local woodland produce i.e. lower carbon footprint,
supports the local economy. Consequently, a set of bean poles, consisting of 12 poles and 1 long
ridge pole is sold for £3.50.
YURT POLES
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Any thinned poles deemed to be of the correct size will be sold as yurt poles ready for steam
bending, for £2/pole. As the coppice comes into cycle we will be able to cut hazel yurt poles, at
this point we aim to begin steam bending at Corner Wood, this will increase the value of the pole
to £5/pole.
BIRCH TOP BUNDLES
There is local demand for horse jump bundles. These are made from birch tops during the winter
season. Three birch tops plus all the side branches make one bundle; these are tied tightly with
string.The bundles are sold on the gate and at local markets.
We began by selling birch top bundles at £3.50 each, though new research suggests that we
should not have any issue selling them at £7 each.
PEA STICKS
In March any remaining birch top thinnings become pea sticks for the grow your own veg market.
This is an expanding market. These are sold on the gate and at local markets.
1 birch bundle/£3.50 = 10 bundles pea sticks/50p = £5
This is a substantial increase in value for the bundle.
This season was our first with pea sticks and we sold all that we made.
FLOWER STAKES
The remains of the birch thinnings, the sticks that are neither firewood, bean poles, birch top
bundles nor pea sticks, are marketed as flower stakes for 50p a bundle. A bundle consists of 5
stakes.
FAGGOTS
Any remaining twigs are tied up into faggots and sold at 60p. This increases the initial value of the
bundle from £3.50 to £12.
BROOMS
These are produced in October at the beginning of the coppice season, and are made in time to
sell for the half term Halloween market. They are made in a traditional way but slightly smaller
for children.
Brooms sell for between £2.50 and £5 each in a local shop.
In conclusion, the management of the birch at Corner Wood is so efficient that none of it is burnt
off in the woods. It either becomes firewood to heat the home, bean poles, birch top bundles,
pea sticks, flower stakes, faggots or brooms. This shows that we are maximising our profit as
there is no waste.
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PRODUCE FOR SALE ON THE GATE. Please note price of bean poles has changed.
ASPECT 3 POLE LATHE PRODUCE
Timber for green wood turning, from Corner Wood is supplemented by tree surgeons, who bring
their wood here instead of paying to have it chipped or taking it back to their depot.
Logs are quartered to make billets; these are then rounded off by hand on the shave horse,
before being put on the lathe for turning.
The majority of items are made during wood turning demonstrations and then finished in the
workshop. These are sold at craft fairs and in local outlets, and could at a later date be marketed
nationally via a web site as they are small to post.
Another outlet for the pole lathe is replacement chair rungs for local furniture restorers. We were
approached this June and asked if it was possible to copy a rung. I have since had other similar
requests.
The price of items varies according to size and time taken to produce.
Spoon £5- £20
Rattle £1- £10
Dibber £4- £7
Cup and Ball £5- £8
Priest £5- £10
Maul £1- £5
Chair rung £10
ASPECT 4 BURRS
Burr is wood that has been deformed. This deformation occurs naturally to a small amount of
trees. When a burr is found during thinning or coppicing it is separated from the other wood to
be worked at a later date. Burrs are also found on wood brought here by tree surgeons.
In the workshop the burrs are carved and polished by hand. The result is beautiful and unique.
Burrs are sold in galleries.
ASPECT 5 BUTTONS, BADGES, NECKLACES & POTS.
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These items are made, in the workshop, by sawing a branch into small discs. These are then
sanded, polished and drilled appropriately before attaching a cord or broach back. This is a quick
process. The pots are made by sawing a small branch into short lengths, one length is the drilled
out and the other is adapted to fit using a tenon cutter. These sell at craft fairs for £1- £2 each,
this is a high return for a small amount of wood. The small price is good for the current economic
climate and these items are popular with children.
Badges, buttons, necklaces, key rings all sell for £1- £7 and are sold at craft shows, with buttons
being additionally sold to local shops. 2012 saw the introduction of our craft kits. These kits
comprise of: A necklace pendant or badge front, Necklace cord or badge back and sand paper.
Sold in an attractive bag these retail at £1.50/Badge kit and £3.95/necklace kit.
ASPECT 6 SEED HARVEST
In the autumn acorns are gathered by hand into 50kg sacks. These are collected from the gate by
the local seed merchant (Calon yn tyfu cyf). The price/kilo varies each year, 2012 it was £2/kilo.
For reasons already stated in the biodiversity report, the acorns which have already germinated
will not be collected.
ASPECT 7 SEASONAL DECORATIONS
Wreaths are made in early December for the Christmas market. They utilise holly, fir cones and
evergreen found in Corner Wood. Additional ribbon, wire and dried flowers are bought in at a
wholesale price.
Wreaths are sold at local Christmas markets, craft fairs and on the high street of local towns using
a pedlar’s licence.
ASPECT 8 EGGS
A small flock of chickens is kept at Corner Wood. These provide us with eggs for the kitchen. The
surplus eggs are sold on the gate, and livestock sold at the local poultry fairs.
Six eggs sell for £1
ASPECT 9 CHAINSAW SCULPTURE
This product has proved to be very successful. Larger logs are carved in the yard, they are finished
by hand. The logs are often the by-product of fire wood, a large knot in the log, making it too
difficult to split with the axe, becomes a point of beauty in a carving.
Currently these are sold from the gate or at craft fairs and garden shows. Product price ranges
from £10 - £20, depending on size and wood used. This is a good product for the current
economic climate. Larger sculptures are currently being developed for future markets.
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ABERAERON HORTICULTURAL SHOW. MUSHROOMS CARVED WITH THE CHAINSAW IN THE FOREGROUND.
ASPECT 10 FIREWOOD AND CHARCOAL
The overstood willow is ideal for the production of both firewood and charcoal. Firewood is sold
in bags as kindling for £2/bag. Logs retail at £5/bag. We aim to produce 10kg bags of Charcoal,
retailing at £4.50. The smaller brash will be made into artist charcoal and sold in a presentation
box for £4.95. Any remaining charcoal will be used to run the forge or sold on as ‘charcoal fines’
for £10/15kg. Charcoal fines are considered a soil improver.
ASPECT 11 WILLOW PRODUCE
As the coppice comes back into cycle the resulting rods will be long and straight. These rods can
then be sold for traditional use (hurdles and thatching spars) as well as to artists for land based
sculpture. Specialist willow osiers have also been planted for basket producers.
ASPECT 12 GARDEN PRODUCE AND SHITAKE MUSHROOM PRODUCTION
There is a need to produce our own sugar in order to lower our carbon footprint. We have
attended bee keeping courses and are continuing to research in preparation for this enterprise.
We plan to site bee hives in the orchard to both provide us with honey as well as to sell surplus
on the gate.Local honey sells at £4.50 a jar.
Excess produce from the gardens will be sold on the gate and through Cardigan Producers Market
on the allotment stall.
Shitake mushroom cultivation is a new business aspect to be employed at Cornerwood but we
have carried out extensive research and have embarked on a 500 log operation . In our first year
we have inoculated 130 of our 3” to 8” diameter birch logs that have been cut during the coppice
season with viable shitake spore . It is our intention to do this every year and sell the mushrooms
Page 21 of 129
to local outlets ,farmer markets and via the internet . In addition to this we have inoculated 30
logs for instant retail at a price of £15 each. In future years it is hoped to diversify into growing
mushrooms on birch brash and then using the resulting compost for growing herbs to sell to the
same outlets.
We have set up a small scale out door log operation for fresh mushroom production
* 130 logs are to be inoculated every year
* logs are carried over a four year rotation with a maximum number of 503 logs (373 fruiting)in
the fourth year and continuing for the life of the operation (table a)
* with good management cornerwood hope each log should average 2lb of mushrooms a
year(three fruiting cycles)for a total of 6 lb over the life of the log
For our 500 log operation we are assuming 2 percent of the logs would be lost every year (Table b
)
The inoculated logs will be forced to fruit on a schedule by immersing them under water for
between 8 and 24 hours. With this system we have the advantage of controlling the timing of our
harvest
(Table a) logs fruiting and mushrooms produced from a 500 log operation out door operation
Year Logs at start of year Logs fruiting Pounds of mushrooms
1 130 0 0
2 257 127 254
3 381 251 564
4 503 373 746
(Table b)Log loses and expected mushroom yields for each 130 logs on a five year cycle
Year % loss Logs at start of
year
Pounds per log Mushroom
pounds per year
1 2 130 0 0
2 2 127 2 254
3 2 124 2.5 310
4 2 122 1.5 183
Total 8 6 747
We are intending to force the log tree times a year with fruiting starting a year after inoculation
and allowing eight weeks rest between forced production. Once we have harvested the logs it is
intended to rest them for eight weeks then force them again for a week, a nine week cycle. For a
constant production we will have to divide our total number of inoculated logs by nine
(Table c) number of logs needed to soak on a weekly basis for constant production
Size of log operation Number of logs in rotation
soaked weekly
Approximate pounds of
Page 22 of 129
mushrooms expected*
500 logs 55-56 37
*assuming a 0.67lb/flush. This type of yield is possible using the crib stack and covering system
recommended
Items used in start up
* Coppiced Birch Logs 3” to 8” diameter and 40” in length -free
* Sawdust spawn-20 to 25 logs/ bag @ £15/bag
* Wax- Cheese wax (10lb/100 logs @ £ 15/ bag
* Drill bits- Two needed per 50 logs £5 + collar £1 = £6
Equipment -short-term use (five years)
* Inoculation tool-one needed @ £15
* Drill-already have one
* Scales-already have some
* Spring scales to weigh logs-already have some
* Soak tank-already have one
* brackets and bag covers-£25
Equipment – long term use (ten years)
* Cold store- for fresh mushroom already have one
Harvesting costs
* Bulk mushroom boxes(standard size are 3,5,10 lb boxes) -£0.50 each
* labels-make our own £20
* Advertising-on web site -cost nil due to trading labour. On farm gate -nil costs ,Business cards
£10 per year
* Transportation-£0.10 per mile x 100 miles( our markets are all local or p+p will be added)
* Picking and storage baskets -nil cost will make our own
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Labour
All work will be carried out by our selves that is the beauty of this size operation
(Table d)Labour considerations
Item Time consideration
Market research This has already taken place more will be done
with help from other producers. On going.
Drill and inoculate logs 8 minutes per log- we have a four person team
Soak logs Logs will physicaly be moved in and out of soak
tank -2hours per set
Harvest Mushrooms 2 hours each day for 3 days. If weekly harvest
with three forced fruitings, 3days/week for a 6
month period
Packaging 2 hours/week
Transport to market Will be incorporated into other deliveries
Market considerations
We are aware of differing markets having differing returns such as whole-sale, prices being
slightly lower than to end user or direct market to individual. We are hoping to obtain an average
of £5/lb for fresh mushroom produced.
(Table e) Estimated revenue and returns to land and management with 130 new logs into
production every year
Receipt for
mushroom sales
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
£5/1b 0 £1,270.00 £2,820.00 £3,730.00
(Table f) Shitake enterprise growing and harvesting costs years 1-4 for 500 logs at Corner Wood
Item Quantity Price Unit Value
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Year 1, variable
cost
Logs 130 £0 Logs
Spawn 5 £15.00 Unit £75.00
Wax 15 £1.00 Pounds £15.00
Drill bits 3 £5.00 Bit £15.00
Stop collar 1 £1.00 Collar £1.00
Equipment cost
Inoculation tool 1 £15.00 Tool £15.00
Wax melting pot 1 £20.00 Pot £20.00
Total Year1
Expenses
£131.00
Year 2 pre-
harvest costs
Logs 130 £0.00 Logs
Spawn 5 £15.00 Unit £75.00
Wax 15 £1.00 Pounds £15.00
Drill bits 3 £5.00 Bit £15.00
Stop collar 1 £1.00 Collar £1.00
Harvesting costs
Packaging 51 £0.50 Boxes £30.00
Advertising
Transportation 100 £0.10 Mile £10.00
Equipment costs
Bracket and bag
cover
1 £25.00 Cover £25.00
Cool storage 1 £100.00 Unit £100.00
Total year 2
Expenses
£266.00
Year 3 pre-
harvest cost
Logs 130 £0.00 Logs
Spawn 5 £15.00 Unit £75.00
Wax 15 £1.00 Pounds £15.00
Drill bits 3 £5.00 Bit £15.00
Stop collar 1 £1.00 Collar £1.00
Harvesting costs
Packaging 102 £0.50 Boxes £51.00
Advertising
Transportation 100 £0.10 Mile £10.00
Equipment costs
Bracket and bag
cover
1 £25.00 Cover £25.00
Total year 3
expenses
£192.00
Year 4 pre-
harvest cost
Page 25 of 129
Logs 130 £0.00 Logs
Spawn 5 £15.00 Unit £75.00
Wax 15 £1.00 Pounds £15.00
Drill bits 3 £5.00 Bit £15.00
Stop collar 1 £1.00 Collar £1.00
Harvesting costs
Packaging 153 £0.50 Boxes £77.00
Advertising
Transportation 100 £0.10 Mile £10.00
Equipment costs
Bracket and bag
cover
1 £25.00 Cover £25.00
Total year 4
expenses
£218.00
TOTAL START UP AND GROWING COST 4 YEARS: £807
(Table g) Estimated net profit
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
Income £0.00 £1,270.00 £2,820.00 £3,730.00
Expenses £131.00 £266.00 £192.00 £218.00
Net profit £0.00 £1,004.00 £2,628.00 £2,628.00
ASPECT 13 EDUCATION
Eco-tours: There is a growing public interest in sustainable low-impact building and living. We aim
to open to the public once a month for the cost of £4 per adult.
Workshops: There is a real market for workshops in green wood working. We will provide these
to both local people and summer visitors to the area. We have been asked to provide the Coach
House (St Dogmaels) with workshops at a cost to them of £35 per person. We now have
insurance in place to run workshops in bodging and coppicing at Corner Wood. These will take
place in the green wood working workshop with a day costing £45.
Outside classroom/ Club usage: Many schools use local woods as an extension of the classroom.
Seven primary schools lie within 5 miles of Cornerwood. We intend to provide this option for
local schools and clubs and the outdoor classroom will provide a dry space for such activities.
Page 26 of 129
ASPECT 14 METALWORK
Using home produced charcoal along with recycling scrap metal we have been developing designs
for simple coat hooks (£3.50-£7), fire pokers (£15-£25) and door handles (£4-£9) made in a hand-
powered forge.
Page 27 of 129
Marketing Outlets
The following table gives a good approximation of the current sales patterns for Cornerwood
produce, and gives a clear indication of the direction we intend moving in. It must be stressed
that different marketing techniques are used for different produce.
Aspect Current configuration –
sales outlets
Projected
5 year configuration –
sales outlets
1 Garden and home accessories 75% craft fair stall
25% farm gate
50% craft fair stall
25% internet
25% farm gate
Rustic Furniture, hurdles and
obelisks
80% craft fair stall
20% local shops
40% craft fair stall
30% internet
30% local shops
2 Pea sticks, flower stakes, faggots,
brooms and beanpoles
50% craft fair stall
30% farm gate
20% local shops
50% craft fair stall
30% farm gate
20% local shop
Birch Top Bundles 100% farm gate 10% farm gate
40% internet
50% targeted adverts
3 Pole Lathe Produce 90% craft fair stall
10% local shops
40% craft fair stall
30% internet
30% local shops
4 Burrs 100% local shops 100% local shops
5 Buttons,Badges,Necklaces,Pots 100% craft fair stall 40% craft fair stall
40% internet
20% local shops
6 Seed Harvest Local contract Local contract
7 Seasonal Decorations 100% town market/
stall
100% town market/ stall
8 Eggs and Chickens 75% local poultry fair
25% farm gate
75% local poultry fair
25% farm gate
9 Chainsaw Sculpture (small and
large)
100% craft fair stall 50% craft fair stall
50% internet
10 Fire wood 100% farm gate 90% farm gate
10% cardigan market
Charcoal 0 80% farm gate
20% craft fair stall
11 Hazel and Willow Rods 0 70% farm gate
30% internet
Osier 0 50% farm gate
50% internet
12 Garden Produce (not inc.
Mushrooms)
0 50% farm gate
50% cardigan market
Honey 0 50% craft fair stalls
50% farm gate
Page 28 of 129
13 Eco Tours 0 Internet advertising and
targeted marketing
Workshops 0 Internet advertising and
targeted marketing
Outside Classroom/ Club usage 0 Internet advertising and
targeted marketing
14 Metalwork 0 80% craft fair stall
20% internet
Outlets: Farm gate, Craft fair stall (events at various locations), Town markets/ stalls, Internet
(new website with mail-order service), local contract (calon yn tyfu cyf), local poultry fairs, local
shops, internet, other.
Page 29 of 129
Activities through the year
The table clearly illustrates a cyclic pattern to harvesting and management which runs
throughout the whole year. The bulk of the woodland work naturally takes place through the
winter months. There are also a range of woodland management tasks that run through the
summer, including rhododendron clearing (which takes an estimated 20 work-days in the
summer), bracken cutting (which requires several cuts throughout the summer to deter growth),
and ride management (which includes clearing paths and tracks and maintaining a shrub layer
either side of the access route). Many tasks occur throughout the year, including growing food,
mushroom cultivation, poultry, craftwork, charcoal making as well as those tasks integral to a
sustainable lifestyle (such as composting human and food waste and water harvesting). There are
some activities that are predominantly summer-based, including fruit growing (blueberry,
blackberry, blackcurrant, strawberry, gooseberry, rhubarb, apple, pear, plum, greengage),
vegetable production (salads, potatoes, garlic, welsh onions, courgettes, beans, asparagus,
brassicas and tomatoes) and bees (although these are not yet established on site). There are also
important beneficial consequences of the Cornerwood residents being on site, such as security,
deer deterrent and observation of the ecology patterns.
ACTIVITY Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Bracken cutting # # #
Cut Coppice # # # # # # #
Deer Watch # # # # # #
Fruit harvest # # # # # # # #
Furniture # # # # # #
Ponds #
Pruning # #
Rhododendron
control
# # # #
Ride
management
# # # # #
Bees # # # # # # #
Firewood # # # # # # #
Security # # # # # # # # # # # #
Mushrooms # # # # # # #
Charcoal # # # # # # # # # # # #
Vegetable
growing
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Mushroom
Cultivation
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Walking sticks # # # #
Faggott Making # # # #
Seasonal
decoration
# # #
Page 30 of 129
Corner Wood Example Expenditure: 2010/11
Profit is maximised at Corner Wood by keeping expenditure to a minimum. This is achieved by
following principles:
• 1 Keeping distanced travelled by vehicle to a minimum.
o Living on site reduces the cost of commuting to work and ensures a secure site for
tools, equipment and produce; thus reducing insurance premiums.
o All movement on and around site is done on foot. Timber and produce is carried
by hand thus avoiding additional fuel costs.
o Shows and fairs are all within a 20mile radius, thus reducing travel costs.
• 2 Buying second hand tools and materials where possible.
o An off shoot from Corner Wood’s commitment to reducing carbon output, is a
reduction in expenditure. To keep our carbon foot print as low as possible we
avoid purchasing new products, most screws, oils, wood preserver & tools are
bought at local boot sales at second hand prices.
o We use second hand baler twine, donated by local farmers, for tying the birch top
bundles, pea sticks and flower stakes.
o Tree surgeons bring timber to the yard for free.
• 3 Using hand tools, when possible, in the woods and workshop.
o Hand tools are used in the woods, with the exception of coppicing the very over
stood willow and hazel. This reduces fuel costs.
o In the workshop the pole lathe and shave horse are manually operated, thus free
to run. We use 12v electric, cordless drills and these are recharged off the solar
system for free.
o Exceptions to this are chainsaws and sanding equipment.
• 4 Avoiding pitch fees where possible
o When booking a craft fair or garden show we always offer a pole lathe
demonstration as an alternative to paying a pitch fee. This is warmly accepted.
Workshop Expenditure April 2011-2012
Item Household A (£) Household B (£)
Wood glue 5.00 7.50
Screws 20.00 25.00
Nails 30.00
Sand paper 20.00 10.00
Teak oil 8.00 20.00
Wood preserver
Pole Lathe string 6.00 3.00
Dowel
Page 31 of 129
TOTAL 89.00 65.50
Chainsaw and Generator Expenditure April 2011-12
Item House Hold (A) (£) House Hold (B) (£)
Petrol for Generator 60.00 50.00
Petrol for Chainsaw 60.00 70.00
Chainsaw Chain 30.00 30.00
Chainsaw Sharpening 30.00
Spark Plug 10.00 15.00
Repair Service
TOTAL 190.00 165.00
Craft Fair Expenditure April 2011-12
Item House Hold (A) House Hold (B)
Insurance 12.50
Petrol 32.50 36.00
Pitch Fees 10.00 10.00
Pedlars licence 12.50
TOTAL 42.50 71.00
Total Expenditure April 2011-12
Item House Hold A (£) House Hold B (£)
Workshop Cost 89.00 65.00
Chainsaw andGenerator
costs
190.00 165.00
Craft fair Cost 42.50 71.00
Total Cost 321.50 301.00
Page 32 of 129
Example Corner wood Events Diary April 2011 – October 2012
The following events were attended by Corner wood Stall during the 18 month period. Craft
events have woodcraft demonstrations and poultry events have poultry/ smallholding
demonstrations. Produce from Cornerwood was sold at all the events attended.
• St Dogmaels Easter Fayre- Easter bank holiday monday
• Narbeth Plant sale- 1st
may 2011
• Aberaron Garden show- 29th
may 2011
• Teifi valley vintage show- 30th
may 2011
• Cenarth school faryre – June 2011
• Tegryn Carnival -July 2011
• Cardigan Agricultural Show -3rd
August 2011
• Cardigan Medieval show- August 2011
• Cardigan craft fayre -1st
October 2011
• Cardigan Eco fayre-3rd
October until 8th
October
• Cardigan Producers Market- 5th
April 2012
• Castell Henllys- Prehistoric fayre -11th
April 2012
• Poultry Sale Bwlch-y-Groes- 11th
April 2012
• NarbethPlant Fayre-5th
May 2012
• Poultry sale Bwlch-y-Groes – 9th
may 2012
• Exhibition Cardigan Guild Hall -14th
May until 19th
May 2012
• Aberaron Garden show -26th
and 27th
May 2012
• Wood fest - 2nd
June 2012
• Green Fayre Teifi Marshes for Coed Cymru - 4th
June 2012
• Castell Henllys Prehistoric Faryre- 4th
June 2012
• Poultry sale Bwlch-y-Groes- 6th
June 2012
• Exhibition Cardigan Guild Hall- 9th
July until 13th
July 2012
• Poultry Sale Bwlch-y-groes- 11th
July 2012
• Poultry Sale Bwlch-y-Groes- 25th
July 2012
• Castell Henllys Prehistoric fayre -2 nd August 2012
• Cardigan Medieval Day - 12th
August 2012
• Cardigan Quays Festival - 25th
August 2012
• St Dogmaels Medieval Day -27th
August 2012
• Cardifest- 31st
August until 2nd
September 2012
• Eco Technology Week -8th
October until 13th
October 2012
• Exhibition Cardigan Guildhall - 22nd
October until 28th
October 2012
Page 33 of 129
Cornerwood Business Plan Forecasts
Aspect Income
2011-2012
Projected
Income
2012-2013
Projected
Income
2013-2014
Projected
Income
2014-2015
Projected
Income
2015-2016
Projected
Income
2016-2017
Projected
Income
2017-2018
1. Garden &
Home Accessories
182.5 302 600 700 800 1000 1300
Rustic furniture,
Hurdles and
Obelisks
1115 1558 2000 2200 2300 2500 2800
2. Pea Sticks,
flower
stakes,faggots,
brooms & bean
poles
19 145.1 200 220 250 290 330
Birch Top Bundles 244 312 630 9660 1000 1260 1400
3.Pole Lathe
Produce
253.50 382 400 500 500 600 800
4. Burrs 45 75 75 85 85 100 200
5.Buttons,
Badges, Necklaces
& Pots
23 66.25 300 350 400 500 700
6. Seed Harvest 591 463.55 700 750 800 900 1200
7. Seasonal
Decorations
1015 1130 1200 1250 1300 1400 1400
8. Eggs & chickens 104 325 104 104 104 104 104
9. Chainsaw
Sculpture
102 132 200 200 200 300 500
10. Firewood 0 1640 1800 1800 1800 1800 1800
Page 34 of 129
Charcoal 0 0 20 40 80 120 350
11.Hazel & Willow
Rods
0 0 50 75 150 200 300
Osier 0 0 0 0 200 300 400
12 Garden
Produce & Shitaki
0 120 80 1054 2778 3724 3864
Honey 0 0 0 0 45 70 90
13 Eco Tours 0 0 25 72 144 144 240
Workshops 0 0 150 200 400 640 1600
Outside
Classroom/ Club
Usage
0 0 0 0 200 300 400
14. Metal Work 0 0 50 75 250 300 350
Total Income 3694 6650.9 8584 10635 13786 16552 20128
Total Expenditure - 665 -622.5 -811 -1026 -932 -936 -956
Total Profit 3029 6028.4 7773 9609 12854 15616 19172
Page 35 of 129
6. Land Management
For Broad objectives please refer to mission statement (Chapter 4).
For proposed monitoring arrangements please refer to Chapter 13.
.
Biodiversity & Landscape Assessment – July 2011.
County Road running alongside Cornerwood
Page 36 of 129
INTRODUCTION
“Woodlands play an important role in the biodiversity of Wales. As well as providing important
habitats in their own right, many woodlands support nature conservation by providing buffer zones
and linking areas of high conservation value, which act as corridors for wildlife.” Star 2008
This is the case with Corner Wood, situated between two SSI’s, Cwm Ddu and Coedmore, with Coed
Maidie B Goddard reserve down the road. Corner Wood is predominantly a self-set birch thicket with
a mixture of similarly aged; oak, ash, rowan, willow, hazel and cherry distributed throughout.
Towards the boundaries, specifically the roads, there are some areas of mature ash and beech. Pole
ash stage is found towards the edge of the woods, this has been damaged previously by the local
deer population.
AIM: Corner Wood aims to manage its woodland in a manner that supports and encourages a
growing biodiversity.
STRATEGY: The biodiversity at Corner Wood will be increased by employing four strategies:
1. Adoption of alternative forms of management, including felling, possibly with a change of
species.
2. Reinstating traditional forms of woodland management, including coppicing and coppice with
standards.
3. Provision of more open space and better managed rides.
4. Setting aside areas for non-intervention and minimal intervention.
KEY ACTIONS: These four strategies will be implemented by the following key actions:
• Leaving deadwood and, if safe, dying trees.
• Avoiding operations during nesting and breeding seasons.
• Maintaining edges and letting light into the woodland.
• Where possible, ensuring that the rides are not straight, but sinuous.
• By working the woodland in a seven year rotation.
• Using low-impact harvesting systems, including horse extraction.
• Maintaining thick ground cover and coppice hazel for small mammals.
• Erecting bird, bat and mouse nesting boxes.
• Creating habitat piles for reptiles and small mammals.
• Allowing native climbing plants, such as honeysuckle and ivy, to grow.
Page 37 of 129
• Thinning the naturally regenerated birch to increase light levels.
• Preserving water logged sites and damp hollows.
• By planting a meadow flower mix suitable to woodland areas along ride edges and in
glades.
• Refraining from the use of herbicides when dealing with invasive non-
indigenous species, for example Himalayan Balsam, and pulling by hand instead.
Page 38 of 129
THE 8 CANTS OF CORNER WOOD
Corner Wood can be divided into eight cants.
These are: 1. Perimeter standards
2. Home cant
3. Orchard cant
4. Jeff’s ride
5. Ash coppice
6. Top triangle
7. Diagonal ride
8. Bottom triangle
NEST BOX MADE FROM RECYCLED PLYWOOD
Page 39 of 129
The map above shows the 8 cants of Corner Wood – It is not reproduced to scale here.
Page 40 of 129
1 Perimeter Standards
Towards the boundaries, specifically the road, there are areas of mature oak and beech, a reflection
of the pre-conifer nature of the woodland found on this site. These larger trees connect to the
adjoining woodlands and thus provide a wild life corridor. As part of our management we aim to
support this wild life corridor as it connects to a significant complex of woodland habitat located
around the lower reaches of the Afon Teifi. Consequently, trees in the perimeter are not felled unless
they are considered a danger to the road on the south and west side. This approach to management
has resulted in standing dead wood and an increase in all that use it; lesser wood peckers, nut
hatches, tree creepers and both the little and tawny owl. Buzzards and owls perch and wait for prey
on larger dead branches. Grey squirrels also use the standards but their damage appears to be kept
at a minimum by the presence of humans. Habitat piles are made from fallen branches; this provides
food or shelter to invertebrates, small mammals and amphibians, thus conserving the substructure of
the food chain.
The understory of the standards is different to that of the rest of Corner Wood and consists of; hazel,
holly, hawthorn, wild cherry, crab apple, gelder rose and wild pear. Through careful management it is
hoped to extend this diverse understory in towards the centre of Corner Wood. This will take place
slowly as space is made on the inside edge and these trees are favoured and encouraged inwards.
The earth bank surrounding Corner Wood provides not only a border but a habitat for badgers,
rabbits, bank vole, wood mouse, weasels and shrews. This is ideally situated, as it borders on open
fields thus offering two different foraging/hunting habitats.
POSITIVE ACTIONS AGREED:
• Minimum intervention, leave standing dead wood for invertebrates and birds.
• Create habitat piles from fallen dead wood.
• Favour the more varied understory of the standard cant and encourage it to extend inwards.
• Employ a policy of non-intervention regarding the earth bank to avoid disturbing tunnelling
mammals.
• Remove all litter from the perimeter boundary.
• Germinated acorns are not collected during seed collection, but are left to ensure the
succession of oak trees.
2 HOME CANT This cant runs from the SW corner to half way along the western side. Home cant consists of a
mix of self-seeded birch with over stood hazel towards the boundary standards. The birch is
roughly 15 years old and is interspersed with large oak and ash. A water course, lined with
large, over stood willow, crosses this cant east to west. This carries the run-off during severe
rain events.
Page 41 of 129
Situated in the SW corner is a substantial area of rhododendron, this has come in from over
the road. Rhododendron is an invasive and poisonous species.
This cant has seen the most intervention and change, with the creation of a hard standing
with a timber storage shed with two ponds for the roof water and grey water, clearings and
the creation of a green wood working workshop towards the northern end of the cant. The
canopy in this cant has been opened up to approximately 70%. This extra light has allowed
many woodland ground flora to reappear.
POSITIVE ACTIONS AGREED:
• Opening up the canopy has provided the birds of prey with a large open hunting ground; this
has led to an increase in owls and buzzards.
• Large shed roof provides thermal updrafts, this is utilised by the buzzards.
• Creation of a pond in the SW corner with surrounding damp area has made a wet land
habitat. New species here include:
Frogs, palmate newt, water beetle, pond skater, water fleas, water snails, emperor dragonfly,
keeled skimmer, common darter, red and blue damsel flies, beautiful demoiselle and green
lace wings. Indigenous wetland plants have been planted on the pond margin, these include
marsh marigold, water mint.
• Two further ponds have been created to take the roof run-off water and grey water; these
are younger than the above pond but already support a basic wet habitat.
• Removing the over stood willow from along the water course has improved the flow of water
during rain events and created a better damp environment.
• The hard standing has been sited within a thicket of self- seeded birch, thus avoiding felling
any larger trees.
• Bird boxes have been made and sited around the area of hard standing to compensate for the
forfeiture of the birch thicket.
• The rhododendron has not been removed as it is favoured by badgers. Consequently, it is
controlled by removing any suckers found outside its apportioned area.
• Pipistrelle bats have begun to roost in the timber storage shed, these will not be disturbed.
Additional bat boxes will be made and sited in the surrounding trees to increase their habitat.
• Toads favour this cant, habitat piles in damp areas have been provided and this year it has
been observed that there is a noticeable increase in both the number and age of the
population.
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• The creation of paths linking the hard standing/timber storage shed and the green wood
working shed and compost toilets has allowed light to reach the ground layer. This has
resulted in the reappearance of the following flora: Dog violet, pink campion, yellow
pimpernel, herb Robert, stitch wort, vetches, wild strawberries, fox glove, dog’s mercury,
sweet woodruff, common bird’s foot trefoil, tutsan, perforated St.John’s wort and trailing St.
John’s wort.
• Due to the establishment of ground layer flora, butterflies have followed.
• The creation of a clearing on the eastern side of home cant has resulted in the establishment
of the following grasses: Common sedge grass, perennial rye grass, Sheep’s fescue, common
reed,
• cock’s foot, creeping bent and timothy.
Dog Violet Primrose
pond in SW corner
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Lesser celandine with ground ivy.
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3 ORCHARD CANT.
Running along most of the southern edge of Corner Wood is an area of only field and ground
layer. This area consists mainly of bracken and brambles, and consequently catches the sun. The
warmth of this cant is enjoyed by grass snakes. A small, natural pond borders the standards and
orchard cant, this dries out during the summer. The pond has an animal access point, from the
road, on either side. This open zone is backed to the north by a band of wild cherry and coppiced
oak of about 15 years old. This is backed once again by a mix of ash and hazel coppice. This hazel
and ash was partially coppiced two years ago to allow some light through to the ground layer.
POSITIVE ACTION AGREED:
• To improve the field and canopy layer, fruit and nut trees have been planted in this zone.
This will help to maintain the wild life corridor.
• Honeysuckle was carefully re-hung and twisted back in during coppicing, thus maintaining
the food source of the elephant hawk moth and other insects.
• Due to the partial coppicing, Orchard Cant has benefitted from the influx of native
woodland flowers, similar to those found in Home Cant.
• During coppicing habitat piles were established.
• A habitat pile for grass snakes has been provided. This differs from our usual habitat piles
as it has a tin roof that absorbs the heat. This environment is favoured by reptiles.
BLUEBERRIES IN THE ORCHARD
4 JEFF’S RIDE. This cant was created in the winter of 2010/11. It meanders from Home cant on the western side,
eastwards towards the eastern boundary. Running adjacent and to the north is the earth bank and
water course. The over stood willow which was inhibiting the flow of the water course has been
coppiced and the timber stacked along the ride. The self-seeded birch on either side of the ride has
been thinned initially to 2.5m. Just before the eastern end of the ride there is a band of western
hemlock, these are of various ages. This area is favoured by red deer and birds. These small copses of
western hemlock are used by the deer to bed down and by the birds for shelter, notably the tawny
owl.
POSITIVE ACTION AGREED:
• Coppicing the willow has improved the water course and provided a better damp/wet area.
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• Thinning the birch has allowed enough space for the crowns to flourish and has thus provided
a more balanced habitat. This is evident by the increase of small birds i.e. long tailed tit,
willow tit, blue tit and great tit, foraging in the birch crowns.
• The timber stacks along the ride have provided a suitable nesting site for wrens and
blackbirds. The decision was taken to leave these stacks in place until the end of the nesting
season. At that point the willow will be converted into charcoal on site.
• The ride is sinuous and is cut with a scallop to increase the edges and thus the biodiversity.
• The ride has been seeded with a woodland grass/flower mix, from a reputable supplier, to
improve the ground layer. This mix contains: betony, hedge bedstraw, hedge garlic, hedge
woundwort, herb bennet, nettle leaved bell flower, ragged robin, red campion, self-heal,
sweet cicely, welsh poppy, wildfox glove, wood sage, brown top bent, crested dogstail,
sheep’s fescue, chewings fescue, slender crested red fescue.
• The western hemlock not been felled, however, the lower branches of the larger trees have
been removed. This allows the deer and bird habitats to continue whilst ensuring enough
light reaches the ground layer.
ABOVE: COPPICE STACKED ON THE RIDE PROVIDES NESTING SITES FOR SMALL BIRDS. ON THE LEFT IS WESTERN
HEMLOCK WITH LOWER BRANCHES REMOVED.
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AN OVER STOOD WILLOW CHOKES THE WATER COURSE, THE EARTH BANK CAN BE SEEN BEHIND.
GROWING AREA
• An area within the western end of the ride will be opened up to provide a growing area for
the project – this will be managed in such a way so that the horticultural activities undertaken
there will contribute to biodiversity. The garden will be designed such that it forms a narrow
clearing running east to west – in effect creating a woodland glade.
• Pigs will be employed to till the growing area and compost and well rotted manure will be
introduced to increase the soil viability. Throughout the remainder of the area the traditional
woodland activities and cycles will continue to be employed.
5. ASH COPPICE The south east corner has a small area of ash coppice interspersed with large well-formed ash
standards. We have yet to coppice here. This area is frequently used as a corridor by red deer and
has four wildlife access points along the roadside. Fortunately, browsing damage and bark stripping
are not significant.
POSITIVE ACTIONS AGREED:
• Damage to the ash by red deer has been kept to a minimum by the presence of humans, thus
this coppice will remain healthy. Consequently, there is no need to employ further measures
to control the extent of browsing by deer.
• When coppicing this area in the future brash, will be piled over the stool to protect the
regrowth from browsing.
6. TOP TRIANGLE
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This larger area, so named because of its shape, slopes down to the North West and is fairly shady.
This serves to provide a suitable habitat for many fungus and mushrooms as well as bryophytes,
particularly wood rotters. The trees in this cant are mainly larger oak, interspersed with wild cherry,
ash and the occasional beech, with an understory of over stood hazel, holly and birch. The southern
edge of the top triangle is thick self-seeded birch; this has yet to be thinned. There is a deep gully
which flows during heavy rain events. This cant is used by the large mammals: badger, fox and red
deer, as well as bats. It is thought the buzzard nested here this winter.
POSITIVE ACTIONS AGREED:
• This area has not yet been worked; we aim to keep the north east corner as an area of
minimum intervention to promote mushrooms and fungus. This will involve leaving the
canopy layer at 20%.
• Habitat piles will be created in the future, from fallen branches, to support the smaller
mammals and invertebrates, thus ensuring a continuation in the food chain for the larger
mammals.
7. THE DIAGONAL RIDE. This ride begins in the south west corner and runs to the north east boundary. Starting in the
south west corner it runs through a damp area where comfrey, St.John’s wort, trailing St.John’s
wort and hard rush can be found. It progresses through self-seeded birch with the occasional
large oak and ash. Either side of this birch thicket was thinned to 2.5m in winter 2007/2008. A
large water course, running south-east to north-west, crosses this ride a third of the way along.
Huge over stood willow and large western hemlock dominated this gully, shading the ground
layer. These were felled and stacked during the aforementioned winter, and carried out during
the late summer. A line of western hemlock separates the south west section of this ride from the
north east. We have yet to work the rest of this ride. The remainder of the diagonal ride
continues through an area of large oak, ash and wild cherry, with an under story of birch and
bramble. Badger, fox, red deer and buzzards use this area. The end of this ride is fairly overgrown
as we have adopted a management policy of minimum intervention with this north eastern
corner as previously mentioned.
POSITIVE ACTIONS AGREED:
• Thinning the birch either side of the ride to 2.5m has allowed more light in to the field and
ground layer, resulting in better zoning. Consequently, red campion, sweet woodruff, herb
Robert, dog violet and creeping ground ivy have been established.
• The ride is sinuous and scalloped to maximise edges, thus increasing the biodiversity as
aforementioned.
• Removing the over stood willow and large western hemlock has allowed the sun into a
previously dark area. This has improved the ground layer as above. Further, the grass
snake is also using this warm and sunny area for basking.
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SUNLIGHT REACHES THE GROUND LAYER ON THE DIAGONAL RIDE.
8. BOTTOM TRIANGLE. This cant has many large oak and ash with mature beech towards the western edge. There is a single
Scot’s pine standing proud of the rest of the canopy. This is an area of mature, high forest, of uneven
age, and it is important to bryophytes as well as woodland birds and both large and small mammals.
The understory consists of over stood willow in the damper areas, interspersed with over stood hazel
and holly where the ground is drier. The southern corner of the bottom triangle has a small area of
naturally regenerated birch. This was thinned in January 2011.
POSITIVE ACTIONS AGREED:
• It will be important to leave the standing deadwood to support the above mentioned eco-
system.
• This area will have minimum intervention, with only the over stood willow being removed to
allow light to the ground layer.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, promoting and maintaining biodiversity at Corner Wood is high on the management
agenda. We work with nature, harvesting in ways that cause minimum disturbance and sustain
beautiful and productive woodlands for ourselves and other species. This ensures that the economic
viability of Corner Wood continues on to the next generation of both trees and humans.
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Cornerwood Forestry Plan
Cornerwood residents worked with Nigel Petts, the Coed Cymru/ Forestry Commission Wales officer
to assemble the following forestry management plan. The plan was originally intended to form part
of a grant scheme under the Better Woodlands for Wales initiative. The application, due to no fault
on the part of Cornerwood, missed the deadline required. Nonetheless the plan contains useful
baseline and productivity data. In addition the Cornerwood project continues to utilise the agreed
management framework.
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Landscape Considerations
The structures within Cornerwood (both existing and proposed) have all been located such that they
are embedded into the fabric of the woodland itself. The intention has been to disperse the
structures amongst the woodland such that they become integrated with their environment. This
reflects the manner in which the lifestyles of the Cornerwood residents are integrated into their
woodland environment.
Other elements that have been influential in the layout design include:
• Siting the structures within the drier areas of woodland floor
• Siting the structures such that they are close enough to the entranceway so as to minimise the
need for new tracks
• Siting the structures around the large mature trees that are scattered throughout the woodland,
and in particular trying to locate the dwellinghouses such that there is some access to direct
sunlight.
• Considering the nature of the network of small paths that interlink the various structures and
using this network to maximise connectivity with the wider woodland environment. This is to say
that because we are using the path networks regularly, we intentionally use this to monitor the
woodland (and to a degree our livestock) around us.
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BIODIVERSITY APPENDIX 1: MANAGEMENT COMPARISON
The following table highlights the differences between present forestry practice and sustainable
woodland management, thus emphasizing how Corner Wood works to increase biodiversity.
Present forestry practice Sustainable woodland management
Trees are viewed as timber Trees are an integrated part of a diverse ecosystem
Industrial management- use of
pesticides, fertilisers and large
machinery
Sustainable management: no chemicals, small scale
machinery and biological resources
All trees are of similar age Trees of all ages (seedlings to veterans)
Short length rotations Long rotations (leaving veterans)
Clear fell is main management practice Selective felling and coppice management
Monoculture plantations are favoured Diversity is favoured
All forest is managed Some areas are left to their own evolution
Timber is the only forest product Woodland offers diversity of products ,timber and non-
timber, recreation etc.
Traditional forest knowledge is seen as
out dated and ignored
Encouragement of traditional knowledge, coppice
woodmanship, craftwork etc.
No sacred places or woodland
celebration
Woodland offers environment for celebration,
contemplation and spiritual growth
Economics based on short term
monetary thinking model
Economics based on long –term sustainability of the whole
woodland ecosystem, its diversity and multifunctional yield
Forest workforce trained as timber
harvesters
Woodland training through observation, traditional
knowledge, and understanding of the whole ecosystem
Timber transported long distances Timber and non-timber produce sold locally
Management plans drawn up after a
brief visit
Management plans drawn up after long-term observation
through different seasons
Forest designed around machinery
operations
Woodland design based upon permaculture principles
Management has high capital
investment
Management is people (labour) based and locally sourced
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BIODIVERSITY APPENDIX 2: BIRDS OBSERVED AT CORNER WOOD
The following species have been observed at Corner Wood between June 2010 and June 2011:
Blackbird Goldfinch
Black cap Greater spotted woodpecker
Blue tit Great tit
Brambling Greenfinch
Bullfinch Heron
Buzzard House martin
Carrion crow Jay
Collared dove Red kite
Chaffinch Lesser spotted woodpecker
Chiffchaff Long tailed tit
Coal tit Little owl
Cuckoo Magpie
Dunnock Mallard
Goldfinch Mistle thrush
Nut hatch Starling
Pheasant Swallow
Pied wagtail Tawny owl
Red start Tree creeper
Robin Woodcock
Rook Wood pigeon
Song thrush Wood warbler
Sparrow (hedge & house) Wren
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BIODIVERSITY APPENDIX 3: MAMMALS OBSERVED AT CORNER WOOD
The following species have been observed at Corner Wood between June 2010 and June 2011:
Badger Mole
Bank vole Pipistrelle bat
Common shrew Pygmy shrew
Fallow deer Rabbit
Field vole Red deer
Fox Yellow-necked mouse
Grey squirrel Wood mouse
Hedgehog Weasel
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BIODIVERSITY APPENDIX 4: FLORA
Flora increase observed since the implementation of sustainable woodland management practices:
• Foxglove
• Dogs Mercury
• Violets
• Sweet Woodruff
• Common Birds Foot trefoil
• Tutsan
• St. Johns Wort (trailing and perforated)
• Plantain
• Creeping Butter cup
• Lesser Celendine
• Garlic Mustard
• Wild Strawberry
• Wood Avens
• Herb Robert
• Rosebay Willow herb
• Common Dandelion
• Meadow Sweet
• Comfrey
• Perennial rye grass
• Creeping bent
• Timothy
• Increase in many fungus much of which needs to be identified
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BIODIVERSITY APPENDIX 5: GLOSSARY OF TERMS
ANCIENT WOODLAND Woodland that has remained uncleared
Since at least 1600AD in England and Wales.
BENDER A temporary structure consisting of hazel poles and
Tarpaulin.
BIODIVERSITY The variety and abundance of life forms,
Processes, functions and structures, including the
Relative complexity of species, communities, gene
Pools, and ecosystems at special scales that range
From local through regional to global.
BROADLEAF A tree with broad flat leaves. Nearly always
Deciduous in Britain, and sometimes referred to
As hardwood.
BRYOPHYTES Mosses and liverworts.
BUTT The largest end of the tree or log.
CAMBIUM The thin layer of growing cells just beneath the
Bark of a tree.
CANOPY The foliar cover in a forest stand, consisting of one
Or several layers.
CANT An area of coppice harvested on a regular cycle.
CLEAR-FELL An area over 0.25 hectares in which all trees are
Cut down.
CONTINUOUS COVER The use of a silvicultural system in which
The canopy of trees is maintained without clear-
Felling.
COPPICE A tree or shrub repeatedly cut down close to the
Ground.
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CROWN The spreading branches and foliage of a tree.
FLUSH The first spurt of growth after dormancy when the
Buds burst into life.
HABITAT The place where an animal or plant naturally or
Normally lives and develops.
HABITAT PILE A log pile specifically retained for small
Mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.
HEARTWOOD The inner core of a tree that no longer contains
Sap. When felled generally more durable than
Sapwood.
HECTARE An area of land equal to 10,000 square meters.
MAST Seed that is produced as a heavy crop in some years.
MYCORRHIZAE The symbiotic association between certain
Fungi and plant roots which enhances the uptake of
Water and mineral nutrients.
NATURAL REGENERATION The regeneration of woodland by
Natural means, without planting or sowing.
NON-INTERVENTION The management of woods when they
Are left to develop without human intervention. May
Also be referred to as “areas of minimum
Intervention”
RIDE Areas left unplanted between stands of trees to allow
Access. Often managed to provide open and edge
Habitats.
RING-BARKING The practice of removing completely the bark
Of a living tree all around the trunk, thereby severing
All the conducting tissues.
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SEMI-NATURAL WOODLAND Woodland composed primarily of
Species native to the site and which has arisen as a
Result of natural regeneration rather than planting.
SILVICULTURE A planned process whereby a stand is tended,
Harvested and re-established.
STAND A contiguous group of trees sufficiently uniform in
Age/class distribution, composition, and structure,
And growing on a site of sufficiently uniform quality,
To be a distinguishable unit.
STEWARDSHIP Caring for land and associated resources in a
Manner that enables their passing on to future
Generations in a healthy condition.
SUSTAINABILITY The capacity of forests, ranging from stands to
Ecosystems, to maintain their health, productivity,
Diversity, and overall integrity, in the long run, in the
Context of human activity and use.
SYMBIOTIC A relationship between two organisms where both
Benefit.
THINNING A cultural treatment made to reduce the stand
Density of trees primarily to improve growth,
Enhance forest health, or to recover potential
Mortality.
UNDERWOOD The woody component of the shrub layer (often
Applied to coppice). Also used to denote cut wood.
VERNAL Plants adapted to flower in early spring when light
Levels are high and before the canopy trees come
Into leaf.
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7. Energy and Water
Refer to mission statement for broad objectives (Chapter 4).
For proposed monitoring arrangements please refer to Chapter 13.
• Domestic electricity Generation:
Electricity is generated using photovoltaic systems. Feed in to the national grid is not yet available.
However, should the opportunity arise we would be happy to feed any excess to the grid. The panels
are angled to favour the winter sun.
Family Robinson currently use 6 x 80w panels and 8 x 130amp/hour batteries. This runs a 12v direct
feed system and a 240v system through an inverter.The aim is to increase the panels by 2 a year
resulting in 16 x 80w in five years time.
Family Styles currently use 3 x 80w solar panels and 6 x 130amp/hour batteries. This runs both 12v
and 240v systems as above. The aim is to increase the panels by 2 a year and update the battery
bank.
• Workshop electricity Generation:
As green woodworkers we use hand tools in the workshop. The pole lathes are powered by foot. 12v
tools are charged off the solar system. Occasional machine sanding using a 240v sander is done off
the generator. N.B sanding coincides with the use of the generator to pump water.
We plan to exchange the petrol generator for a diesel one run on vegetable oil as soon as possible.
Certainly by year 5 any sanding or other power tool use, which is to be housed in the timber storage
shed, will be fuelled using non fossil-fuel energies (either photovoltaic solar power, or veg-oil
generator).
• Domestic Heating:
Both families burn wood for domestic heating. This wood is a bi-product off woodland management.
Family Robinson burn 4 tonnes/year.
Family Styles burn 3.5 tonnes/year.
By 2018 this should fall to 3 tonnes/year/ household as a result of the highly insulated straw bale
dwellings, both of which will be sited to optimise solar gain. Both families aim to upgrade the wood
burners to a more efficient modern range which would run a hot water system, (and radiators if
deemed necessary). Solar water heating will also be incorporated in the new dwellings.
• Domestic Cooking:
Family Robinson: This is currently done on the wood fired range , or the outside fire in summer, as is
all water heating. A gas cooker provides for occasional cooking needs i.e in summer when it is too hot
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to light the range and it is too wet for the outside fire. In the future we will be cooking as above
however, we intend to exchange the range for a more efficient one.
Family Styles: This is currently done on a wood fired burner in the winter months with a gas cooker
providing back up and oven space. During the summer some cooking is done on the outside fire,
which is run on brash. By 2018 we will have exchanged the current wood burner for an efficient
wood fired range. It is felt this would reduce the use of the gas cooker by half.
• Water Use:
A bore hole provides both families with water for domestic consumption. Rain water is also collected
from the timber storage shed roof and stored in 2 x 1000 litre tanks, and this is used for non-
domestic jobs.
By 2018 the 2 new dwellings should collect, store and re-use rain water for domestic use apart from
body-washing, drinking and food preparation. This should reduce the amount of water abstracted
from the aquifer by approximately 30 - 50% (clothes washing being a major water use. A petrol
generator currently runs the bore hole pump, this is to be exchanged for a diesel generator run on
vegetable oil. This will eliminate the use of fossil fuel on site, with exception of chainsaw use.
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8. Waste
For broad objectives please refer to mission statement (Chapter 4).
For proposed monitoring arrangements please refer to Chapter 13.
• Domestic Food Waste:
We minimise food waste by eating up the left-overs the following day. Any remaining food not
suitable for human consumption is fed to the animals. Any remains of that is composted (along with
the vegetable peelings). The resulting compost is returned to the land after 3 years. This practice will
continue.
• Grey Water:
Grey water is filtered through a grease trap and straw trap, both these are maintained monthly. The
water is then filtered through a reed bed system. The new dwellings will connect to the existing reed
bed and have similar filters.
• Human Faeces and Urine:
All faeces and urine are composted on site. The compost is then returned to the land. We will
continue this practice.
• Packaging and Paper:
Where possible we avoid buying anything with extra packaging. We reuse plastic tubs and glass jars
as much as possible. All remaining plastic is recycled. All paper and card is burnt or composted. All
metal is recycled. We no longer need black bin bags for land-fill disposal by the Council. We aim to
continue this practice.
• Green Waste from Growing food and Timber:
Any food waste is fed to the animals or composted. There is no waste from timber- see management
plan. We aim to continue this practice.
• Live Stock Manure:
All live stock manure is composted and returned to the land. This practice will continue.
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9. Zero Carbon Buildings
For broad objectives please refer to mission statement (Chapter 4).
For proposed monitoring arrangements please refer to Chapter 13.
Please see accompanying CSH assessments for the two proposed dwellinghouses. These are the only
structures on site that require building regulations – all others being considered as essentially
required for agricultural/ forestry activities.
Outline specifications are provided for the three main buildings (Green wood working shed and two
dwellinghouses) in Appendix 2.
In terms of the materials used in the construction of the other structures:
Compost Toilet:
Materials Source
Timber Frame Recycled
Window Recycled
Roofing felt Reclaimed
Turf roof Cornerwood
Woodland Classroom
Materials Source
Timber Frame Cornerwood
EPDM roof membrane Purchased
Turf roof Cornerwood
All structures rely on wood harvested on site for their heating requirements. In essence the carbon in
the heating fuel is rotating in a closed loop. Carbon released when the wood is burnt is in turn taken
up by the trees as they grow. Sustainable woodland management plays a crucial role in the Earth’s
carbon balance12
. The science of estimating the carbon sequestration rate in woodland is complex
because young woodlands sequester far more carbon than new-plant or ancient woodlands as a
result of the differences in growth rate (50% of timber biomass being generally assumed to be
carbon).
The 5.9 hectares of woodland at Cornerwood could broadly be assumed to be sequestering between
3 and 11 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year3, more than enough to balance the carbon impacts of
the development in use.
2 http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcin048.pdf/$FILE/fcin048.pdf 3 http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-889HSZ
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All structures rely on electricity produced on site from photovoltaic panels for their electrical
requirements. These too are carbon neutral in use.
Some aspects of the project do utilise fossil fuels, (LPG gas for cooking, deisil for transport, petrol for
chainsaws), though any carbon evaluation of the project must take place in the context of the
ongoing sustainable management of the woodland and a society desperately trying to kick-start a
transition away from fossil fuel dependence.
The Cornerwood residents are making every effort to minimise their carbon impact on the planet.
The Ecological Footprint report submitted as part of the application measured their carbon footprint
as 6.83 tonnes per capita4. The average carbon footprint in Wales is 12.3 tonnes per capita
5.
4 Ecological Footprint Report, June 2011, page 3 5 http://www.climatechangewales.org.uk/public/?id=112
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10. Community Impact Assessment for Corner Wood.
Glyn Jones (Chair of the parish council at the time) with a bench commissioned by
the Parish Council, designed and crafted by Cornerwood, 2008.
For broad objectives please refer to mission statement (Chapter 4).
For proposed monitoring arrangements please refer to Chapter 13.
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The Cornerwood project is, by virtue of having been running now for several years, completely
integrated into the local community. All of the children attend local schools. The business and
economic activities arising from the Cornerwood project occupy a prominent niche within the
local economy.
To summarise:
Positive impacts
Action Details Benefits
Engagement with
locals.
• The site provides an informal resource
and meeting point for locals.
• Increases and promotes local
understanding of sustainable woodland
management in a carbon neutral
lifestyle context.
• To promote traditional rural skills.
• To promote a general sense of the
bottom up approach to rural
communities in relation to a local sense
of inclusion and pride.
• Health benefits
• Rural community
benefits
• Heritage and
cultural benefits
• Environmental
benefits
Engagement with
local business.
• The site works in tandem with many
local businesses within the community
in a supporting and sustainable way,
promoting and fostering a holistic
approach to business management.
• Business networking has created the
opportunity for training and support for
interested parties.
• Rural community
benefits
• Heritage and
cultural benefits
• Environmental
benefits
• Educational
benefits
Engagement with
local schools and
clubs
• The site will provide a resource for local
schools to engage in educational
aspects of woodland management,
nature study, wildlife and sustainability.
• The project will offer hands on
experience of working in green wood
and woodland management in the
context of a carbon neural life style.
• The creation of the outside classroom
and picnic area would offer provision
for visiting groups.
• Education
benefits
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Engagement with
locals and tourists
at local fairs and
shows
• The project provides demonstrations
and hands on experience of working in
green wood and woodland
management in the context of a carbon
neutral life style, for local people and
tourists at a variety of fairs and shows
though out the year.
• To promote traditional rural skills.
• Provision of woodland produce.
• Heritage and
cultural benefits
• Service benefits
• Rural community
benefits
• Increases
resilience of local
economy
• Educational
Coppicing
including ride and
path creation
• To manage the site on a seven year
rotational cycle
• Increases and promotes biodiversity
• Carbon sequestration
• Provision of local woodland produce
• Environmental
benefit
• Heritage and
cultural benefits
• Increases
resilience of local
economy
• Service benefits
Native seed
collection
• Biodiversity increase
• Increased environmental resilience
• Carbon sequestration
• Improving the viability of local gene-
pool
• Environmental
benefit
Food production • Provision of local organic fruit,
vegetables and eggs
• Increased
resilience of local
economy
• Health benefits
• Service benefits
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Orchard • Promotes local food production and
wildlife habit creation
• Environmental
benefit
• Health benefits
• Service benefits
Negative impact:
Action Negative
impact
Mitigation
Retention of green
woodworking workshop
Visual • Careful location
• Sensitive design
• Enables low impact life style
• Enables land based livelihood to be
attained from the site
• The removal of the structure would be a
waste of a good and valuable resource
Creation of dwellings Visual • Careful location
• Sensitive designs
• Enables low impact lifestyles
• Enables land based livelihoods to be
obtained from the site
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11. Transport and Travel Assessment Plan.
For broad objectives please refer to mission statement (Chapter 4).
For proposed monitoring arrangements please refer to Chapter 13.
Residents
The residents of Corner Wood are advocates of low and zero carbon modes of transport including
the pooling of car journeys, walking and the use of public transport. We implement these by
using four key principles:
1. We walk to destinations within a mile radius.
2. The majority of school commutes to Newcastle Emlyn and Cardigan occur via
public transport (Richard Brothers bus route 460).
3. We own vehicles which have a small engines that are efficient and well
maintained.
4. We car pool journeys. The choice of vehicle is dependant on the number of
passengers :
� 1-2 passengers preferred mode of transport motor cycle
� 3-4 passengers preferred mode of transport Nissan Cherry 1.2 cc
� 5-6 passengers preferred mode of transport Dihatsu Hijet 993 cc
The development of our vegetable garden alongside our other food growing initiatives at
Cornerwood will decrease our vehicle useage.
Enterprises
The same principles that we employ for our family are also used when considering transport
associated with managing our enterprises. Fortunately all of our enterprises are embedded in the
local economy.
Visitors
Referring to the emerging plans centered around education:-
• Our school visits will come from a 7 mile radius and it is anticipated that educational visits to
the site from up to 5 schools would produce 1 mini bus trip per month 14x12 =168 miles
• Our workshop visits will come from a radius of 5 miles. It is anticipated that these visits will
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generate 1 mini bus trip every three months; a total of 40 miles
Strategy
The four principles as described above will continue to inform travel choices.
Vehicle journeys to and from the site will be monitored and annually reported upon in the
‘annual monitoring report’.
The project will undertake to generate no more than 3650 vehicle trips per year. This amounts to
less than half the expected vehicle generation for rural dwellinghouses (10 vehicle trips per day).
This will include educational visits and other visits to the project. This will not include passing
trade for sales from the farm gate – in part because this would be too difficult to monitor.
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12: EFA
Ecological Footprint Report
Prepared for:
Families living at Corner Wood, Croes-y-llan, Llechryd, Cardigan, Ceredigion. SA43 2LQ
June 2011
4th WORLD ECOLOGICAL DESIGN
KEVERAL FARM,
ST MARTINS,
LOOE, CORNWALL,
PL13 1PA [email protected]
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01503 250 343
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CONTENTS
Summary report Introduction to Ecological Footprint Introduction to this Ecological Footprint Analysis Limitations of Ecological Footprinting Results for existing household situation. Analysis of scenarios for new development. Conclusions
About the author APPENDICES A Notes and assumptions made in analysis B Methodology of Ecological Footprint Analysis
Acknowledgements 4th World Ecological Design would like to acknowledge the generous support and advice provided by The Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York http://resource-accounting.org.uk/ . Authors of the report Wales’ Ecological Footprint - Scenarios to 2020 and Wales and Pembrokeshire footprint provided via the REAP 2 project data from which details have been drawn of the impacts of a typical resident of the area and the REAP 2 tool used to analyse the subject. Also Best Foot Forward ltd www.bestfootforward.com who were the authors of ôl-troed Cymru , The Footprint of Wales 2002 – a resource flow and ecological footprint analysis of the Wales. Also the Global Footprint Network www.footprintnetwork.org who are the authors of “the Ecological Footprint Tracking human demand on nature” utilised in Appendix B to describe how ecological footprint relates to the carrying capacity of the planet.
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Summary report 4th World Ecological Design sustainability consultants carried out an Ecological Footprint analysis of the two families living at Corner Wood; Mel Robinson, Jeff Clarke, Robin Robinson & Alf Robinson and Ian Critchley, Tracey Styles & Ellie Critchley . Ecological Footprint is a widely recognised internationally adopted indicator of relative sustainability recognised by the National Assembly For Wales6. Ecological Footprint is measured in Global Hectares (gha) see Appendix B for more details. The study was based upon the existing impacts of the families life on the site.
a) the subjects stated annual expenditure during 2009/10 subjected to analysis using the REAP2 software tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute. Expenditure data from the impact of all domestic activities at the family’s current home was given for 2010 with longer term impacts factored in to establish a baseline ecological footprint.
The report then explores a future scenario
b) The potential for further reduction in ecological footprint due to longer term establishment of production systems on the proposed site designed to displace external inputs and further reduce the impacts of their consumption towards the goal of achieving a “one planet” footprint.
The tool allows comparisons to be drawn between the outcomes of the analysis and data on the average ecological footprint of a typical citizen of Wales and also that of an average citizen of the United Kingdom published by the REAP 2 project.
The impact of both families current activities produced an average ecological footprint of 2.22 gha per capita, a carbon footprint (CO2) of 6.83 tonnes per capita. The family’s average per capita Ecological Footprint is currently 50% that of the average Welsh citizen. Clearly they are capable of behaviour that tends towards lower than average ecological impacts.
Analysis of the second scenario year 5 of the project concludes that;
The subjects could realistically reduce their footprint to around 1.93 gha in the short to medium term once they achieve full production of a variety of foods and fuels from the site, changes to travel patterns and wider changes due to national policy, industrial and technological inovations which the nation has commited to via legislation.
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Introduction to Ecological Footprint The ecological footprint is a powerful tool for measuring and communicating environmental impact and sustainable resource use. It expresses the relationship between consumption and availability of natural resources. Comparing the ecological footprint with the global availability of productive area gives an indicator of environmental sustainability, which can then be monitored over time to determine trends. If more bioproductive land and sea is required than is available, then it is likely that the rate of consumption is not sustainable (Chambers et al., 2000) 3. In contrast, if everyone lived within their earthshare (see below), we would consume only as much as the planet is able to provide, which can be considered as sustainable. Within this report any reference to “footprint” will mean the ecological footprint. As an indicator it is broadly comparable to Carbon Footprint which is measured in tonnes of carbon generated. Ecological Footprint analysis includes more parameters than Carbon Footprint and is a more concise way to examine resource use. To give comparison the results are also expressed below as a Carbon Footprint (CO2 e).
The Ecological Footprint analysis involves collecting data about a range of activities such as transport, energy use, materials and product consumption and waste produced. The impacts of these activities are converted into a common currency, global hectares (gha). Because the ecological footprint uses a common currency, a broad range of impacts can be aggregated to derive ecological footprints for products, individuals, processes, organisations, regions and countries. It is a ‘snapshot’ measure and is based on a time-specific data set.
Ecological Footprinting was introduced by Mathis Wackernagel and Bill Rees from the University of British Columbia, in their 1996 book “Our Ecological Footprint” and developed with Nicky Chambers and Craig Simmons of Best Foot Forward Ltd (BFF) 4, Oxford in their 2000 book “Sharing Natures Interest”. Many researchers world wide are now contributing to its development. It is a widely used system of analysis utilized in 154 countries and 100 regions world wide as well as individuals and corporations. The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and York University have developed the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme (REAP) family of tools and publish regular accounts at local authority level across the UK The Ecological Footprint is adopted as an official indicator by many organisations such as; Welsh National Assembly Government6 where the Assembly was the first administration in the world to use EF as an indicator of ‘real progress’ and WWF International within their biannual Living Planet report5 Policy makers find it to be useful tool to determine the comparative benefits & harms from different approaches to addressing the needs of a population as it provides comparison of the impacts from widely differing activities by presenting them in a similar format as one indicator and thus can enable comparative judgements to be made. It is a vertically integrated indicator and REAP 2 analysis tools have been developed to provide comparable results at differing levels of application. For example, allowing an individual’s footprint to be compared with the results for a region or nation. This is most relative in relation to this report in that it allows comparison to be made between this analysis and the results published in the REAP 2 accounts.
The One Planet Footprint or Earthshare is the average amount of global resources available per person. To calculate earthshare, the total available bioproductive land and sea area of the planet is divided equally among the current global
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population. It is estimated that the current biocapacity is 2.1 gha5 per capita. Which allowing for population growth and a
nominal allocation of resources for non human life gives an earthshare around 1.88 gha13
. A hectare is about the same as 1.3 football pitches. If one’s ecological footprint meets or falls short of this earth share then this strong indication that it is more likely to be sustainable. If it exceeds it then it is likely that it is not sustainable. This is an extremely challenging footprint reduction target to achieve from the starting point of average consumer expectations in the UK.
References
1. UK average Carbon Footprint from REAP 2006 analysis http://www.resource-accounting.org.uk
2. Climate Change Bill http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/legislation/cc_act_08/cc_act_08.aspx
3. Chambers, N., Simmons, C., Wackernagel, M. 2000 Sharing Nature’s Interest: ecological footprints as an indicator of sustainability. Earthscan: London.
4. Best Foot Forward www.bestfootforward.com
5. WWF Living Planet report 2008 http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/lpr_2008.pdf
6. National Assembly for Wales. Sustainable Development Indicators for Wales, http://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=5786
7. A Consumption Approach for Emissions Accounting - the REAP Tool1 and REAP Data for 2006 http://www.resource-accounting.org.uk/uploads/Reports/REAP%20Documentation%20April%202010.pdf
8. Impacts from biodiesel from waste rapeseed oil. Defra April 2008 Review of work on the environmental sustainability of international bio fuels production and use. See Table 6.2 Summary of GHG or CO2 savings compared to diesel for biodiesel produced from different first generation feed stocks http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/energy/renewablefuel/pdf/biofuels-080414-1.pdf
9. The REAP 2 project results, published by the University of York, Stockholm Environment Institute. http://www.resource-accounting.org.uk/downloads/wales
10. Planning Policy Statement (PPS): Planning and Climate Change http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/ppsclimatechange
11. G8 Climate Scorecards 2008, Ecofys, commissioned jointly by Allianz and WWF http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/Publications/WWFBinaryitem12911.pdf
12. Wales’ Ecological Footprint Scenarios to 2020, E. Dawkins, A. Paul, J. Barrett, J. Minx and K. Scott, SEI 2008 http://sei-international.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Future/wales_ecological_footprint_report_270508_final.pdf
13. One Wales: One Planet - The Sustainable Development Scheme of the Welsh Assembly Government May 2009. http://wales.gov.uk/topics/sustainabledevelopment/publications/onewalesoneplanet/;jsessionid=y0lCMxMbjQ4mhWRXK1kBQNvBL1qdRz4JDhShvJvdyVyGg7Y2d4QZ!741275934?lang=en
14. Wiedmann and Barrett - A Review of the Ecological Footprint Indicator—Perceptions and Methods 2010 http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/2/6/1645/pdf
15. Global Footprint Network, 2009. Ecological Footprint Standards 2009. Oakland: Global Footprint Network. Available at www.footprintstandards.org . http://www.footprintnetwork.org/images/uploads/Ecological_Footprint_Standards_2009.pdf
16. National Assembly for Wales. Technical Advice Note 6 Planning for Sustainable Rural Communities. http://wales.gov.uk/topics/planning/policy/tans/tan6/?lang=en
17. Energy Use in Conventional and Organic Cropping Systems – http://www.thebioenergysite.com/articles/572/energy-use-in-conventional-and-organic-cropping-systems
18. Natural Resources Management and Environment Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations http://www.fao.org/docs/eims/upload/233069/energy-use-oa.pdf
19. Earth watch institute http://www.earth-policy.org/books/pb2/pb2ch2_ss3
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Introduction to this Ecological Footprint Analysis This footprint analysis was carried out through a survey of the two families living at Corner Wood; Mel Robinson, Jeff Clarke, Robin Robinson & Alf Robinson and Ian Critchley, Tracey Styles & Ellie Critchley; in total 7 individuals. The survey examined their consumption of resources by examining the spend on energy, travel, food, services and consumables. The analysis was carried out for both families seperately. This report shows the results for both families but summarises these in the conclusion by stating one average set of per capita figures for everyone in the community. The families reported their expenditure over the last year and longer term via the families expenses records (where available) and mileage records. There was not a years worth of domestic evidence available as the families do not habitually keep many reciepts for domestic expenditure. However evidence was gathered for the most recent several months where possible and the annual figures stated subject to a check against recorded income to validate them. Energy use and mileage were validated against on site generation capacity and vehicle test certificates. The subjects were asked to report on expenditure across a variety of catagories of consumption as laid out by the UN Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) The consumption and waste records were followed up by interviews with the subjects to pick up any atypical factors which, if not considered, might impact on the analysis, such as annual trips etc. The data was compiled and subjected to primary analysis using the REAP 2TM software tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute which is directly comparable with the other published footprint studies cited and thus allows comparison to be drawn between the outcomes of this analysis and published data on the average Welsh footprint. For more details of the data gathering methodology; the dataset gathered for the existing situation; the datasets for the proposed scenarios A) year 1 on site. B) after 4 years on site; and any assumptions made during the analysis see Appendix A. Survey – The survey assessed the subject’s consumption and waste levels. The subjects were given a briefing on the data required, a typical data capture sheet and methods of collecting. They then recorded the household’s consumption under a number of different component headings and sub headings over the survey period. They recorded how far they travelled, method (car, bus etc), what food, goods & services they consumed, the cost of these and how much waste they produced, recycled, landfilled or composted. Their annual spend on local services was also assessed. Interviews –The interviews allowed an assessment of longer term issues likely to effect the levels of consumption recorded during a limited time period of the study, such as seasonal variations in for example the amount of fuel required for heating, the amount of food grown for domestic consumption, any occasional holiday flights, travel to visit family and friends further afield a number of times during the year, periodic disposal of larger waste items and items consumed as part of wider activities which should be allocated across a typical year and were not included in the individual’s data gathering. Desk top study – The desk top study allowed for the consumption of items purchased occasionally during a year, or longer term capital investments (such as purchase of a vehicle) to be included within the analysis as appropriate mitigating the effects of
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analysing a snap shot time period and ensuring the results tend towards a conservative high end assessement of impacts. The desk top study examined the families proposals for the future production from their site and allotment and this data was used to generate the figures for data input into the scenario analysis. Boundaries to data capture – It is usual for footprint analysis to set a boundary around individual’s domestic lives and allow the impacts of their working lives to be carried by the employer or by the business’s customers within any individual analysis and picked up in regional or national analysis. Hence the impact directly allocated to the individual stops in the car park of the work place or in this case when the chainsaw is picked up to generate income from the woodlands. Similarily the share of wider public infrastructure & services impacts which might reasonably be thought to shared by all citizens equally are not all gathered within the data capture exercise. The analysis tool contains a mechanism for incorporating the per capita impacts from broader national infrastructure and services which might not be recognised by an individual as “owned “ by them. Therefore the contibution these indirect items make to supporting an individual are reflected in the result of the analysis and an appropriate comparison can thus be made with other published figures. NB the consumption figures for an average citizen include lines for capital investment in property, manufacturing and services some of these figures are not appropriate to be allocated to individuals choosing a Low Impact lifestyle as clearly they by their actions and intent are seeking to create an alternative to for example conventional higher input housing development. Where appropriate the analysis has reduced the proportion of these wider impacts to be allocated to these individuals within this study. In an example such as the proposed project the integrated nature of the activities on the site means both work and domestic activities are closely meshed within the subject’s lives. The business activities and the household are however subject to separate accounts so it was considered appropriate to consider the impacts of domestic activities on the site in isolation. The responsibility for the impacts created by working on the site would require to analyised seperately. The convention is that the impacts attributable to any business activities are “owned” by the consumers of the products and services of that business and hence would not directly increase the domestic footprint stated. The analysis – This analysis was carried out using REAP 2TM tool. The REAP family are software tools designed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York. It provides a database and scenario modelling of the emissions generated as a result of the consumption of goods and services by UK residents. Consumption is measured and expressed as expenditure on a range of COICOP categories, per capita distances travelled in Km by various forms of transport and quantity of energy used. Based on a top down compound calculation the analysis is carried out from the whole to the individual parts. Material and energy flows into and out of a given region are analysed the results allow an analysis of footprint across the same range of land use types. These are then added to obtain the footprint of the region. This regional footprint can then be divided by the population of the region to give an estimate of the per capita footprint of the
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average individual which will take into account factors such as the infrastructure used to support the population and the impacts of wider economic activity, employment etc. The analysis uses the scenario generator within the software package to input the actual expenditure/consumption by the subjects within each category. The pro rata difference between these amounts and the average per capita figures then generates the subject’s ecological footprint. The scenarios were analysed in the same way. The Pembrokeshire District footprint figure was extracted from published figures for the University of York’s REAP project 2004 analysis. The current Wales footprint figure was extracted from published figures for the University of York’s REAP 2 project 2006 analysis. These system of analysis produces comparable results for 2006 figures provided standardised methodology is adopted. The REAP tools provides this standard methodology and are subject to scrutiny and review. Thus a comparison can be made between the individuals in this study and the regional & national average. Standards – This report has been prepared in compliance with the Ecological Footprint Standards (2009) set out by the Global Footprint network15.
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Limitations of Ecological Footprinting A major benefit of footprint analysis is that activities that are not normally comparable can be accounted for by a single indicator and thereby compared. For example the impact of driving a petrol car 100km can be directly compared to that of growing 50 cows for consumption. But, as not all activities are directly related to a land use, some parameters have to be estimated in another way (see energy below) and some others considered statisticaly insignifciant are not accounted for at all. The analysis is by necessity an educated approximation. These approximations are discussed in more detail below. There is a degree of sensitivity associated with the precise ecological footprint figures stated. However as all the REAP 2 analysis tools are derived using similar assumptions, based upon peer review the footprint results obtained can still be compared between individuals, regions and nations. The outcome represented as a number and relative percentage, and useful conclusions can be drawn from this to inform decisions. The tool works on the premise of starting with the recognised overall consumption of the nation, drawn from international statistics allowing for importing and exporting. These figures are divided equally by the recorded population of the nation to produce the figures for a statistically average individual. The calculator then adjusts the proportion of these average figures to be allocated to the analysis subject based on the speciifc situation in order to estimate their footprint. See the SEI paper A Consumption Approach for Emissions Accounting - the REAP Tool1 and REAP Data for 20067 for greater detail of the methodology behind this tool. NB there was a change in datagathering methodology and standardisation of datasets in the National Footprint Accounts between 2004 and 2006 which has resulted in change in the numerical value of the result relative to previous published data. Some assumptions have to be used to account for factors that have not been adaquately recorded, or that are too complex to record easily. This analysis has attempted to address any of these issues by a combination of recording over a period of months the typical consumption presented by the family. The analysis of existing records held by the family for longer term trends in consumption and interviewing to take into account any longer term trends not revealed by the other two data capture methods. Necessary simplification – Differences in technology and production practices can mean that the footprint of any one type of product may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. footprint analysis allows for this by working on data from a range of published life cycle analysis and then making a judgement as to the most appropriate median value for the particular region in question. In the case of this analysis most of these assumptions have been made by SEI in the production of the software analysis tools. So that the items consumed by the family can be collected together into similar groups of items. For example fresh vegetables produced in the UK or vegetables imported from elsewhere or items made from animal products would form three separate but related groups of products, which the previous published academic works on ecological footprinting tells us can be analysed based on a group assumption that, for example the footprint of 1kg of potatoes is statistically very similar to 1kg of cabbage or 1kg of apples and therefore all the vegetables in this group can be
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combined into 3kg of fresh vegetables or into expenditure according to the COICOP catagories. Very low or very high input producution systems can distort the result. The data gathering exercise is potentially subject to errors from a number of sources; The data depends upon the accurate recording of data by the subjects, any omissions or estimating of quantities or errors in measuring devices will impact upon the outputs. It is estimated from previous experience of houshold recording that the margin of error is within +/- 15%. The Ecological Footprint is an ecological accounting tool. The Footprint’s technical integrity Is grounded in the fact that the Footprint assesses past consumption and bio capacity, based on actual production and consumption data. The Footprint does not attempt to predict future consumption or bio capacity, nor predict technological innovation. It just documents what is. To measure overall progress towards sustainable development in all its facets, the Ecological Footprint needs to be complemented by other measures. Whilst it is possible to generate scenarios to help suggest what might result in the future; Changes in consumption, technology and population etc can take place and these are only scenarios to aid discussion and should not be viewed as accurate predictions of the future. There is a danger of focusing too much on the actual footprint figure generated by analysis given the inherent sensitivity of the indicator and the dynamic nature and scope of the issues to which it relates as highlighted by Wiedmann and Barrett A Review of the Ecological Footprint Indicator—Perceptions and Methods 201014. It is not constructive to focus arguments overly upon the exact figure generated but instead to focus upon a relative level of consumption vs. the broader population and a direction of travel. Energy footprint Footprint analysis essentially accounts for the use of the planet’s renewable resources (its ‘interest’ rather than its ‘capital’). Non-renewable resources are accounted for only by their impact on, or use of, renewable, bioproductive capacity. Apart form biomass power, energy generation is not readily connected to land use. Therefore the energy footprint is based on the neutralisation of the adverse effects of energy production by ecosystems. Ie carbon is incorporated into new growth forests at a rate that can be determined. Simply put X kg of carbon = Y gha of forest growth. In the case of site based renewable energy the non renewable energy embodied in the generating plant is the principle component.
Pollution Cannot be readily accounted for. The main consequence of pollution
may be the destruction or destortion of an ecosystem or the well being of it’s
inhabitants, so that land can become less productive which globally would
equate to less land to go around and therefore an increased impact from the
same footprint. An example would be toxic fumes produced by incineration or
industrial processes.
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Low footprint does not always mean there is little environmental concern. For example it would be possible for items to be highly polluting in their production or on disposal but for these factors not to be fully taken into account by the footprint analysis.
Ecological risks Practices carrying a potentally high risk to the environment if
things go wrong for example a serious incident at a nuclear power station
resulting in widespread damage to the local ecology would not be reflected in
the footprint of 1kwh of power generated by the same power station.
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The results from families at Corner Wood. The brief was to assess the likely ecological footprint of the families as it currently stands living and working on this land. This is also assumed to be the case at the start of their One Planet Development. Also the potential for reductions over time (5 years ) towards a “one planet” footprint. Ecological footprint analysis is best used to examine what is; based upon robust data gathering. Therefore it was judged that the most appropriate way to carry out an analysis was to base the study on what is known; the family’s consumption patterns over the last 12 months and longer. This provides the datum from which to examine future scenario based upon realistic changes likely to occur due to change in behaviour, technology, consumption patterns and energy use if the families are allowed to continue with their plans for the site.
A) The existing household footprints. The per capita Ecological Footprint of the Robinson household in their current location and situation by REAP 2 analysis was 2.24 gha. with sensitivity of +/- 15% (range 1.9 gha to 2.58 gha). The per capita Ecological Footprint of the Critchley household in their current location and situation by REAP 2 analysis was 2.38 gha. with sensitivity of +/- 15% (range 2.02 gha to 2.74 gha). Significant contributions to this footprint figure came from the higher than average consumption of vegetables and fruit and foodstuffs generally. This explained by their diet which is very high in fresh vegetables and fruit and lower than average meat consumption. Overall impact from food was still lower than average. Consumption across all other areas was considerably less than the average.
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The average per capita Ecological Footprint of the residents of Corner wood is 2.31 gha The chart above shows a comparison of the results from the analysis shown as Ecological Footprint and measured in global hectares (gha). The contributions from 5 different lifestyle components examined are shown and the culmulative total is represented by the height of the columns. The most recent analysis to compare is the SEI REAP 2 20069Wales’ 2006 Ecological Footprint was estimated at 4.41 gha per capita9
The Ecological Footprint of a typical UK individual9 at 4.65 gha. So the families per capita footprints are currently around 51% and 0.54% of the typical citizen of Wales. The average per capita carbon footprint of the families existing activities was estimated at: Robinson’s 6.88 tonnes CO2 (total GHG 8.78 tonnes CO2 eq), Critchley’s 7.31 tonnes CO2 (total GHG 9.32 tonnes CO2 eq). compared to the Welsh average at 11.72 tonnes9 and the UK average at 12.10 tonnes9. NB the carbon footprint figure incorporates carbon impacts from public services attributable to all citizens. The breakdown of the figures across the 5 areas of consumption is recorded below. A more detailed breakdown is available upon request.
Breakdown of Ecological Footprints by gha
Wales typical
9
Robinson Household domestic
Critchley Household domestic
Robinson's % of
average
Critchley's % of
average
gha gha Gha % of typical % of typical
Contribution from:
Nourishment 1.16 0.97 0.98 84 84
Services* 0.83 0.72 0.77 87 94
Goods 0.52 0.08 0.12 16 23
Comparison of Ecological Footprints
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
4.50
5.00
Typical Wales Robinson domestic Critchley domestic
gh
a
Mobility
Shelter
Goods
Services
nourishment
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Shelter 1.02 0.24 0.21 23 21
Mobility 0.88 0.22 0.30 25 34
Total Footprint 4.41 2.23 2.38 * Services line includes impacts from Private services, Public services, Capital investment in public infrastructure not included elsewhere and minor adjustments.
The amount of global resources available per person, the One Planet footprint also known as Earthshare is currently estimated as 1.88 gha13. If everyone on the planet achieved an Ecological Footprint of 1.88 gha then there would be enough renewable resources available upon the planet to provide for all the resources humanity needs and to process wastes and absorb the excess carbon products being produced by our energy and transport needs. The Corner Wood families existing Ecological Footprint earthshare is 1.23 planets
By comparison if everyone on the planet consumed like the current average UK citizen we would need 2.5 planets to support global resource consumption sustainably.
Comparing the Corner Wood family & Welsh average The components where the Corner Wood families currently vary from the average resident of Wales by order of impact are: Goods – The choices made about the purchasing of consumables and other day to day items have reduced the impact on the environment as measured by ecological footprint by 77-84%. This is largely due to the much lower consumption of consumer goods, white goods, leisure products etc generally. The purchase of reclaimed and recycled goods and the greater utilisation and repair of those items purchased is also a significant factor in achieving this reduction. Shelter – The data for these components was derived based upon the existing homes that the families are resident in. Despite being a poorly insulated dwelling heated by wood, by adopting a simple and space limited solution to shelter and most significantly by being extremely low electricity users and energy efficient in other ways the households have reduced their impact on the environment over the average per capita as measured by ecological footprint by 77-79%. Note – construction accounts for around 30% of the total impacts from shelter in the average, hence the low energy choices adopted by the family are as significant as the simple home that they live in. i.e. the measures they take to reduce their need would be just as significant in reducing their impact in a more significant dwelling. Mobility – Despite occasional foreign travel in the last 5 years. Consciously striving to reduce the amount of miles driven & generally reducing travel to essentials including no flying has reduced the impact on the environment from the regional average as measured
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by ecological footprint by 70-75%. A significant amount of domestic use has been to enable children to attend schools a distance from home, which they will soon not be doing. The vehicles utilised are not new and are also not the most efficient possible which allows for the possibility of future improvement. Services – Overall 6-13% lower than average. Nourishment – The choices made about the purchasing of foodstuffs appear to have increased the impact on the environment as measured by ecological footprint by 16%. One family consumes less than 20% of the average amount of meat, the other no meat, but both appear to consume a higher than average amount of dairy produce and vegetables. Food sourcing choices are bias towards produce produced as locally as possible, there is no specific choice of organic produce but the families own production of food is by low input organic production.
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Scenarios for moving towards a “one planet” footprint. The detail of the changes in consumption and expenditure assumed for the analysis of the scenario can be found in Appendix A. At Year One of project: It is assumed that the per capita ecological footprint of the families is unlikely to significantly change from its current level in the first year of their One Planet Development if they are granted permission to remain living on the site. Therefore no scenario was prepared for this year and the per capita Ecological Footprint of the residents of Corner wood will be taken as 2.31 gha. Estimate of household footprint at year 5 of the new development. The planning proposal for the Corner Wood One Planet Development prepared by the family; lays out the areas where they will be changing the patterns of their current consumption due to a number of factors. Many aspects of their lives would remain similar. These changes are listed below in order of their significance upon the analysis.
1) The sourcing of increasing amounts of foodstuffs (poultry, fruits, some vegetable
production) from the immediate site the nearby allotment and by majority of other fresh purchases from nearby local, low imput, production systems. This was assumed to reduce the impacts from dairy, fruit and vegetables. This assumption is based upon published papers exploring the relative energy use in different farming systems which conclude that typically low input, organic agriculture systems use 30 to 50 percent less energy (up to 80% for some vegetable crops) on the production side17,18. This is a complex area of research owing to the multitude of potential farming systems; both organic and non organic. However a review of research clearly demonstrates that higher reductions can be associated with minimal input systems utilising very small amounts of fossil fuels of the kind already practiced by the families. Expenditure on these items was therefore subject to an adjustment of -40% in the analysis. The families will be practicing more self sufficiency measures such as bee keeping, home brewing which will reduce purchases. In the scenario alcohol subject to an adjustment of -60% in the analysis. Other foodstuffs were subject to an adjustment of -20% in the analysis reflecting more home cooking once there there is a secure domestic environment.
2) The replacement of nearly all fossil fuels for domestic energy with local biomass,
solar PV and proposed micro wind generation. The proposals would increase the renewable generation capacity on the site, which is already off grid. Use of petrol for the generators used occassionally at present to cover short periods of higher demand was assumed to reduce by 60%.
3) Of the proposed new low impact eco dwellings will be one third again larger than
the current domestic areas utilised. However they will have significantly better energy performance and will continue to be principally heated by biomass with minimal electrical consumption addressed mostly by the renewable systemsa addressed above. Therefore the scenario assumed that the total impacts from the homes would remain similar to the existing.
4) The construction works will create a small impact, spread over the lifetime of the
home. However the current analysis includes a proportion of impact from capital
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investment in housing generally reflecting this, and the scenario figure is similar. The structure proposed would be constructed largely from materials sourced from the site or reclaimed/ reused from local sources. There is low embodied energy in the materials proposed and the building would incur a lower capital investment impact than the average new build.
5) Other aspects of the works are assumed to be allocated to the business activities
on the site and therefore not directly impacting on the domestic footprint.
6) NO changes were assumed in the families travel patterns and transport use. However a change of the families vehicles buy purchasing diesel vehicles capable of conversion to run on vegetable oil reclaimed from local sources and processed on site could further reduce the families footprints. This fuel has been documented8 as having 20% of the carbon impact of fossil fuel diesel reducing the footprint of this form of transport, particularily when the vehicle is fully occupied. Therefore theoretically a greater reduction in footprint than that stated could be possible.
. 7) Other minor changes likely to result, such as purchasing some new appliances and
some reductions in costs in other areas, resulted in both small increases and small decreases in impact.
8) Many items of current domestic expenditure were assumed to remain similar to
present as there is no reason to assume the change of homes will significantly alter them. If the families continue to demonstrate a low cost / imaginative approach to furnishing their new home utilising reclaimed and reused furnishings the overall impacts with gains and losses considered should be similar to the existing.
Analysis of the year 5 scenarios produced an ecological footprints of 1.89 and 1.96 gha per capita. Per capita carbon footprints of 5.84 and 6.00 tonnes CO2 (total GHG 7.47 and 7.73 tonnes CO2 eq).
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Conclusions The Government of Wales Act 2006 places the promotion of sustainable development at the heart of the Welsh Assembly Government’s work. Wale’s Ecological Footprint has been estimated at 4.41 gha per person. If everyone on the planet consumed a similar amount we would need 2.5 planets5 to support global resource consumption sustainably.
The impact of all the household’s current activities produced an average per capita ecological footprint of 2.22 gha, a carbon footprint of 6.83 tonnes per capita when analyised with the REAP 2 programme.
The families propose material changes to the way that they provide for the goods and services that support them by moving into new homes intended to assist them in being more self sustaining.
The analysis shows that based upon these proposed changes there are feasible realistic scenarios by which the families could reduce their ecological footprint at their new development.
Increasing production of food stuffs and other resources from the site displacing external inputs as it develops could further reduce this footprint. This coupled with changes to travel patterns, industrial production technologies and reductions in the impacts from national infrastructure and services envisioned by the Climate Change Act could further reduce the ecological footprint.
The analysis shows that based upon these proposed changes there are feasible realistic scenarios by which the Corner Wood families could further reduce their ecological footprint. Once production from the site increases the reduction strategies noted could reduce the stated footprint by 0.29 gha to 1.93 gha. This could be achieved within 5 years according to the implementation plan.
Ecological Footprint analysis is best suited to examining a known, verified set of data to produce a snap shot result for a given point in time. Whilst it can be used to predict the changes in footprint likely to occur for given scenarios producing changes to the initial data sets; these scenarios can only be an approximation based upon the assumed consumption figures for the scenarios. Whilst it is possible to generate scenarios to help suggest what might result in the future as has been undertaken for this report; Changes in consumption, technology and population etc can take place and these are only scenarios to aid discussion and should not be viewed as accurate predictions of the future.
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About the author
My name is William Knight. I hold a degree in Civil Engineering (BEng.Hons) from Oxford Brookes University. I am a member of the Association of Environment Conscious Building, the International Society for Ecological Economics and the UK Permaculture Association. I have studied Ecological Design at Schumacher College, Dartington. I am an Associate of Best Foot Forward ltd - ecological footprint consultants and am trained in data collection and analysis for ecological footprinting studies. I have published a short book on ecological footprinting. From 1983 until 1996 I worked for a variety of Private sector consultants and Public bodies as a civil/structural engineer involved in infrastructure design, construction and development. My particular field of interest is in the sustainability of human activities and I have researched issues relating to this since 1994. I have run my own Ecological Design Consultancy service since 2002. I offer project management, design and appraisal services to reduce the ecological footprint of clients and raise awareness of issues relating to ecological sustainability. My clients include Local Authorities, an Urban Regeneration Partnership, Farmers, Universities, Architects, Private companies and individuals.
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Other Footprints
The EFA was based on 2009/2010 data. Since this time there have been significant improvements
in the project’s performance.
Whilst the EFA analysis that has been undertaken is very comprehensive (indeed more so than
the online OPD tool recommended in the practice guidance), some elements of the project do
not fall within its remit. These have been identified as:
Negative influences
1. Social visitors
The ecological impacts of friends and family visiting are very small indeed and are also very
difficult to quantify. For the most part these will centre around the travel implications of such
visits. Needless to say the vast majority of social visits are from local friends and these often
tie in with practical exchanges/ tasks. There are also occasional visits from family members
who live further afield.
2. Footprint of ancillary buildings along with capital cost
The Green Woodworking shed has a footprint of approximately 49 sqm. It is zero carbon. It
cost approximately £4,800 to build
The Woodland Classroom has a footprint of approximately 38 sqm, and is expected to cost
under £1000 to build (the only purchased materials to be nails and an EPDM membrane). It
will be zero carbon.
3. Educational activities
The proposed educational activities will bring with them a small ecological impact, again
primarily as a result of the travel impacts associated with getting people to the site. Referring
to the Travel and transport assessment plan, the project estimates that such activities will
generate 208 miles of minibus travel.
4. Energy purchased for value-adding processes on site (craftwork), as well as transport
impacts associated with business activities
Approximately £2406 of fuel is purchased each year to run chainsaws and sanding
equiptment. It is estimated that the business generates approximately 3523km of vehicle
use.7
Positive influences
5. Food, craft supplied locally (including fuel for transport).
Within 5 years the project expects to generate approximately £19,0008 of low-carbon
produce for the local economy. Given that the vast majority of food and craft undergoes
energy intensive industrial processes and travels thousands of miles, this represents a
6 See Example Expenditure from Cornerwood Business Plan 7 Data taken from the 2009/10 EFA: 2889km work related travel (Ian and Tracy household) plus 634km (Mel and Geoff
household) 8 Taken from Business Plan projections, chapter 5
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massive energy and pollution saving. The level of produce being fed into the local economy is
an indicator of the high level of influence that the project is able to achieve.
6. The indirect effect that the project has on the footprints of the wider community
The project aspires to have a beneficial impact on the wider community, promoting the both
the concepts and the practicality of low-impact living. The potential impact of this in the
wider community is impossible to quantify. It is possible to state that given the Welsh
Governments aspirations towards a sustainable society (PPW, Chapter 4), this is an important
task.
Whilst there is currently no way of evaluating these influencing factors, It is possible to note that
points 3 and 4 in the negative influences correspond to points 5 and 6 in the positive influences
as a result of their common themes. It would also be reasonable to note that points 1 and 2 will
have a negligible contribution to the overall balance of energy and resource use.
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13. Phasing, Monitoring and Exit Strategy
Phasing
• The residents are already living on site in temporary accommodation and the green
woodworking shed has already been constructed.
• Temporary accommodation whilst the proposed dwellinghouses are under construction will
be the existing static caravan (for the Robinson family) and the existing bender with an
additional touring caravan (for the Styles family). These will all be removed on completion of
the dwellinghouses.
• The dwellings will be constructed within 5 years.
• The residents have already achieved the ecological footprint targets.
• The project expects to reach the required land-based productivity targets within 3 to 5 years.
Monitoring
An annual monitoring report will be produced that will include:
• An EFA progress report: a commentary on changes made since the previous year that are
likely to impact upon the EF of the households and other footprints
• An EFA assessment in years 3 and 5
• A revised Management Plan in year 5 and every fifth year thereafter
• An evaluation detailing the proportion of food derived from the site (as set out in 3.23 – 3.25
of the practice guidance)
• An assessment of the projects minimum needs (as set out in 3.27 of the practice guidance)
• An evaluation of the land-based productivity (as set out in 3.28 – 3.29 of the practice
guidance)
• Clear evidence that the residential use continues to be clearly linked to the management of
the land
• An assessment of the energy needs and productivity of the site
• An assessment of the water needs and sources within the project
• An assessment of the waste processing and disposal patterns of the project
• A zero carbon assessment of the two dwellinghouses upon completion
• Annual monitoring of community impacts, with mitigation measures being implemented to
balance any negative impacts
• A short commentary on the environmental health of the site’s habitats and biodiversity
• Annual assessment of the transport impact of the site against the Travel and Transport
Assessment Plan (including data on the number and nature of vehicle trips generated by the
site)
Exit Strategy
Should the project fail to achieve one or more of the essential characteristics of OPD (as set out in
1.9 of the practice guidance), then the structures that form part of this application (2
dwellinghouses, green woodworking shed, outdoor classroom and polytunnel) will all be
removed. This will not be a difficult task since all structures are built predominantly from natural
materials (which would be left on site to compost) and none of the structures has significant
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groundworks. Non biodegradeable materials will all be offered for re-sale or on freecycle. The
task of dismantling the structures would require labour inputs from the residents.
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14. Section 106 Undertaking
In addition we are intending to offer a s106 unilateral undertaking to the Council that would
secure the following obligations:
• Tie to the land
The occupation of the dwellings shall be limited to residents solely or mainly working or last
working on the site in horticulture/ permaculture/ forestry/ woodcraft and associated activities
and to any resident dependents.
• Low Impact Lifestyle
All adult residents shall live a low-impact lifestyle in accordance with the Cornerwood Mission
Statement as set out in the Management Plan, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the
Authority.
• Sole Residence
The dwellings will be the sole residence of the residents.
• Unity of site
The dwellings, buildings and land comprising the application site shall be jointly and non-
severably maintained as a single site and shall not be sold or leased separately from any other
part.
14. Declaration of support
This Management Plan has been compiled with the assistance and support of Paul Wimbush.
Paul Wimbush has been involved with low-impact development for 20 years. He is the founder of
the Lammas ecovillage (and compiled the planning application). He has played a key role in
lobbying for and influencing the formation of both local and national planning policies9 and has
provided planning support for every planning appeal that has fallen within these policies10
.
9 Pembs JUDP Policy 52 - Low Impact Development, SPG for Policy 52, TAN6 – one planet development, one planet development practice guidance. 10 Including Tony Wrench’s Roundhouse at Brithdir Mawr (PCNPA), Coedwig Blaen (PCC), John Hargraves (PCNPA), Tom O Kane (PCNPA), Lammas (PCC).
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Appendix 1 – Constitution
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Appendix 2 Outline specifications for buildings
Green wood -working workshop building specification
The green wood workshop is an ‘A’ frame structure incorporating an upper mezzanine floor for
storage. An internal wall creates a lower room which affords the workshop a brewery space. The
footprint is 7meters by 7 meters. Height to ridge 5.85meters.
Roof
• Box section steel sheeting and clear panel
sheeting
• Reclaimed from project in Yorkshire
• Round wood 75mm – 150 mm diameter
Weston Hemlock
• All round wood- Cornerwood
• 100mm Kingspan • King span- Recycled locally
Walls
• An ‘A’ frame of round wood 200mm-75mm
diameter Weston Hemlock
• All Weston Hemlock Round wood –
Cornerwood
• Up rights of round wood 200mm- 150mm
diameter Weston Hemlock
• As above
• Vapour barrier • Vapour barrier- Ebay
• 50mm king span • King span-Recycled locally
• Building paper • Building Paper-Ebay
• Glass fibre insulation 100mm • Glass fibre insulation- Local
amenity site
• External 25mm waney edge timber cladding • Cladding – Saw mill , Llanboidy
Doors and windows
• Various • All recycled- local source
Internal wall
• 100mm stud wall • All round wood - Cornerwood
• All other wood -Saw mill , Lanboidy
• 50mm King span • Insulation - As above
• 25mm plaster board • Plaster board - Cardi builders
Ground floor
• Modular insulated ,cement finished
Kingspan 1000mm x 500mm x 100mm
• Modular floor- Local auctions
Mezzanine floor
• Joists 150mm x 75 mm • Joists- Cardi builders
• Boarding 20mm • Boarding - recycled
Foundations
• 100mm rammed gravel • Gravel - Cardi sand and gravel
• Car wheels • Car wheels - recycled
• Railway sleepers • Reclaimed
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Outline building specification for Dwellinghouse Styles
Building Footprint – 8m by 10m. Ridge Height – 5.7m.
It is a two bedroom, one bathroom single storey building. The intention is that, subject to
Building Regulations approval, it will be built on rammed limestone pads with rammed-earth tyre
foundation filled with central gravel infill, topped with a slate D.P.C. On top of the multiple pads is
a timber structural platform, which will distribute the load evenly across the pads. This will be
followed by load-bearing straw-bale walls rendered both internally and externally and capped
with a wall plate. An internal ceiling will carry the insulation and the loft space will be ventilated.
A hip-roof will be boarded (to provide racking resistance) and finished in an environmentally
friendly propriety roofing sheet. The loft space will house water tanks, hot water from wood fired
range in kitchen, and a solar hot water system.
Roof detail
* Onduline roofing sheets * Onduline - Recycled product from Talbot
Timber
* 25 mm batoning at spacing of 400mm * All timber – Cornerwood or Local
sustainable forestry
* A layer of roofing felt * Bitumin product – purchased
* A layer of 20mm boarding * reclaimed plywood
* 150mm x 50mm rafters * Timber - As above
* Void
* 150mm x 50mm ceiling joists * Timber- As above
* 300mm of sheeps wool * Sheeps wool (untreated)– Local farmers
* lathe and lime plaster * Lathe- withies from on site, Lime render
see below.
* Earth paint finish * Local clay, wheat flour and pigment
(purchased)
Wall detail
* External 25mm lime render * Lime render- as above
* 400mm straw bale * Straw bales- local straw merchant,
Lyndon Jones
* Internal 20mm lime render * Plaster- lime from local business, Celtic
Sustainables and sand from local business
,Cardigan sand and gravel
* 200mm x 50 mm wall plate * Timber- As above
Doors and Windows
* Various * Doors and windows – All recycled from
previous project
Floor and platform detail
* 20mm boarding * Boarding- All boarding in build to be
locally sourced and recycled
* 200mm x 50 mm joists * Timber- As above
* 200mm kings span * Reclaimed
* 20mm boarding * Timber- As above
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Foundation detail
* Slate damp proof course * Slate – Local source – reclaimed
* Rammed earth tyre with central graded
limestone gravel in fill
* Tyre - Local source (re-claimed)
* 300mm rammed lime stone * limestone-Cardigan sand and gravel
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OUTLINE BUILDING SPECIFICATION FOR DWELLING HOUSE ROBINSON
Building footprint: 6m by 10.7m. Height to ridge: 4.8m.
This is a single storey building comprising of two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen area, dining
area and lounge area. It will be built on rammed limestone pads with rammed earth tyre
foundation, filled with gravel infill, topped with a paving slab and aluminium plate. On top of this
is built a structural timber platform. A turf roof is supported on a round wood timber frame with
straw bale infill as insulation. The loft space will house hot water tanks, hot water from the wood
fired range in the kitchen and a solar hot water system.
Roof Detail: Turf
EPDM membrane
Air Gap (pallets) 100mm
Breather Membrane
Purlins 200mm x 50mm
Rafters 200mm x 50mm
Wool Insulation 400mm
Lime & Lathe Plaster 25mm
Earth Paint finish
Wall Details: External Lime Render 25mm
Straw Bale 450mm
Internal Cob 25mm
Limewash finish
Floor and Platform Detail: Timber Boarding 20mm
Joists 200m x 50mm
King Span 200mm
Timber Boarding 20mm
Frame: Round wood (Western Hemlock)
Oak Pegs
Foundation: Aluminium DPC
Paving Slab
Rammed Earth Tyre x 2 with central Limestone infill
Rammed Limestone 500mm
OUTLINE SOURCING SPECIFICATION
All timber- Corner Wood, Growing Heart Cooperative (Local)
Sheep’s Wool (untreated)- Local Farmer
Straw bale- locally sourced
Turf- Corner Wood
Lathe- Corner Wood
Lime Plaster- Local business (Celtic Sustainables)
Cob- Corner Wood
EPDM- Purchased (manufactured product)
Breather Membrane- Purchased (manufactured product)
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Earth Paint- Local Business (Celtic Sustainables)
Aluminium Plate- recycled from site
Paving slab- Recycled local
Tyres- recycled local
Lime Stone- Cardigan sand & gravel (quarried from Narbeth)
Pallets- recycled Local (Cardi Builders)
Windows and doors and gutters – all reclaimed locally
Outline Specification for Outdoor Classroom
Width (diameter) 7m
Height 3.5m
Roundwood Timber Frame
Reciprocal Raftered Roof (roundwood)
Timber Boarding
Reclained Carpet
EPDM
Turf
All timber sourced either from site or from local sustainable sources
Outline Specification for Polytunnel
Length: 60 feet (18.3 meters)
Width 28ft (8.54m)
Hoop spacing 6ft (1.83m)
Overall height 12ft 2in (3.71m)
Straight side 3ft 3in (1.00m)
Head room 6ft 3in (1.9m)
Door opening 8ft 2.43m (width), 7ft 2.13m (height)
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Appendix 3 List of accompanying drawings
• Cornerwood Site Location Plan
• Cornerwood Layout Plan 1: 1250
• Cornerwood Block Plan 1:500
• Cornerwood Biodiversity Plan
2.1 Green Woodworking Workshop 1:100 plans, section
2.2 Green Woodworking Workshop 1:100 elevations
3.1 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:100 plan
3.2 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:100 north elevation
3.3 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:100 east elevation
3.4 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:100 south elevation
3.5 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:100 west elevation
3.6 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:100 roof plan
3.7 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:100 section
3.8 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:10 construction detail roof
3.9 Dwellinghouse Robinson 1:10 construction detail floor
4.1 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 plan
4.2 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 north elevation
4.3 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 east elevation
4.4 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 south elevation
4.5 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 west elevation
4.6 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 roof plan
4.7 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 cutaway elevation
4.8 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 section with 1:10 construction details
4.9 Dwellinghouse Styles 1:50 cutaway elevation
5.1 Woodland Classroom 1:100 plan and cutaway elevation
5.2 Woodland Classroom 1:100 elevations
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A selection of drawings – Not to scale
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