Dronley Community Woodland - site visit

Saturday 15th March 2025. 10am-4pm

For all CWA members! Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to learn all about Continuous Cover Forestry, in situ at Dronley Community Woodland, near Dundee. 

CWA is delighted to invite you to another one of our exchange visits, this time to Dronley Community Woodland, Dundee, where you will be able to visit the site and hear from Dirk Sporleder, the Woodland Manager, who will share lots of information about working Dronley Community Wood in line with Continuous Cover Forestry principles.  

Cost

There is no charge to attend this exchange visit, but you will need to cover the costs of travel and potential accommodation.   

Do not worry about money! All our members have access to Community Learning Exchange Funding, who support travel costs, accommodation and sustenance – more information can be found here. Early applicants will receive their funding in advance.  

About Dronley Community Woodland 

Dronley Community Woodland can be found here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jrvqWBPUXMG8K6vdA 

Dronley Wood became a community woodland group in 2019 and is managed according to Continuous Cover Forestry Principles. Its long-term woodland management vision is to transform the existing woodland towards a diverse, stable, resilient, permanent irregular mixed wood for the benefit of future generations. 

Dronley Wood has a size of 50 ha. The main tree species are Scots Pine, Hybrid Larch, Norway Spruce, Sitka Spruce and Douglas Fir. Most of the stands are over 60 years old. There are only two small stands of broadleaves (1 Birch, 1 Beech) at Dronley Wood. Their short-term woodland management aim is to regenerate the wood by encouraging natural regeneration, under-planting and direct seeding (under the existing canopy).  

Dronley Community Woodland has been damaged substantially during the recent storms. The increasing frequency and severity of the storms and increasing effects of forest pests (Great Spruce Bark Beetle on Sitka and Norway Spruce and the Pine Shoot Beetle on Scots Pine) highlight the importance and urgency of developing existing woodlands into site-adapted, resilient, diverse, stable, multi-aged mixed woodlands.  

Dronley Community Woodland is also committed to establishing a strong connection between the local community and their community woodland, with the woodland group offers training, research, cooperation, education, and local employment opportunities.  

Dronley Wood has a fantastic volunteer support with more than 3000 volunteer hours executed since 2019. During the last few years, the woodland groups has planted thousands of trees, set up small-fenced areas for underplanting, and hosted 6 apprentices, student projects and several chainsaw courses. They also carried out several low impact thinnings to regenerate, restructure and develop Dronley Wood towards a mixed woodland.  

During the last few months, the woodland group has also improved the woodland infrastructure, which is essential for implementing Continuous Cover Forestry principles. 

CWA in partnership with Dronley Community Woodland would like to invite you along to this exciting exchange visit so they can share with you all that they have achieved, and what their plans are for the future.  

What you will learn at Dronley 

During the exchange visit, Dirk and his team will cover the following topics: 

  • Site-Adaptation of Tree Species and Climate Change 

  • Woodland Infrastructure - the Key to Continuous Cover Forestry 

  • Regenerating and Restructuring Stands of Scots Pine, Sitka Spruce and Norway Spruce 

  • Assessing the Carbon Storage of Existing Stands and Woodland Soil (a recent research project by Pourang Mozafari from Abertay University) as Potential for Environmental Service Charges 

The visit will start at 10 am and will finish circa 4pm on Saturday 15th March 2024. More information will be provided after your place has been confirmed. 

Please bring with you: sturdy footwear, waterproofs, and your own packed lunch and sustenance for the day. Applications close at 5pm on Monday 3rd March 2025. 

Still not sure if this visit is right for you? Well, read what previous participants have said about attending exchange visits arranged by CWA: 

“This visit has given me the opportunity to meet and talk with other woodland groups some of whom work in very different contexts to my own. By sharing ideas and experiences it has enabled me to re-visit ideas and plans and develop them with a greater knowledge and understanding.  

I have also come away from this experience with new ideas, and new possibilities to incorporate into my own working practices that I hope will bring positive benefit to the woodland I work in and to the volunteers and public who use our woodland.”  

“Its very inspiring to visit groups that have been established for much longer than us and to see how they work, the type of activities they undertake – it’s a great opportunity to meet so many like-minded folk and to learn from both the hosts and other participants.” 

Should you require accommodation, please discuss with sharon@communitywoods.org as any accommodation costs would only be covered, subject to specific circumstances. 

Should you have limited mobility please do contact sharon@communitywoods.org to discuss.