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Whole Society Meeting 2009

In early summer each year, RFS members from all over the country get together to spend a week looking at all aspects of managing trees, woodlands and forests in one region or another of England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

  • May 2002 saw us based at Kendal in the South Lakes - where we had hoped to be the year before until the Foot and Mouth epidemic closed the countryside!
  • In May 2003, our annual Whole Society Meeting focused on Devon and Cornwall. May 2004 saw us in the Midlands - in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire visiting a representative selection of woodlands there such as Sherwood, Thoresby and Brocklesby.
  • East Anglia hosted our May 2005 event with visits to Sandringham; Sotterley Estate near Beccles; Fulmodeston & Hindolveston near Fakenham; Framingham Arboretum; Berry Hall at Honingham and a trip on the Broads to look at the wet woodlands there.
  • South East Wales were our hosts in May 2006 with visits to Llanover Estate in Gwent moving on to Llanarth Estate which straddles the Usk Valley; the Ravine Woodlife Project near Tintern and the FCs Crumblands Plantation at Trelleck; Llangoed Estate near Builth Wells and Ffrwdgrech Estate, Brecon. There was a day in the Valleys hosted by Caerphilly County Borough Council with visits to Parc Cwm Darran and Parc Penallta and a visit to Wentwood Timber Centre at Caldicot completed the week's events.
  • The visit in May 2007 took us to Northern Ireland with visits to Castlewellan Forest Park followed by a tour of the Annesley Garden and National Arboretum. The National Trust were our hosts at the Crom Estate at Newtownbutler after which there was a visit to Cladagh Glen and a tour of the Marble Arch Caves. A visit to Balcas Sawmall and CHP Plant was followed by a visit to Baronscourt Estate. The Northern Ireland Forest Service hosted a day at Lough Navar Forest and a visit to Parkanaur Forest Park on the way back to the airport completed the week's events.
  • In May 2008 we visited the Southern and South East England divisions on the South Coast with days in the New Forest, at Cowdray, at Petworth and on the Isle of Wight.
  • And 2009 saw us in North Wales, based at the Betwys y Coed. We visited: multi-purpose forestry blocks owned by the Forestry Commission Wales (at Coed y Brenin and Gwydr); private woodlands and a sawmill at Mostyn Estate; the National Trust's Bodnant Garden; woodlands in multiple ownership in the Vale of Ffestiniog in Snowdonia National Park; and the Tree Tops Adventure site outside Betws-y-Coed.

Full details of each WSM are published in the Quarterly Journal of Forestry.