Forests for the future in Dorset

To begin promoting The Crown Estate's new Forests for the future education pack, we visited the Bryanston estate in Dorset on tuesday the 29th November, where the forests are managed from Dunster, and invited 32 children from local schools to join us for a day of forest fun.

Working with George and Maggie Yeomans of Mountain and Bushcraft ways (http://www.guidingonskye.co.uk/) the children built shelters from natural materials, learnt about fire lighting and discovered the importance of trees in toaday's world by playing a number of activities in the pack.

The day was a great success, and provides a template for other events that will follow in the new year- to accompany the offical launch of the resources pack and soon to be completed forests for the future website. The pack is designed to provide teachers with ideas and resources to help teach pupils about trees, wood and the value that they provide to us. Further details on where to obtain a forests for the future pack will follow shortly.

Summer Holiday fun in the forest

It's been a busy summer so far with plenty going on- much of it with a bushcraft theme! We have had 60 young people out in the woods with CLOWNS nursery of Minehead's summer school learning how to build shelters, friction firelighting and making their own films.

The Exmoor National Park and Crown Estate Big adventure day in the forest was a great success this saturday the 6th, with around 300 people joining us for a day of forest based fun.

Dunster Fair was also a great success for us, with George and Maggie Yeomans of Guiding on Skye bushcraft company joining us and encouraging passers by to have a go at friction firelighting.

There is plenty more to come too, so keep an eye on our events page for more details of upcoming events (www.dunsterestate.co.uk/events)

what a start to 2011!

Sorry it's been a while since our last post- it's busy start to the year! so far we have planted 500 native oak trees in Dunster Forest with 70 members of the local community, established a committee of local people to manage the community orchard and arrange events, built owl boxes with volunteers, the forestry commission and hawk and owl trust, installed a brand new network of waymarked walking trails in the forest, and hosted the first of a number of bushcraft courses that will run over the spring and summer.

There is plenty more in the pipeline as we get ready for what we hope to be a busy visitor season, so watch this space!