Spring Wood Fair @ Westonbirt

Celebrate traditional woodland management at Westonbirt Silk Wood Spring Fair  

From Saturday 5 to Monday 7 May 2012, traditional woodland workers will celebrate their skills at the Forestry Commission’s National Arboretum at Westonbirt.

The Silk Wood Spring Fair will be hosted by a collective of professional coppice workers with products to sell and skills handed down through generations to demonstrate.

The Silk Wood Spring Fair will be located on the picnic area of the Downs, near to Maples restaurant.
Products on offer have been produced with material from Westonbirt Arboretum’s Silk Wood and neighbouring local woodlands. They include handmade wooden clogs, shingles, wood sales and garden accessories such as beanpoles and hurdles.

Visitors will also be able to watch demonstrations including clog making and saw milling, wooden flower making and more.

Plantlife, a charity which advises on woodland management and appropriate management and restoration of plants species will also be exhibiting.

Traditional woodland coppicing has taken place in Westonbirt Arboretum’s Silk Wood for over 700 years.
Coppiced wood is grown to produce long straight stems with few or no side branches. Coppicing cuts trees to ground level and manages the new shoots to a usable size before cutting again. This style of woodland management is also beneficial to wildlife as it opens woodland areas for different plants and animals to thrive in.

The Silk Wood Spring Fair is free after general admission to Westonbirt Arboretum.

General admission is £8 for adults, £7 for concessions and £3 for children. Entry for Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum members is free.

Visit www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt for more information on the event.