Quick question. A local scout group have there annual camp nearby. Its adjacent to a wood (not theres btw). Every year they assault all the hazels trees with loppers and leave the results all over the place.
Does the Scout Association have a anti hazel policy ?
Just wondering.
As a scout leader, Id have a word with them- can u find an email address, at the very least they can tidy up
I might do that next time I see them. But the woods the are not mine, so they will tell me to jogon.
However, I do know the owner and I will see how they feel about the trees.
Sad really, all the mess, enviroment damage etc. Also, they dont give a dam about cutting fences to gain access.
I was wondering if they were being tsught some anti hazel doctrine from the dark ages.
I don't think there's anything on Hazel specifically, but there are basic backwoods rules about not taking an axe or saw into the woods, and not cutting live wood, but dragging any dead wood you want to use/burn to the edge for processing.
Hazel is a good bushcrafting wood. Take an adult or two with minimal skills but the need to entertain a group of young kids and mob of baying tooled up youth, and vandalism of anything growing is a pretty obvious outcome.
Are you sure they're not coppicing it? Obviously not on if they don't have the landowner's permission, and they should be tidying up the brash, but they might actually be teaching the kids about traditional woodland management, and maybe some green woodworking skills.
In any case, if you want to get rid of haxel, probably the worst thing you can do is lop it!
If they've been cutting hazel every year for a while then I'd guess that they know what they are doing. I would assume some sort of bushcraft rather than burning - especially if you're not seeing traces of unburnt wood in any firepits/clearing etc. and if it's been going on for a while then I'd have thought the owner of the woods would have been aware. As pointed out already, hazel just springs up again when cut. That's a traditional skill in its own right.
I was wondering if they were being tsught some anti hazel doctrine from the dark ages.
Of all the weird stuff I've seen people say about Scouts....
Scout leader here. We have a strict "no chopping of live wood" policy but they might be coppicing for bushcraft stuff. However, they might not.
Even if they are coppicing, they'd need the permission of the landowner.
Personally I'd be asking as if they're just cutting it to burn and/or they don't have permission then that's not on.
Also, they dont give a dam about cutting fences to gain access.
Rather unlikely that this would be the agreed method of access from the owner. Yeah, I'd definitely be cluing him in.
I'll talk to the woodland owners again. Just to confirm they dont want Scouts wrecking the woods and fences. In past they said did'nt want them, but policy may of changed.
I'm not the Woodlands cop or the land owners pet.
Its just a shame to see to so much damage.
They did leave two pairs of loppers in the woods though :-). Repurposed for my hedges now 🙂
Talk about coming equiped.
It does not seem like a normal Scout thing, but IME some Scout leaders can be 'unique'.
As someone who educates outdoors for a living, there is a respect for nature, places and people you engage with that has to be taught and repeated for future generations to develop a respect for nature, places and people.
To quote my Patron David:
"If children don't grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it, and if they don't understand it, they won't protect it, and if they don't protect it who will?"
