A 1-day course giving participants the skills and confidence to identify a wide range of woodland plants

A 1-day course giving participants;

the skills and confidence to identify a wide range of woodland plants (including grasses and bryophytes)

the knowledge to carry out woodland survey and assessment (touching on Phase 1 NVC and Condition Assessement)

This course will introduce participants to roughly 40 of the most familiar (and some rather unfamiliar) woodland flowers and grasses in the stunning RSPB reserve at Garston Woods, near Blandford Forum, Dorset. The day will cover recognising ancient woodland indicator species, a brief look at different management regimes and their effects on woodland ecology, and survey techniques for Phase I/UKHAB, NVC and Condition Assessment.

At the end of the day participants will have the chance to carry out a mock survey/assesssment in groups to test their skills.

About the tutor

Isobel Girvan is an experienced ecologist having worked for close to 30 years in the conservation sector, mainly based in Surrey. For seventeen years she has been Principal Ecologist with Surrey Wildlife Trust Ecology Services specialising in botanical surveys and habitat management plans. She has been a full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (MCIEEM) since 2003 and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society (FLS). She is also on the committee for Surrey Botanical Society and Alton Natural History Society.

What to bring

Notebook/clipboard

Lunch

Foldable chair for lunch and some of the taught element (ground can be damp and nettly!)

A copy of the handout can be found on our training resources pagehere (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vkuqsw3j2cbkah44u15a7/old-SRT-Woodland-Training-Course-PDF-all.pdf?rlkey=ze1tgul6i4j31jp788iqxyk6y&dl=0). Please do have a browse of the species list before the day if you are new to this all, as it help your memory on the day!

We apologise that there are no loos at the site, but plenty of trees!

Please inform us of any relevant medical requirements/conditions we should be aware of prior to the course.

Schedule

10.00 Welcome and start

10.10 Woodland plant ID and comparison of management regimes

12.30 Lunch (shorter if weather bad)

1.15 Look at UKHAB and Condition Assessment of Woodland

2.00 Participants to carry out quadrat surveys

4.00 Departure (or earlier if we get chilly/wet)

Directions

READ CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU SET OUT!

The Reserve is just north of the village of Sixpenny Handley, which lies north of the A354 Salisbury to Blandford road.

We are not meeting in the public car park, but in an unsigned private volunteers carpark - this is about 200m south of the main one, and we will start the course from here. Someone will be there to open the gate at around 9:30, so if you get there earlier you may have to wait at the public carpark.

There is a photo of the gateway below so you know what to look for.

If using Satnav SP5 5PB will get you to just south of the woods, follow up the road until you see an open gate (if you reach the public entrance just turn around and drive back down).

Google maps - click HERE (https://maps.app.goo.gl/rdLUD5fs7Hzw41beA).

what3words:///clown.uppermost.forget (https://w3w.co/clown.uppermost.forget)

Due to poor signal we will not be able to contact you if you are in the wrong carpark - so please try and avoid being the one person who goes the wrong car park every year and delays the start of the course.

It may be possibel ro provide lifts from a nearby train station, please contact the trainer direct.

Adverse weather

This is an outdoor run course on an exposed site, and as such we request that participants bring suitable clothing including sunhats, sunblock, and full waterproofs & fleeces. As the climate breaks down, we do occasionally have severe weather where either it is very difficult to take notes due to prolonged heavy rain, or temperatures have reached a point where long exposure can be detrimental to health.

In these instances, we will run a condensed version of the course, where we aim to see all the species before lunch but have less time to take notes on them. We will then give attendees free access to the corresponding online course for 24 hours, which means you can take notes and look at the species in more detail in the comfort of your home. We have built a corresponding online catalogue of courses for this purpose, and we therefore feel we can offer the same training experience while looking after attendees' welfare in the field.

Therefore if you look at the forecast before the course and start panicking - don’t worry, we’ve got you!

Course certificate

This course can be used as part of your Continuing Professional Development (CPD). We invite attendees to download their own certificate and complete the numbers of hours spent on the course, as we are aware some attendees spend more time reading up about courses before the day, and writing their notes up and sitting the online course tes

Description supplied by the event organiser.