November 2003
Cydcoed Phase I There is now just one month to go until the normal deadline for physical completion, 31 December 2003. Several projects look like coming in under budget, it is important you tell us as soon as you can if your project will not spend all the grant we have committed to you. This is so that we can commit it to other projects that need it. Cydcoed Phase II Still two projects in progress totalling £182K but we now have 7 applications in progress totalling £930,550 in grants to community groups. New ideas for potential projects are still very welcome and will be for the foreseeable future. We have designed a new Excel tool for assessing progress against targets against grant committed. This shows that if we look at projects in progress + applications in progress we are on track or ahead for all targets except for "Ha of new community woodland on non-agricultural land". However, we have three woodland creation projects in the pipeline that would contribute 105ha so we are still confident of hitting this target. If we look at all potential projects it shows that we are ahead on all targets except for "No. of woods with community participation" and "No. of additional sustainable woodland management schemes". We need to find projects that involve lots of individual woods and bring forward the large woodland creation projects. Team news
Dominic Driver, Cydcoed Programme Manager is now chairing the "Woodlands for People" Working Group of the Woodland Forum. The Woodland Forum is the body that advises the Welsh Assembly Government and agencies like Forestry Commission Wales on how to deliver "Woodlands for Wales", the National Assembly for Wales' Strategy For Trees and Woodlands. There are five themes in the strategy: Woodlands for People; A New Emphasis on Woodland Management; Wales as a Location for World-class Forest Industries; A Diverse and Healthy Environment; and Tourism, Recreation and Health. They are all integrated but Woodlands for People is the theme that relates most closely to the kind of activities that a Cydcoed funded group would be involved in.
Dom's appointment means that through your work with the Cydcoed team you have the power to influence the way that Woodlands for Wales is delivered. Please use that power!
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