Open House 03
Evolving the ForestAbout this archived event
Have you ever spent time in the woodlands and fields of our beautiful estate? Ever walked a dog along our miles of forest trails, craned your neck to marvel at our majestic California Redwoods, or indulged in some forest bathing?
Well, we hope you have – and if you haven’t, we think you’re missing out. The forests at Dartington contain a number of unusual species – many from the US – which arrived here thanks to the innovative approach of our founders, Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst, and their forester Wilfred Hiley.
Open House 03 was your chance to find out more about this rich history and to discover, too, the ideas, innovations and projects that will ensure a healthy woodland resource for future generations, including a pioneering agroforestry scheme that’s aiming to transform the future of farming in the UK and beyond.
Programme
Talk: Future Forests
Saturday 22 June
11-11.30am
Free entry but booking required
We present Dartington’s forestry manifesto: come and learn about the innovative future of forestry on the estate.
Dartington is once again at the forefront of forestry, making itself a leader in innovative approaches to creating ecological and economic resilience in times of great changes. Jez Ralph, who is Director of Timber Strategies and who helps us determine our approach to forestry, will explain the main points behind the estate’s 100-year manifesto and how our woodland will evolve and become central to an integrated land-use policy.
Tractor and trailer tour and walk
Saturday 22 June
11.30am-1pm
All tickets £5
Join Jez Ralph on a tractor and walking tour of our North Woods, and explore the innovative ways in which Dartington is preserving the forests for future generations.
The tour starts with a tractor ride to North Woods and continues on foot, exploring the issues that face woodland managers in creating long-term resilient woodlands. It presents the ideas, innovations and projects that the estate is undertaking to ensure a healthy woodland resource for future generations.
Forestry Walking Tour
Saturday 22 June
11.30am-1pm
All tickets £5
Join Harriet Bell and Mike Gardner on a walking tour of our agroforestry systems and learn more about how the estate is managing forests for the good of trees, soil and ecology.
At the heart of Dartington’s land-use policy is the integration of all forms of land-use into a holistic, healthy landscape. Dartington’s food & farming manager Harriet Bell and estate forester Mike Gardner will lead a walk through the agroforestry systems that have been planted in the last five years. These are some of the largest systems of their kind in the UK that combine woodland and agriculture for the benefit of the trees, the crops, the soil and ecology.
PLUS:
Arcadia: a BFI film
Thursday 20 June
8.30pm
Coming to Dartington as part of a three-day symposium partnering Open House 03 (see above) but open to public booking, Arcadia has been constructed from 100 years of footage from the BFI National Archive by BAFTA-winner Paul Wright. Set to a grand, expressive score by Portishead’s Adrian Utley and Goldfrapp’s Will Gregory, it’s an exhilarating study of Britain’s shifting, contradictory relationship to its land.
WATCH: Dartington’s Evolving Forests
Estate manager John Channon on the history and future of our forests. (Subtitles available.)
Even more to explore
This events is part of our Open House series, which aim to share our latest plans and generate dialogue. You can find out more about previous events here.
Open House 03 was a partner event to a three-day symposium – ‘Evolving the Forest’ – drawing together a wide variety of voices to explore our wondrous heritage of woodland and forest, marking 100 years of modern forestry in the UK.