Carrifran Wildwood started as a grass-roots enterprise, and the initiators of the project are determined to keep it so. The Wildwood Group is defined as comprising current members of Borders Forest Trust who are active supporters of the Wildwood project.
The Group is in practice a devolved constituent of Borders Forest Trust, and decisions with legal or substantial financial implications are ultimately the responsibility of BFT Trustees. However, the routine decision making body is the Wildwood Steering Group of about 12 people, comprising committed members of the Wildwood Group and BFT staff, which meets about once every three months. Read more →
Day-to-day operations on site are controlled by a Site Operations Team, of which the core members are the Project Co-ordinator (Philip Ashmole), the Project Officer (Hugh Chalmers) and the BFT Director (Willie McGhee). They are often joined by other group members, as appropriate.
Ecological Planning Subgroup →
The Ecological Planning Subgroup, comprising some 25 people, had regular meetings during 1998 and 1999 under the chairmanship of Adrian Newton, during which the foundations were laid for the Environmental Statement which was submitted to the Forestry Commission with the Woodland Grant Scheme application late in 1999. The subgroup has been meeting less frequently since then, mostly on site; it is now chaired by Crinan Alexander.
Seed Collecting and Propagation Subgroup →
This subgroup, originally chaired by Michael Matthews and more recently by Jane Buchanan-Dunlop, took on the daunting task of collecting locally-produced seed (or in some cases cuttings) of all the species to be planted at Carrifran, and in sufficient quantity to produce the large numbers of young trees required year by year.
The process began well before Carrifran was bought in 2000 and still continues, though the main planting was completed in 2008. Most of the seed collected was passed to Alba Trees for propagation, though significant numbers of trees and shrubs were also raised by members of the Wildwood Group. The general principle was to collect propagating material within a 20km radius of Carrifran Valley, though for some species we had to range further afield to find fertile plants from the correct habitat and altitude. The subgroup rarely meets formally as its activities are largely field-based.
Fundraising and Publicity Subgroup →
This group, chaired by Fi Martynoga since its inception in the late 1990s, was largely responsible for raising the money needed to buy Carrifran Valley, all of which had to be in place by 1st January 2000 if we were to succeed.
This was achieved by a combination of public lectures and newspaper and magazine articles, complemented by an attractive fundraising leaflet. An important aspect of this activity was the Foundership Campaign. As Carrifran Wildwood is still actively fundraising to ensure that the thousands of young trees continue to thrive, the subgroup now co-ordinates a similar Stewardship Campaign. For the first few years of its existence, this subgroup met very frequently but there is now rarely any need to do so.
The restoration work in the valley is guided by a Management Plan developed from the Environmental Statement.
The other active subgroup deals with Fundraising and Publicity, and is chaired by Fi Martynoga. It met frequently during the main fundraising campaign in 1998 and 1999, and now co-ordinates the Stewardship campaign.
Meetings →
The Wildwood Group also organises and advertises public meetings and events from time to time. Field visits for Wildwood Group members are arranged to other places where ecological restoration is in progress. These have included day trips to Creag Meagaidh and Ben Lawers, and in 2001 a small study tour which included time on Rum and Mull.
