(29.1.2010)

Action Research on the benefits of woodland activities

The Silvanus Trust and the University of Plymouth Outdoor and Experiential Learning research network, in partnership with the Devon FEI cluster group and with the Woodland Trust, the Neroche Landscape Partnership (Forestry Commission) and Forest Research as key partners, have been successful in securing nearly half a million pounds from the BIG Lottery Fund Research programme . The proposal, “Social cohesion and well-being deriving from woodland activities” is one of only 57 successful bids to the Research programme, whose objective is to increase the capacity of the third sector to undertake its own research.

Many organisations / projects undertake a wide range of woodland activities providing social and personal benefits to people of all ages. These include forest education in its widest sense and many activities involve those with learning disabilities or long term physical or mental illnesses, people involved in the criminal justice system, the long term unemployed, and young people excluded from mainstream school or not in employment, education or training.  However, the funding to deliver these activities rarely allows more than fairly basic project evaluation and the third sector organisations delivering the projects often have few staff with limited capacity to undertake research.  Furthermore, where research has been undertaken, it has tended to be small scale and results rarely disseminated beyond the immediate context.  

Discussions and consultation with groups involved in delivering woodland activities revealed a need and desire for more robust research evidence for the benefits of these woodland activities.  Feedback from a research needs questionnaire demonstrated that a coordinated research approach was possible and desirable and the following themes from those proposed were selected to initiate the research:
What are the key factors in determining benefits related to recreational activities in woodland and in extending benefits to a wider audience
What are the long term benefits of Forest school activities for different age groups.
These themes were chosen because they offer the opportunity to compare and contrast specific diverse uses of woodland for social and personal benefits. 
A full-time project researcher will be mentored by staff from the University of Plymouth Outdoor and Experiential Learning research network and be a resource to organisations / projects undertaking woodland activities.  The project researcher will work with these local partners to help identify the research to be undertaken relevant to local needs and context. By means of workshops in qualititative research techniques covering research design, analysis and dissemination of results, the local partners will be supported in undertaking their own action research.  The project researcher will also co-ordinate the collation of research findings to form an evidence base for the region which will be used to shape future practice and target funding. 
The Silvanus Trust will coordinate the project, which will be carried out over a three and a half year period, and host the project researcher. The development of the research framework and implementation of the fieldwork in woodland activities will be guided by a steering group comprising the research team and research co-ordinators from the key partners.

The project is due to start in April and the recruitment of the Project Researcher will take place over the coming weeks.

If you are involved in woodland activities and are interested in becoming a Local Partner, or you would like any further information about this project, please contact Sarah Vaughan, Director of the Silvanus Trust: sarah.vaughan@silvanus.org.uk, tel: 01752 846 400.

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