This is the summary page for the tree gathering 2008 tag, but there are also lists of other tree gathering 2008 wikipages, as well as of forum posts and files.
CRAGgers from across the UK met up on the 7-9 March 2008 for a weekend of practical action and CRAG discussion. Staying up on the moors at Height Gate (nr Hebden Bridge), we spent the days planting trees with Treesponsibility. The evenings brought delicious vegan food, beer and much animated discussion, resting up in front of the pellet burner. On the Saturday afternoon, we held an informal CRAG meeting to discuss our thoughts on the direction and core values of CRAGs.
As always, it was great to meet fellow CRAGgers “in the flesh”, unleash the discussion and debate and channel it into some preliminary idea of the values we all share and stand for (see below). And that’s not to mention the great beer and vegan food, courtesy of Treesponsibility.
Minutes: Tree Gathering minutes from Height Gate (8/3/2008)
Discussion: UK CRAGs get-together in March – should we go treeplanting? (planning), CRAG Shared Values (from the Tree Gathering) (core values discussion), The Good and the Bad of CRAGs (impressions of CRAGs discussion)
Contents
Tree Planting
Treesponsibility are reforesting the uplands of the Calder Valley to provide coppice for local woodburners and soak up rainwater that might otherwise flash flood the residents below. They negotiate with local landowners to release some of their old grazing land, bringing in teams of volunteers to plant up a variety of indigenous species: willow, alder, birch, rose, hawthorn, elder or others, depending on ground conditions.
In the mornings we all piled into vehicles, taking a corkscrew (and for those in the front seat, frankly terrifying) ride up to the planting site. First, we erected the geodesic shelter, and set up the all-important tea, biscuits and soup; then, off to kick-off the planting. Teams simultaneously screefed (ie. opened up holes in the turf), prepared holes, planted, mulched, and protected the young saplings – and Treesponsibility did a great job of keeping the workflow going smoothly.
All in all, a great way to make a tangible contribution to local climate-change adaptation. And you get to enjoy the fresh air, great food and beer, and sound and friendly company too!
CRAG Meeting
On the Saturday afternoon, we convened an informal meeting of CRAG representatives from Glasgow, Sheffield, York, Leeds, Islington, Bristol and Sevenoaks – bringing together founding members of the original CRAGs with more recent ones. We found it difficult to cover all of our original agenda, but the main points of discussion were:
- How new members found out about CRAGs, and what they liked and disliked about it
- What are the different types (or “flavours”) of CRAGs at the moment?
- What should be the core values of CRAGs?
Please see the minutes for a full account of the meeting, or join in the subsequent discussion of core values on the Forum.
Photos