Current Projects
Projects currently underway include work on peatland
hydrology monitoring, fruit trees for biodiversity and community
woodland products. Please see below items on how you can get
involved.
Do you have an interest in Bees?
Following our research over the last 6 months, a
number of areas have been identified which particularly concern
those in Powys involved with Bees. These areas are (in order
of perceived importance):
2. Ensuring healthy bees through counteracting habitat loss
3. The effect of pesticides on honey bee health
4. Effective ways to improve basic husbandry
Glasu have funding available up to £4,000 for an individual or organisation to develop a project based on addressing one or more of these concerns. The project must be based in Powys and specifically focus on the particular requirements of bees and bee keepers in the county, and should ideally work with other interested parties.
Should you be carrying out similar or related work yourself, have any comments, or wish to consider such a project, please contact us in the first instance to discuss.
Dyfi Valley Seed Savers are surveying fruit growing in Powys.
DVSS are interested to know how people are getting on with fruit growing in our beautiful, but damp land.
We think the people and wildlife of Powys could benefit from the planting of more orchards. But successful fruit growing takes careful planning and it seems that more advice is needed. This need has inspired the “Powys Orchards for Biodiversity” project, funded by Glasu.
Do you own an orchard or grow fruit in Powys? Apples? Pears? Damsons? Soft fruit?
We have been talking to orchard managers and visiting orchards since summer 2009, but we hope to gain much more information now the survey is online. Here you can enter info about the health of your trees and your experiences in managing an orchard.
Perhaps you prefer to write on real paper instead? A paper version is also available to download.
The report will be published in December 2010, and will provide information on the performance of a range of fruit tree varieties, specifically in Powys - thus helping local nurseries decide which trees to propagate and orchardists which to plant. We are also assessing orchard management systems and their effects on production and environmental/wildlife value. As well as what makes an orchard work for it's manager economically or as a hobby.
Click here for full
details of the project on our website >>
For more information please contact Chloe - chloe@dyfivalleyseedsavers.org.uk
To help us collect as much information as possible enabling us to
give good advice, please do pass on the details of our survey to
any other fruit growers that you may have contact with in
Powys.
