A quarter century ago, a small band of British citizens banded together to save the ancient, woodland practices of coppicing, bodgering, and greenwoodworking.  The Bill Hogarth Memorial Apprenticeship Trust was formed to train professional coppicers as well as introduce amateurs to traditional, woodland crafts through their Woodland Pioneers program.

Now, an even smaller band of intrepid Cumbrians have agreed to leave their bucolic homeland to export this program to the United States – possibly the only time in human history – through Woodland Pioneers: Ohioneers.  Join us to learn to use a shavehorse, a drawknife, a froe, a knocker; make a woven hurdle panel, a small cleft gate, and treen;  drink loads of tea and eat heaps of cake; understand how to use a tree to make a wooden bowl on a pole lathe;  and learn how to establish a sustainable and regenerative wood plot through the ancient practice of coppicing.  Or don’t.  Netflix is believed to have released a new season of something or other, so that is also an option.

This novice-friendly, splinter-free program is for those who are good at making mistakes and who have never sharpened a blade; it is for the dendrologically-challenged.  It is not for talented and professional woodworkers: take your skilled craftsmanship elsewhere!  Participants will leave Woodland Pioneers: Ohioneers with the foundational skills and knowledge of traditional, British woodland crafts as well as an appreciation of the age-old, human/forest partnership found within coppicing.

The course fee includes space for primitive camping and vegetarian meals. 

$225 Enjoy the full program; includes primitive camping access, meals, and tea times.