Pete, Cheryll and Dan attended the High Court hearing in January at which a judge upheld the planning permission granted to us by a planning inspector last August. The DNPA was attempting to overturn the decision, but the judge ruled that the inspector was
justified in finding that the sustainable project being carried out here at Steward Wood is worthwhile. Subsequently, some of us met with DNPA planning officers to take things forward now that the 5 year planning permission is secure.

We worked intensively throughout Jan & Feb clearing an area of existing larch, sycamore and brambles (leaving the ash and hazel) to make way for oaks to be planted. The area is between the two green lanes running through the Settlement Area so the clearance has also removed some of the trees which may have fallen in high winds onto our dwellings. We felled the mature larch using hand tools but were greatly aided in the processing of the trees by using an electric chainsaw running off the battery bank powered by water from the woodland streams.

We also spent time coppicing ash above the Settlement Area to provide straight poles to order. These will be used to build a 16 foot diameter roundhouse in a garden in the Totnes area.

We acquired our first batch of biodiesel (recycled vegetable oil) in January and started using it to run our van.

It was great to have lots of visitors throughout this period, who all helped with the forestry work, and were especially needed moving sawn logs (up to 20 foot long) with ropes. One visitor, Jason, who stayed for 3 weeks, is a member of a community in New Zealand called VolCo. He shared his expertise when we pruned the fruit trees in the forest garden.

We celebrated Rowan's first birthday on 23rd February. He now weighs 23lb, is sitting up, is very inquisitive, smiley and is able to make a variety of sounds including Dada and Mama!

With the US and British governments talking of going to war with Iraq, we became involved in the Moretonhampstead Peace Group, which organized a peace walk and tree planting, ran stalls and held public meetings. Most of us attended the million plus 'Stop The War' march in London on 15th February.

Finally, much of the talk within and without the woods at the end of Feb, concerned the TV documentary of the building of Ben Law's exquisitely beautiful cruck frame house in Prickly Nut Wood, Sussex.