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The Forge Valley, North Yorkshire is a little-visited woodland marked by soil compaction, storm damage, and fallen trees. Extreme weather has made maintenance harder, with managers abandoning damaged walkways. Inspired by an unbuilt 19th-century railway, the project proposes a low-intervention trail that 'reads the landscape over time.' Using on-site materials: fallen logs, quarry stone, and biochar paving, it forms a circular construction language tied to natural processes.
Eight spatial 'stations' echo the rhythm of the historic railway, guiding visitors to pause, observe, and engage with the woodland. At the Charcoal Rolling Meadow, hikers receive maps, biochar, and charcoal pens to mark tree health, tag branches, and disperse biochar along degraded soils. These records support woodland managers in tracking disease and soil restoration.
By linking paths, material reuse, and participatory ecology, the design transforms storm-damaged woodland into a collaborative experiment. The trail respects fallen trees and topography, inviting public involvement in regeneration. It offers a minimal yet dynamic intervention that helps visitors witness and contribute to the forest’s renewal.
The project’s eight stations are evenly distributed along the hiking trail. At Site B, hikers will grab the exploring map and begin their formal journey, ensuring they do not get lost.
The charcoal kiln, embedded in grassy terrain, reuses excavated earth to form undulations, enclosing the kiln, log storage, and campfire. Biochar produced here supports trails, path-laying, and hiker participation in forest renewal.
In safe woodland, paths use biochar walkways, log boardwalks, and limestone treads, weaving over fallen trees. Preserved trestles form spur trails, letting hikers explore decay, regeneration, and habitat transformation.
On a steep unstable slope, a fallen tree and debris compress space. A timber-stone platform stabilises it, creating shelter and views across the river, linking decay, history, and habitat through seasonal gardens and feeders.