The Woodlands.co.uk Blog - Practical Guides
Food for thought
So it’s late December 2010 and one of those innocent New Year’s ideas comes to my mind - “I wonder if I can pledge to only eat meat that I have hunted or gathered for a year?”
Meat is a well discussed topic in my home. My partner is Vegetarian, my daughter does eat meat but can be a bit uncomfortable with meat on a bone or meat that resembles the actual animal. We have regularly eaten a fair proportion of vegetarian dishes and always choose veggie sausages and burgers over the real meat versions. Read more…
Chocolate bananas and caramelised apples on a campfire
It’s often hard to get children to eat fruit. On a woodland camping trip we found a good way to get them eating and cooking apples and bananas. Your fire needs to have been alight for some time: this is usually an activity to do after supper, before the children run off into the woods to finish their den-building or exploring. Read more…
Bows and arrows in woodland – archery at different levels
Archery is exciting – the pull of the arrow, taking aim and the “thwack!” as the arrow hits its target (if it does). We have made a film of serious archers which you can see on woodlandsTV here. This is not something one can try without proper advice and training – and some expensive kit. However many people just want to have a bit of fun and we have recently explored two ways of firing arrows in woodland. Read more…
What do woodland owners do about sheds for storage ?
Some people who manage their own woodlands feel it would be easier if they had a shed or building to store things and to shelter when it rains. In principle, local authorities are positive about this as they want to see woodlands managed but in practice planning officers often fear that sheds are the thin end of a wedge that will end up with a residential development which doesn’t fit within the local development plan. Read more…
Roadkill : rabbits, hedgehogs, foxes……
In this country, like others dependent on the internal combustion engine, many animals are killed or wounded on our roads. One of the first people to comment on the significance of roadkill was the American naturalist Joseph Grinnell; he estimated the mortality count in California (back in 1920 !!) ran into the hundreds if not thousands of animals every day. Read more…
Woody tissues : bark
Wood is such a familiar material that we tend to take it for granted. In general, it is a long lasting, fibrous material that is found within the roots, stems and branches of trees and shrubs. It is mainly composed of xylem – a tissue that brings water and minerals up from the roots and distributes the minerals and water to the leaves and growing tissues of the stem.
The National Forest
The Countryside Commission had the idea of creating a new ‘National Forest’ in 1987 – to give a tangible expression of the benefits of trees and woodlands. It also has a practical role in terms of demonstrating the importance of carbon fixation (through photosynthesis) and the importance of this in the amelioration of climate change.
The National Forest was and is a bold project, focusing on some 200 square miles of central England (parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire). The area includes farmland and the relics of coalfields & mineral workings, with some pockets of ancient woodland – for example, Charnwood Forest to the east and Needwood Forest to the west. A map of the area of the National Forest can be seen here . Read more…
Woodland burials on a grand scale
In the UK, we tend to think of woodland burials as a very informal and personal thing. On a recent trip to Sweden, I visited a woodland graveyard at the other end of the scale.
Skogskyrkogården on the outskirts of Stockholm is vast; you have to be there to truly appreciate the sheer size of the place. Established in the early 1900s it is completely unlike any other cemetery before it. So much so, that it is considered one of the most important creations of modern architecture – and as such was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1994. The graves are for the most part low and simple; the natural surroundings – typical Nordic forest of mainly conifers and birch – are the centrepiece, not the monuments.