The Woodlands.co.uk Blog - Woodland Activities
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…
Annuals rings, climate and history
Dendrochronology seeks to gather information on tree rings, dated to their year of formation, and to use this information to established the age of artefacts (like the timbers of a boat or remains of house) or determine the nature of the climate in times past.
Annual rings form in temperate trees because the xylem vessels or early wood formed in late spring and early summer (when lots of growth occurs) are wider and lighter than those formed in late summer & early autumn, which are narrower and darker (sometimes called the late wood). A light and dark ring together constitute one year’s growth. In winter, there is no growth.
The various branches of dendrochronology (dendroarchaeology, dendroclimatology) are based on the uniformitarian principle. This says that the various factors that currently influence tree growth and hence tree ring development will have operated in the past. Through knowledge of these factors (physical and biological) that have influenced current and recent tree ring growth, it is possible when looking at tree ring samples from old wood artefacts / timbers to ‘reconstruct’ the climate of the past.
Motivations for buying woodland
We recently surveyed 149 woodland owners to find out why they bought pieces of woodland, and what they did with them. The full report can be downloaded here but you may be interested in some of the key findings. Unsurprisingly we saw that for the great majority (89%) a love of wildlife was an important factor in buying their wood, as was having a place where they, their family and friends can relax in some solitude (90%), conservation (86%) and to have a source of wood fuel for their own use or sell to others (75%). Read more…
Forestry Commision – the National Forest Inventory (NFI).
The Forestry Comission has just announced the first results of the National Forest Inventory (NFI); the NFI replaces the National Inventory of Woodlands and Trees (NIWT). The ‘woods and trees’ inventory has been compiled (using various methods) since the 1920’s when there was considerable concern about the ‘stock’ of woodland and timber that could used in an ‘emergency’; e.g. when it was not possible to import timber from Europe or ‘The Empire’ as was the case during WW1. Read more…
Catching woodland wildlife – on camera
There is a lot going on in the woods which you don’t see. Well, I don’t see it anyhow. I clomp around in my big boots, singing little ditties, letting my dog roam free, blissfully unaware of the havoc I am causing. Meanwhile every creature for miles around is bolting for cover, hiding away, disappearing until the danger is past. I guess if I had the patience I could set up a hide and wait quietly. Might have to tape up the dog for that to work. However, while I have the greatest admiration for people that can sit for hours without even a twitch, I am not one of them. 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…
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.