http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog A blog about woodland activities, outdoor skills and conservation Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:14:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Everyone knows the role of trees in alleviating carbon pollution, but less well known is their ability to clean water and control flooding.  http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/conservation/woodlands-and-water/ Many people with small woodlands are attracted by the idea of using their wood for charcoal making.  You can either allow a charcoal burner to use your woodland for a season or you can try making it yourself.   Several people who have bought woodlands from us have successfully made their ... http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/practical-guides/how-do-you-make-charcoal/ Any woodland which has remained as woodland for the last 400 years (since 1600) is described as “ancient woodland”.  http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/conservation/what-is-ancient-woodland/ A selection of courses from some of our favourite training providers … http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/events-places/woodland-courses-2008-part-2/ Anyone who’s walked through a wood and smelt that distinctive onion-y smell has been near one of the commonest, but little used, wild foods.  Wild Garlic (Alium ursinum) or ransoms is common in woods all over the UK.   http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/wild-food/wild-garlic-recipes/ In recent years, there has been a new entrant to the RHS list of top ten garden pests.   Its ‘top ten’ list is based on the number of inquiries that it receives to its advisory service.  The newcomer is the rosemary beetle, Chrysolina americana.  http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/nature-surveys/the-rosemary-beetle/ During man's history, rope and cordage has been made from numerous materials. http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/working-with-wood/rope-and-cordage/ There are lots of ways to cope with the irritation of being bitten by insects in woodlands and here are some ideas from various experienced woodland workers. http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/wildlife/midges-mosquitoes-and-marmite-coping-with-insects-in-woodlands/ You may remember a great blog a couple of months ago by Jackie of Play Action about her forest school plans.  Their latest project is to build some “facilities” at their wood in Ashford, Kent – pretty essential if you have lots of kids visiting!  Would you like to take ... http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/events-places/treebog-course-with-the-natures-playground-project-quite-beautiful-toilets/ Here is an answer to all those questions on the Red squirrel, grey squirrel blog asking about the introduction of grey squirrels! http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/wildlife/how-did-the-grey-squirrel-arrive-in-the-uk/