Woodlands.co.uk
National Tree Week 2011 – 26th November to 4th December
The Tree Council’s annual tree weeks have been an undoubted success, emanating from the 1973 “Plant a tree in ’73” campaign (some rather cynical individuals chanted “cut it down in ’74”) and must have resulted in not only in promoting the whole idea of trees but in planting many thousands across the country in parks, gardens, roadsides, corners of farmland and development sites to name but a few. The Tree Coucil ( http://www.treecouncil.org.uk) is our foremost campaigner and umbrella body for UK organisations involved in tree planting, care and conservation.
Forestry and woodlands are a long-term business but those of us planting in ’73 can see the fruits of our labours: we stand back and look up at the hornbeam, hazel, hawthorn and fieldmaple spreading wide and high; the oak, ash, beech and birch are trees, a miraculous metamorphosis from those tiny whips planted during the cold winter months – it seems like yesterday. We plant for the next generation but once established trees grow quickly so we can all enjoy watching them develop. 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…
Woodland Shelter Build.
A priority when staying out in the woods is a good water and wind proof shelter
The following photos show the construction of a hazel wood shelter to sleep 2-3 people.
We are out a lot, so we built it to last.
The photographs in the ‘strip’ below show the various stages in the construction of the shelter. Read more…
Fungi, mycorrhizae, truffles
The Fungi are a very diverse group of organisms, ranging from the true fungi (Mycota), which includes the mushrooms and toadstools, and the Oomycota (which includes the potato blight fungus). Unlike green plants, fungi do not have any chlorophyll so cannot make sugars and other compounds by photosynthesis. They get their sugars / carbohydrates through being saprobes (saprophytes), parasites, or sometimes symbionts. Read more…
Hedges, hedgerows ……
Why do hedgerows exist? Many were originally planted to contain livestock (sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens), others existed to define boundaries – who owned which parcels of land. Hedges often delineate fields; field is derived from the old English feld which means an area of felled trees. However, hedge construction and management was particularly associated with the process of enclosure, which transformed the landscape of England. This was often connected with the change of land use – from arable to pasture for sheep. Read more…
Making Sweet Chestnut Flour
The Sweet Chestnut is not a native tree to Britain. It is thought that the tree originated in Greece but and was planted in the Britain by the Roman, who planted the tree all across their conquered empire. This is presumably for the use of the nuts that grow on the tree. The nuts have formed an important food source for centuries where crops couldn’t be grown, and just like wheat the nuts can be ground into flour. Read more…
Ancient woodland
In the U.K. about 11.8% of the land is covered by forest, (Thomas and Packham, Ecology of Woodlands and Forests). The amount of ancient woodland, within this, is very low. Ancient woodland is also fragmented and dispersed.
Ancient woodland is a term that is applied to areas where trees have been present in the landscape for many hundreds of years, not necessarily as great continuous tracts but as discrete plots or areas. Read more…
How to Lay a Hedge
Hedges are an important part of our countryside, yet they are functional too.The use of hedges goes back hundreds of years (perhaps more) and is an effective way to keep in livestock and mark boundaries.They also have very important benefits for wildlife as they are home to many nesting birds, small mammals and many insects.Apart from being a habitat they also provide a corridor for the movement of animals across field systems and between woodland areas.Landowners need to maintain them but sometimes they get out of control (the hedges rather than the land owners) and once they reach over 4 metres in height they start to encroach upon fields and become “gappy” at the base.It is at this point that they need to be laid – ideally by an experienced hedge layer. Read more…