The Woodlands.co.uk Blog - Woodland Activities
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.
What is Treen?
Treen is literally “of the tree”, objects made of wood. In the days before plastic, wood was the commonest and most inexpensive material for all the small household items we take for granted – bowls, spoons, boxes etc. Also wooden-handled tools and implements. Collectively, these came to be known as “treen”. In these days of mass production, there isn’t much reason to spend time carving these items except for the pleasure of working wood and the creative satisfaction of making something. Nevertheless, it is an increasingly popular craft and beautiful treen items are often for sale at craft and wood fairs.
Rosehip Syrup
After a pretty dull and rainy summer, the woodlands and hedgerows are glowing with colour as berries ripen and mushrooms spring up overnight. Autumn is my favourite time of year in the woods and already I’m looking to experiment with a little more than the usual blackberries, which, as always, are juicy and plentiful. Read more…
“Nature’s Playground” Marchwood Art Project (2008)
I became involved with the project when I answered an advertisement in the Artist News magazine (AN). It was under the heading “Loose Dogs and Loose Artists”. The title intrigued me, so I contacted them and arranged a meeting. After receiving a large page of directions on how to find it, this is how the project began. The first mystery was solved when I arrived at the meeting point, opposite the entrance gate there was a sign that read: “LOOSE DOGS KEEP OUT”.
Men Only – Are we excluding women from UK woodlands?
One of the cultural issues we have come across at Woodlands.co.uk is that historically forestry has been a men-only sort of thing.
Sheds in Woodlands
We did a survey on sheds for storage amongst woodland owners and although the sample is small the results were interesting ……
Rowanberry Jelly
The hardy rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia) is found all over the northern hemisphere. It can grow at elevations of up to 1,000 feet, hence its other name, the mountain ash. Found throughout the UK, it is most common in Scotland. Its berries are very popular with birds and it’s quite common to see rowan saplings growing in inaccessible, rocky crevices where bird droppings have fallen.
Pea Sticks and Beanpoles
A by-product of coppicing and thinning, pea sticks and bean poles are an alternative to imported, bamboo canes in the garden or vegetable plot.