In May 2025 my husband was on one of his usual runs and saw a sign saying woodlands for sale. We have looked for many years for a piece of land near to our home and this one turned out to be 12 minutes from where we lived. We found the particulars and made a visit to a 24 acre parcel of land which had one third covered with ancient woodland, and the rest being a pony paddock and a field. We put in an offer which was accepted and three months later we found ourselves the custodians of this beautiful 24 acre site . The land when we took it over 3 weeks ago was in quite a poor state. The previous owner had solely used it for her 3 horses, so the ancient woodlands, which contain mostly broadleaf oaks, was neglected and is in need of a huge amount of work. On walking the site over the last few weeks we have discovered a huge amount of fallen trees, very saturated ground and poorly cared for trees. The amount of brambles and nettles on the site is astronomical and will be a mammoth task to clear. In the last week we have managed to strim a path right around the perimeter to our fence line. The site has become our “happy place “ which our adult children also love. We have big plans for its future, creating paths, educating future generations and becoming good caretakers for the future of this beautiful place. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our future generations.”

I am in the process of becoming qualified to become a Forest School Leader, with the aim to run sessions in the future for all age groups. I have created a ‘policies and procedures handbook’ which includes risk assessments for every activity, accident plan, vision statement, qualifications, forest school principals, safe working procedures, risk benefit plan, and insurance details. So far, I have taught a range of lessons over a couple of weekends to a lovely family where they are learning new skills, cooking on the fire, and learning how to protect our woodland environment. Most importantly, they’ve had valuable time as a family where they can bond over their woodland experiences and chat whilst toasting marshmallows over the fire.  The first session was an introduction to what Forest School is all about and snippets of what I aim to deliver over the next few months. I met them at the station car park and walked them up to the woodland site and gave them a site orientation, identifying the boundaries and the admin area. They had a chance to explore the woods for themselves and then I gave a knot tying lesson. I demonstrated a few different types of knots including the reef knot and clove hitch, and they were able to practice these by making a rope swing, putting up ponchos and making a tripod chair. The real challenge was to see if they could sit on it with their whole-body weight!  Fire starting was the next activity and they got stuck in straight away and collected deadwood from the ground and formed the sticks up. After a few attempts at striking their flints and lots of perseverance, they got the fire going and layered on the sticks to keep it a light. This was not complete without toasted marshmallows on sticks, s’mores and a hot chocolate! Listening to the crackling of the fire, the warmth on their faces, the gooey marshmallows and good conversations were their favourite part of the day. They also had a lesson on a different type of fire, a Dakota firepit. Here, they learnt the benefits of having an underground fire and what they can cook too on it. Like every lesson, we talk about leaving no trace, so it was important that the end of the session we cleared away all the burnt sticks and logs and picked up any litter.  The second session we learnt about the layout of a woodland and all the animals. Working from the ground layer all the way to the canopy, we identified different animals and species that live or roam here. We discussed the benefits of natural habitats, human disturbance, and how we can encourage animals into the area. By learning to appreciate our surroundings, our respect and love for the outdoors will last forever.  After giving them a few ideas, they individually went away and made their own habitats. They came up with really creative ideas and it was fantastic to see them thinking about how they can protect the animals and keep them safe. They came up with a bird hide, tripod shelter, bug hotel, and tee-pee tent. It was great to see them using their knot tying skills from the previous session and putting it into practice. At the end of the lesson, we all walked around everyone’s habitats so they could describe and show off what they have made. Today’s session was all about cooking on the fire. They went straight into collecting sticks to burn on the fire, logs for the boundaries, and sticks for whittling so they can put their food onto them for toasting. The first challenge was preparing the food mixture to make damper bread; they got all the ingredients into a bowl and made a very sticky job of mixing it with their hands! Once they had a nice doughy mixture, they spun it around their sticks and started toasting them on the fire. Having a nice burnt, crispy outer dough with a drizzle of hot honey was by far the favourite!  Next, we learnt how to cook on the embers, and of course, there are only two ways to teach this, popcorn and chocolate banana boats! This went down a treat as they hadn’t had this before; they prepared their chocolates in bananas, wrapped it up in tin foil, and using a fire glove, they put them onto the embers for 5 minutes. 5 minutes of cooking, 30 seconds of eating and they were all gone, success! The popcorn was also a hit, listening to the popping against the tins and then drizzling hot honey sauce over them to make them nice and sweet. With all this tasty work, we couldn’t go a miss without having a hot chocolate. We put stakes into the ground either side of the fire pit, laid a log across the top and hung our kettle from the middle over the flames.  What was really nice to observe was the fact that they were all communicating when making the damper bread, chatting away whilst collecting sticks, and having a laugh whilst waiting for their food to cook was priceless. Meaningful conversations in an outdoor environment are so valuable and good for everyone’s wellbeing and this is at the forefront of why I want to become a forest school leader.  Laura  

Fallow deer were probably introduced to England in Norman times and soon established themselves in woodlands and forests. Indeed, deer hunting was a popular ‘sport’ [for royalty and the aristocracy] for centuries. Fallow deer tend to live in isolated, single sex groups. At the time of the annual rut (September to October), the sexes come together and young are usually born in the following May / June, and weaned by October. The herds tend to forage over a wide area. staying only for a short time in any one place. They are herbivores and grazers.  They feed on ground vegetation, particularly during spring and summer. They may also take the bark from trees, this can  cause distorted growth of grazed plants or  result in the death of young trees or prevent the  natural regeneration of woodland.  Allow the entry of disease causing bacteria or fungi.  Recently staff from Bangor and Reading university have investigated the diet of fallow deer in some detail.  They studied deer in three woodlands in the Elwy Valley (North Wales).  The researchers use a DNA sequencing technique termed metabarcoding, which can identify which plants are present in deer droppings.  Samples from droppings were collected  from the woods every month for two years.  Samples were also collected from deer in a local zoo for comparison.  The researchers expected the deer droppings to contain lots of grass DNA all year round, with material from broadleaf trees at certain times of year.   However, the results were surprising in that bramble made up to half of the diet of the woodland deer in late summer, and rose to 80% in winter.  Perhaps unsurprisingly they ate large quantities of acorns in autumn, and leaves from the broadleaved trees in Spring and Summer.  Grass turned out to be a small part of their diet, reaching a peak of 6% in the Autumn.  Also rare was DNA from coniferous trees. A survey of the vegetation in the woodlands showed bramble (Rubus fruticosus) was abundant, offering edible material throughout the year.  It was a consistent food source. The ‘dominance’ of bramble in woodlands may be the result of the opening up of tree canopies as a result of severe storms [more frequent in recent times], and the death of trees from disease.  Access to light, means that brambles can regrow quickly and colonise open ground, where trees have fallen.  Brambles can form a prickly barrier around young trees, which protects the saplings from the browsing of the deer.  However, it can also smother young trees and shade out some of the woodland ground flora.  Intensive deer browsing can limit the growth of brambles, so there is a balance to be struck.   Analysis of the different plant DNA’s in deer droppings [faeces] of the six deer species in the UK will help build an understanding of the ecological role of deer in our woodlands. Full details of the DNA metabarcoding work here :  https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2688-8319.70008 or https://www.bangor.ac.uk/news/2025-02-10-why-the-study-of-deer-poo-in-north-wales-could-shed-light-on-the-future-of-woodland  

A good friend of mine is tragically dying of cancer. He has spent a good part of his retirement chopping and stacking logs for his home and he sees this as part of his duty to look after his wife. He has often explained to me how to make kindling and how to split logs efficiently and safely and, like me, he has always been interested in how other people stack their logs. This picture is one of his own log piles. Storing firewood is far more than piling logs in a corner. In the UK’s damp climate, how you stack and season wood makes a big difference to how well it burns. The secret is to keep it dry, to create airflow and to make it accessible. A rule of thumb among woodfuel users is that a well-stacked pile may be about 70% “solid wood” with about 30% air gaps, whereas loose heaps might drop to only 40% wood or less and are hard to handle. Stacking also allows you to go higher and a wood stack can be used as a temporary wall for a screen or a windbreak. Logs should be off the ground (often on pallets or a raised plinth) and arranged with small spaces between them rather than in a random heap. Ultimately moisture levels need to drop below 20%. Many people - such as my friend - use the straightforward “row stack” method: logs laid horizontally, tightly but with small air gaps, in rows on a raised base, with a cover on top but open sides. It’s functional, efficient, and relatively quick. However, more decorative or artistic stacks have become popular, sometimes as garden features, but also as a way of celebrating wood itself. One example is the Holz Hausen or "round house" where logs are arranged in a circular, inward-leaning structure to shed rain and encourage drying. Another system is crisscross or “grid” stacking (alternating orientations by layer) to add structural strength while allowing airflow. Sometimes hobbyists create log mosaics or colour-sorted stacks, either by colour of the wood or the bark to build visual patterns. There have even been stacks shaped as domes, cubes, or sculptures. Some “log art” images show stacked owl or heart shapes, or wood as garden sculpture. The Dull Men’s Club is a UK group celebrating “mundane” hobbies and they frequently share pictures of beautiful wood stacks. In some rural UK properties, it’s not unusual to see stacks that form entire sheds or rows along wood sheds measuring over 10 metres long. Some woodland owners will harvest and stack multiple seasons’ worth of fuel, turning their woodlot into a homegrown energy store. The Dull Men's Club website says that they do a lot "more than watch the paint dry." An emerging idea is that wood fuel is virtuous as a locally grown energy source. People with small woodlands or hedgerows may plan rotational coppicing or tree thinning with the intent to supply their own heating. The idea is: plant a tree today, in 20–40 years it's fuel, stack it well, burn it in winter. Fuel from your land, stacked carefully, can contribute to sustainability. The old saying is that it warms you three times - when you cut it, when you handle it and when you burn it. Stacking firewood is a humble but fascinating intersection of craft, utility, and sometimes artistry. Smart stacking is almost as important as the wood itself.  And for those treating wood as a renewable, grown-on-your-land fuel, it becomes a statement of independence and planning. For some people their "firewood legacy" will be more than just the years' supply of firewood they have left behind, but will also be what they have passed on to others about how to handle and store firewood.

Autumn is here, whether you follow the definition of meteorological autumn, which starts on the first of September or the astronomical autumn which starts at the autumn equinox.  The equinox is when day and night length are equal, after that time the days get shorter. Or it might be that you are noting the signs of the seasons changing.  The BBC, the Woodland Trust and Nature’s Calendar chart the advance of autumn by recording events in the life of key species, for example blackberry, hawthorn, swifts, conkers, ivy and oak.  The information collected helps build a picture of how climate change is affecting the time of flowering, fruiting  etc. of many species. The blog has already commented on the early flowering of the blackberries but now woodlands are starting to transform into a mosaic of reds, yellows, and oranges as the leaves prepare to be shed and the woodland floor becomes a fungal jungle, (as Jasper has described). Hawthorn, Blackthorn and other bushes are laden with berries, conkers and acorns will be strewn across woodland floors. Squirrels eat hazelnuts (and hide some of them as a winter food store).  This banquet of fruits and seeds may be a response to the long, hot and very dry summer we have just experienced.  Trees and shrubs have been stressed by the heat and drought. Some have responded by mobilising their reserves / efforts into producing more fruits and seeds, to ensure that they pass on their genes to the next generation.   [caption id="attachment_24651" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Sloes on Blackthorn[/caption] If it seems like you have been noticing more acorns on the trees than normal that could be down to a "mast year”. Mast years occur roughly every five to ten years and refer to years when certain species of trees Like oak & beech) and shrubs produce a larger than normal crop of berries, nuts and fruit.  This boost in production means far more is produced than can be eaten  by the usual herbivores, squirrels, dormice etc, thus ensuring at least some of the mast goes on to grow new plants.  However, this ‘over-production’ can come at a cost to the tree, using vital resources so that growth in the subsequent year may be reduced.  Quite what causes trees and shrubs to ‘go mad’ and overproduce is not known but some theories are explored in a previous blog, though the weather in Spring is an important factor. [caption id="attachment_42689" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Collecting acorns.[/caption]

This year's Spring saw a number of fires damaging important UK wildlife habitats.  In Northern Ireland, wildfires have often spread through gorse, which is widespread, often dry and flammable.  One such fire occurred at Slieve Beagh.  The area is mainly blanket bog, with small lakes and streams.  The fire here raged for three days and has destroyed a large area of blanket bog.  It was described as a ‘hot burn’, in that it advanced slowly and burned deep into the blanket bog. Hotter and drier Springs have contributed to greater amounts of dry material,  The bog is the habitat of the hen harrier - an endangered species, as well as being important site for migrating and over-wintering birds. [caption id="attachment_42436" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Moorland[/caption] There will now been a concerted effort to restore the area, which was designated a RAMSAR (wetland) SITE in 1999 and is an area of special scientific interest.  Whilst the burnt area is now green again, the new vegetation lacks the variety of original plant species.  Much is grass, which could contribute to another fire; it will take many years for species like sphagnum moss, bog myrtle and bilberry to return. Sphagnum moss creates a habitat that helps in formation of. Peat.  Peat forms in wetland conditions, when water accumulates and oxygen is limited slowing the rate of decomposition.  If the bog flora can be re-established, then insects will return and, in turn, the birds.  An absence of predators, coupled with suitable weather would see successful broods of chicks raised, and a functional ecosystem restored. The RBCT (River Blackwater Catchment Trust) is working with various agencies to create a fire plan. Burns apart from destroying the habitat, release vast quantities of carbon dioxide from the stored carbon in the peat.   The plan is to include  the introduction of grazing, which should help control the amount of accumulation of flammable vegetation, and  make use of technology such as drones to find and fight fires.   Drones might also spot people, who are frequently responsible for such fires.  

Blackberries are one of the best-known fruits in the rose family. They’re often collected in the wild from hedgerows and woodlands.  September and October are usually the peak months for blackberry forays, but this year blackberries [with the exceptional warmth of the Spring and summer months], they have been ripening early.  Some ripe fruits were spotted back in June!  The fruits start off green, but as they mature they become red and finally black from stem to tip. The bramble has a perennial root system with biennial stems. In the first year, the stems (sometimes called canes) grow vegetatively, but in their second year they produce flowers and fruit.   Then they die back but the dried stems together with their prickles / thorns can persists for some time.  It is a good idea to wear some protective gloves when rummaging for these fruits. The leaves of the bramble are compound, with 3 - 5 - 7 leaflets which have serrated edges.  Its flowers are white to a subtle shade of pink.  They have 5 petals and first appear in early Spring.  They are attractive to pollinators such as bumblebees. Blackberries are a nutritious fruit, rich in Vitamin C but also contain other nutrients, e.g. Vitamin K and manganese.  A cup full of blackberries can provide 7 grammes of dietary fibre.   The colourings of the fruits (anthocyanins and flavonoids) are a source of antioxidants. Blackberries are a food source for wildlife food, many birds, foxes, and many small mammals (for example the dormouse) feed on the berries.  However, this earlier appearance of autumnal fruits may cause problems.  For example, some birds feed upon insects in the Spring and summer months but by autumn they move over to seeds and fruits, like blackberries. But what if the fruits have come and gone, and there are just the shrivelled remains of once juicy fruits.  There could be a 'food gap', this would be especially series for animals trying to prepare for the relatively barren days of winter.  Deer may feed on bramble leaves. If large amounts of bramble are allowed to grow in a woodland, it can affect the microclimate of the ground  layers.  This influences the growth and development of other plants. Whilst brambles can offer protection from browsing by deer and / or rabbits of young tree saplings, they can also suppress the development of light loving species.  A thicket of brambles can also offer a home to some birds, like the nightingale. Further reading - see here

To many people, the dandelion is a pernicious weed.   First one makes its way into your garden, but then due to its reproductive capacity - there are dozens.  Each flower stalk may produce up to 200 seeds with their characteristic parachute for dispersal.  A plant may produce 10 or so flower stalks, so that it is a lot of seeds from a single plant.  Once the seeds  disperse and germinate, they produce a significant tap root which grows down into the soil seeking water and minerals.  The seedlings can survive in inhospitable places, like the cracks between street paving stones or on your drive. As the seeds are wind blown, they may travel considerable distances with the aid of their ‘parachutes'.  However, changes in agriculture, increasing use of herbicides etc have meant that countryside populations of dandelions have diminished.  This has affected the insects that feed upon the dandelions' nectar and pollen.  As the number of these insects falls, it affects the seed production of other plants that these insects visit. Interestingly, urban dandelions seem to benefit from the heat island effect in cities.  A city may be some 2oC warmer than its surrounding countryside, more so in the summer.   Dandelions seem to thrive in the heat, growing more rapidly than their 'rural cousins'.  Urban warmth also means that the plants can begin to flower soon after a milder and shorter winter, whereas other plants struggle to adapt to changing environmental signals.   The urban  dandelions provide a 'feast' for insects in early Spring when resources are limited.  Urban meadows can provide 90% of the nectar for pollinators, and 80% of the pollen. These provide sugars and proteins / amino acids for some 200 species of pollinators [ solitary bees, mining bees, bumble bees, hover flies and pollen beetles].  The gifts of the dandelions are helping many struggling insect populations. Interesting fact : Dandelions often reproduce by a sort of sub-sexual system (termed apomixis) that has resulted in some 200+ microspecies in the U.K.  These have been studied by Professor John Richards for some 40 years.  The species name Taraxacum officinale has a gg. (for aggregate) added to it - in recognition of all the variations of the plant that can be found.  Thanks to Angus for images. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum officinale