The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and Dr Paul Bright (Royal Holloway) have been studying the hedgehog population to see how it is coping with changes in farming practices, urban developments etc. The general conclusion is that the numbers of this mammal are declining – see the woodland blog. The mole, like the hedgehog, is insectivorous and there is concern about its numbers. It is thought to be one of the most common wildlife mammals in the UK, but we do not really know how many there are, nor where they are! Read more...

Tree trunks (and some of the roots) are covered with bark. Bark is the material or tissue that overlays and surrounds the wood (xylem tissue) of a tree. It consists of a number of different tissues, whose amount varies from species to species.   The outermost layer consists of dead cells – the cork. The bark protects the tree from dehydration, from physical damage or fire (sometimes), and disease due to bacteria and fungi. It may also offer a home to insects and various epiphytes (mosses and lichens). Read more...

Proper training is essential if you're planning to use a chainsaw. Make enquiries with the National Trust or your local agricultural college about City & Guilds NPTC Forestry, Chainsaw and Arboriculture courses. Mike Pepler gives us the lowdown on his course:- Read more...

You may have seen doom-laden stories in the press recently about “oak decline” (or “oak dieback”) -  “the mighty oak battles for survival”. The situation is probably not as serious as reported, but it is a fascinating story. Read more...

What better way to while away a few hours on a sunny spring day than to carve yourself a spoon? For spoon carving, you will only need a good sharp knife, a small pruning saw and a crook or hooked knife to gouge out the bowl of the spoon. Birch and sycamore are both good woods to use and, as you become more practised, you will be able to experiment with many different species.  Read more...

Did you know that if someone gets their arm stuck in a chipper you mustn't switch it off?  Well, I do ......... now! Read more...

The reason I made the hurdles at first was to hide an unsightly rubbish tip.  I decided they’d look a lot nicer than a garden-style fence. The wood I used was hazel as it’s easy to bend around the uprights.  Length is determined by the area to be hidden and available wood.  Read more...

It’s half-term and an excellent opportunity to get the children outside, particularly if the beautiful weather we’ve had for the last few days holds up.    Even if it doesn’t, just put on another layer and your waterproofs.  Here are Woodlands.co.uk’s suggestions for some woody half-term activities – and best of all, they’re absolutely FREE. go for a walk (and take a notebook to record/sketch what you see) explore build a camp cook sausages/toast marshmallows make some bannock bread brew some nettle tea build a den make a swing make a bird box to mark National Nest Box Week play hide and seek make a bow and arrows play at Robin Hood  take a map and a compass and try orienteering climb a tree learn your trees lie on your back and look up at the canopy take photographs take a magnifying glass and look at the lichens really close up look for an ancient / veteran tree see how many creepy crawlies you can find in an old fallen tree make your own nature trail research the history of your local woodland through old maps and its woodbanks listen to the birds do some animal tracking count the snowdrops put your wellies on and paddle in the stream make a dam play pooh sticks take a jam jar and do some pond dipping fish make a toy boat make pictures with fallen leaves, etc look for interestingly-shaped pieces of wood – it’s a sculpture! try wood whittling write a haiku or poem or a story take your paints and pencils get muddy just sit and listen to the silence or the sounds of the wood [caption id="attachment_42221" align="alignleft" width="675"] Bluebells[/caption]