Gilbert White (1720 to 1793) has often been labelled the first ever ecologist. He was a curate in Hampshire and Wiltshire and was an extraordinary observer of the natural world, keeping meticulous records of both the weather and the natural world around him. Even when he was away from home on church business he arranged for others to keep up his recordings.  White didn’t limit himself to any particular subject but was interested in woodlands, meadows, architecture and gardening: he even discovered a new species of mouse, the harvest mouse, which turns out to be the smallest rodent in the UK. He is described as the first ecologist because he made accurate scientific records and really studied the interdependence of plants, animals and the weather.   You can visit Gilbert White’s home, “The Wakes”, in Selborne where both the house and gardens are open most of the year (see visitor information at: www.gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk). It is just outside Petersfield and close to the A3.  On display is the original manuscript of Gilbert White’s famous book “Natural History of Selborne” (1789). Several features of the gardens are unusual or unique: a large barrel is mounted on a raised mound in which one can sit and view the gardens (see featured image above). This was Gilbert White’s invention and is called the “wine pipe”. There is also a laburnum archway, a very large tulip tree and yew topiary from the 1930’s.   Behind White’s garden was, and still is, a beech woodland on a chalky slope (this type of woodland is locally called a “hanger”).   Into this,  Gilbert White cut a zig-zag path that 250 years later still allows the visitor to walk up into the beech hanger. The highlight of our visit, however, was the Tea Parlour where the cakes are genuinely home made and many of the recipes are eighteenth century. The best thing on the menu for us, and we tried almost everything, was ham salad followed by hot fruit scones with jam and cream! Note :The Gilbert White field study centre runs various courses some of which are interesting for woodland owners, such as courses on hedge-laying, bird life, fungi identification and finding “wrigglies” (for children).

When on the trail, be it in Britain or abroad I like to carry the following ingredients with me to make what I call a Wild bread. Bannock originates from Scotland and was made with oats, flour, salt, and water but over time other ingredients have been added to the delight of our taste buds! This bread is particularly fun to make as a family. Read more...

The Moths Count project, run by Butterfly Conservation, is holding a number of events this summer to record national distribution of moths and to raise public awareness. The public are invited to take part in a programme of recording events: all you need is a torch and a pencil to record your findings. Read more...

The Turkey Oak (or Quercus cerris) is is a fast growing, tough tree; capable of surviving exposure in coastal regions. It was introduced as an ornamental tree into the UK in the eighteenth century,  being native to south east France across to the Balkans and Turkey.   It often has a long straight trunk (or bole), with branches that are somewhat more slender than those seen on English oaks. The leaves are distinctive and different from those of the native oaks (sessile or pedunculate). Whereas the leaf of the latter is quite broad, the leaf of the Turkey Oak is quite narrow and more ‘angular’ (see featured image);  it is also hairy or downy on its lower surface. One of the tree’s distinctive features is the bark, which has orange fissures near to the base of the trunk. Unfortunately, its timber is of little use as it splits and warps during seasoning. [caption id="attachment_37670" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Turkey oak bark[/caption] The Turkey Oak is considered by some to be a "weed species or pest species" because: it is fast growing it will hybridise with the English oak. it is a host to the Knopper Gall wasp Acorns form and mature some 18 months after pollination and are quite large. They may be an orange / brown at the base,  to a green-brown at the tip. The acorn 'cup' is 'hairy' (see image). The galls that form on the tree are abnormal growths.These galls are caused, in this case, by the development of wasp eggs within the plant’s tissues. The wasp (Andricus quercuscalicis) lays eggs in the catkins of the Turkey Oak, these hatch and develop into wasps which in turn lay their eggs in the flowers of the pedunculate oak. The acorns that form are grossly mis-shapen – and are called Knopper Galls. [caption id="attachment_40042" align="alignleft" width="150"] Gall[/caption] [caption id="attachment_40046" align="alignright" width="150"] Gall[/caption]       In some areas there are now systematic attempts to remove Turkey Oak and other non-native species from woodlands and forests.  

“Continuous cover” management is the opposite approach to “plant, thin and clear fell.” One of the main objectives of many woodland owners is to grow trees for timber, but there are two main ways to do this. Read more...

May 2007 marked the centenary of the birth of pioneering environmentalist, Rachel Carson (1907-1964). Publication of “Silent Spring” in 1962 marked a change in public opinion towards the use of chemicals and the natural environment. Read more...

Coppicing is a woodland management method in which the wood from a tree is harvested by cutting a suitable tree near ground level.  It subsequently regrows over a period of years without needing to be replanted. This technique is different from pollarding, in which branches are cut at, or above, head height, leaving the possibility of grazing underneath the growing branches. Coppicing is done on rotation: small areas of a woodland are cut each year in sequence leaving the areas not being cut to grow on for between 15 and 20 years for chestnut, and about 7 years for hazel. When an area of coppice is cut, it is all cut down, and creates a clearing. This periodic coppicing encourages the individual trees to live for up to hundreds of years. If the coppice cycle is managed correctly it can increase biodiversity in the woodland because of the beneficial effects of varying light levels reaching the woodland floor, and the range of different aged trees and stools in the woodland. The best time to coppice chestnut is well after the autumn leaf fall when the sap has gone down, and certainly well before the sap rises in the spring. The basic procedure for coppicing chestnut is as follows: Clear out all leaves and other debris around the base of the stool. Cut and clear away any dead or dying stems. Progressively cut each stem starting with the most accessible sections and working in to the centre of the stool. Ideally one cut should be made about 1-2 inches above where the branch grows out of the stool. That cut should be angled some 15 to 20 degrees from horizontal with the lowest point facing outwards from the centre of the stool. In some cases it maybe necessary to make a first cut higher and then trim back as above. Remember to: Fell away from the wind and fell all the poles in one direction. Make sure you are working upwind of any campfire Always leave a fire in a safe condition when leaving the woodland. Once cut, the poles produced are usually processed to some extent in the woodland: they are often cut to length, and perhaps de-barked. In many cases the coppicer will process further and create spiles (stakes or strong fencing posts), or will split the chestnut into various sizes for fencing. Some even make hurdles for keeping sheep in pens. An approximate guide the diameter of felled coppice for further processing is: Lathes: 1” to 1½” Tree stakes: 1½” to 2” Fencing Stakes: 2” to 3” Straining posts: 4” to 5” Post and Rails for cleaving: 6” to 8” In the UK the main trees that are coppiced are sweet chestnut, hazel and hornbeam. Chestnut has traditionally been used for fencing whereas hazel is more likely to have been used for thatching, hedge-laying spars and hurdle making. Hornbeam was used for charcoal making. Historically chestnut coppice growing has been strongest in the south East of England, especially Kent and East Sussex. Although it is said that the Romans introduced it, there is some evidence that coppicing was practised in England in Neolithic times. There are many areas of the UK where hazel and hornbeam have been grown, but the Midlands and Devon still have much hazel woodland useful for the remaining thatchers.

As reported in the woodlands blog last year, the red squirrel population in the UK is under threat. One of the threats is the parapox virus. This virus seemingly does little harm to grey squirrels (who act as a reservoir of infection); but red squirrels, once infected, develop skin ulcers, Read more...