A range of research projects into ash dieback disease, launched by Defra, are beginning to produce results. Previously known as Chalara fraxinea, the new correct name for the fungus is now Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Field trials growing young ash trees have now completed their third year, growing seedlings from 15 seed sources. With two years left
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Last month saw the sad closure of the Silvanus Trust, a charity based in the south west and dedicated to conserving woodlands and bringing small woods back into active management. Silvanus was established in 1986, growing from a three year pilot called the East Cornwall Small Woodland Project. The projects only member of staff was
Rob Penn is back with a new book about all the things you can make with ash timber. You may remember Rob as the presenter of Tales from the Wild Wood which was on BBC4 in 2014. In a series of programmes Rob takes on the management of a neglected wood near his home in
While most purchasers of small amenity woodlands do so for the pleasure of ownership it is nevertheless a big financial outlay. Protecting the value of the investment is therefore important, and ideally it will rise in value as well. The woodland market has been strongly influenced by the rise in the number of small woodland
Hakeford Woods Forest School has recently opened on some land we recently sold to Stuart near Chelfham. He has given up a teaching job in order to develop the forest school, which is being run as a community interest company. If you haven’t come across forest schools before they aim to build the connections of
It’s not all woodlands here; for the last month I have been popping up to Chelfham to work on a new fence, so that we can reintroduce grazing to some old meadows. Species rich wildflower meadows have declined steeply since the Second World War, as intensive farming, with short term leys, fertilisers and herbicides have
We have been back at work in Chelfham Woods in the last month, fitting in track work between the hibernation and breeding seasons for dormice. Last autumn we constructed a series of tracks, and stoned them from a quarry on site. This spring our main focus has been to build a bridge across the river
The simple answer is as big as possible! This gives economies of scale for foresters and woodland managers, but is also good for wildlife. But then the accountant or bank manager gets involved, and it becomes a question of what can you afford? From a wildlife point of view, the technical phrase is island
Most ancient trees are defined as those believed to be over 400 years old, although it can be less, for species with a shorter life span. 400 years is also used to define ancient woodlands, a timescale initially defined by how far back our map records tend to go. Oliver Rackham wrote: ‘Ten thousand oaks
Details of the new Countryside Stewardship grants, which will be combine the old Environmental Stewardship and Woodland Grant Schemes, are beginning to be released. Last week an interim scheme was announced to cover three main areas of activity: 1. Woodland Planning Grants 2. Tree Health Grants 3. Grants for Woodland Creation The new woodland creation
