Once again it was a pleasure to meet everyone who called in at the Woodlands.co.uk  stand at Westonbirt over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Read more...

We did a survey on sheds for storage amongst woodland owners and although the sample is small, the results were nevertheless interesting .   We had responses for 27 woods; 14 had no shed and 13 woods already had a shed in use. The woods were mostly between 5 and 14 acres in area. The prime use for a shed is storage. All of the respondents quoted forestry tools and materials; all but three quoted camping kit, tables, chairs, kettles, Read more...

The latest Breeding Bird Survey for the British Trust for Ornithology in partnership with The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, has highlighted a significant decline in woodland bird species.  The annual survey has revealed numbers down by more than 50% in several species, the worst hit being the willow tit down by 77%.  Read more...

....or 'traveller's joy' to use another of its many names, is a vigorous climber.  As it grows and matures, it forms woody stems as thick as a wrist, and the plant may grow to a height of 40 feet or more. Like other members of the Clematis genus, it climbs using its leaf stalks (petioles).  These entwine around any convenient support or structure in their vicinity and then lignify (become woody). In the UK and many parts of Europe, it may be seen in a variety of habitats such the edges of woodlands, hedges, or within woods where a gap in the canopy has formed; though it does tend to like chalky soils. Clematis belongs to the same family as buttercups, the Ranunculaceae.  Clematis sp. are the only woody members of the Ranunculaceae.   The flower structure is also unusual in that the flowers of Clematis species actually have no petals!  The showy, petal-like structures (for which garden species are most valued) are, in fact, sepals. Read more...

The Forestry Commission is a government department whose main functions are to manage most of the forestry land owned by the government and to regulate the UK’s privately owned forests and woodlands.    It also has a significant research branch headquartered at Alice Holt on the Surrey/Hampshire border.  The Commission was set up in 1919 after the First World War with the twin aims of developing a reliable source of timber and creating employment in the forestry sector. Read more...

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. Read more...

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. Read more...