The official Latin name of the wood anemone is Anemone nemorosa but it is also known under many different and much more romantic sounding names – windflower, thimbleweed, wind crowfoot, smell fox or the helmet flower. These common names convey the affection in which this little woodland flower is thought of. This little perennial is referenced in many myths and legends including the anenome flower springing up where Aphrodite’s tears fell as she wept over the death of her lover, Adonis. The flowers are predominantly white but the petals can be tinged with pink or purple tones with a red stem. A similar plant is the buttercup anemone which has yellow colouring. The underground creeping habit ensures colonisation of the woodland floor forming large clumps in shaded and damp areas. Read more...

Broadly speaking, Biochar is charcoal that is not used for heating, barbecues or blacksmithing.  It is charcoal that is (often) used for soil improvement and carbon sequestration. Charcoal is created by pyrolysis – that is, the incomplete burning of wood or biomass when oxygen /air is restricted. Typically, full-time charcoal producers have a large, steel kiln* about three metres in diameter and over a metre in height.  This is loaded up with wood, mostly hardwoods such as oak, which have a very slow burn. The kiln is then sealed with a large lid.  To make charcoal, the burn must be slow and incomplete so that the wood dries out and its structure and capacity for burning remains.  This process – converting wood to charcoal – takes some 14-16 hours and produces ready-to-use lumps of charcoal.  To watch the process of charcoal making, visit woodlands TV. Read more...

People say that the problem with the world's food supply is not about having enough to go round but about having it where it's needed.  The same applies to woodfuel and energy in general.  Like many people ,I have recently installed a wood-burning stove and the challenge is to find easy ways of getting the firewood to the stove.  Of course, there is the cutting and splitting and seasoning the wood as well.   But , the other issue is getting it from woodland to home , in a way that is inexpensive and does not waste fossil fuels. Read more...

One plant that is currently adding a bit of colour to our lives is the Common Gorse - Ulex europaeus.  Brooms (Genista sp), Whins (Cytisus sp) and Gorses (Ulex sp) are all evergreen shrubs, with yellow flowers.  They are members of the Pea Family or Fabaceae - (formerly the Leguminosae).  Many members of the pea family have root nodules - which contain symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria. Whilst, the Common Gorse can be found in flower in late autumn and even in winter, it is in Spring that it flowers most strongly and profusely.  The flowers are said to have a coconut aroma. Read more...

Anyone who has ever been fortunate to be able to watch red squirrels in the wild will understand the attraction to them. They are fascinating, nimble creatures, scurrying around in the treetops, making what appear to be death-defying leaps from branch to branch, and tree to tree. The best way to try and detect whether they are around or not, is to stand quietly and perfectly still and look up into the treetops. Sometimes it is possible to catch a glimpse of one but, more often than not, if they are feeding, the sound can be heard of them chewing on pine cones, or the debris from the cones can be seen falling. Occasionally,  they can be seen rushing head first down a tree to the ground in order to bury nuts, which they will retrieve at a later time. Read more...

Today (2 April 2013) saw the first day of operation of a new Welsh Government Sponsored Body, Natural Resources Wales. From 1 April 2013 three organisations, the Forestry Commission Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales, and the Environment Agency Wales, merged, and the new organisation has also taken over a few responsibilities previously managed by the Welsh Government.  The merger has created the largest Welsh Government Sponsored Body, with more than 2000 employees. Read more...