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Ancient woodland

Ancient woodland

by Chris, 24 November, 2010, 4 comments

  In the U.K. about 11.8% of the land is covered by forest, (Thomas and Packham, Ecology of Woodlands and Forests). The amount of ancient woodland, within this, is very low.  Ancient woodland is also fragmented and dispersed. Ancient woodland is a term that is applied to areas where trees have been present in the landscape for many hundreds of years, not necessarily as great continuous tracts but as discrete plots or areas. Read more...
myForest: a service for woodland owners

myForest: a service for woodland owners

by Gabriel Hemery, 14 November, 2010, 3 comments

In April this year, the Sylva Foundation launched a new web-based service; myForest.  Interest and support for the service has been encouraging, with some 5300 hectares mapped by 200 woodland owners across Britain, in the first six months.  Quite a large number of these are members of the Small Woodland Owner Group. Read more...
Botanic Gardens, Arboreta ........

Botanic Gardens, Arboreta ……..

by Lewis, 29 October, 2010, 1 comments

There are over 2,200 botanic gardens in 153 countries around the world and the UK's oldest is Oxford's.  It is fairly small considering how many plants it contains, covering about 4.5 acres, and it feels very like the Chelsea Physic Garden in London.  This may not be too surprising as they were both founded to support the practice and teaching of medicine.  The Oxford Botanic Gardens were founded in 1621 as the Physic Garden and after only a few years the yew tree (see photo below) was planted which is still in the garden today.  Read more...
Autumn leaves

Autumn leaves

by Chris, 25 September, 2010, 3 comments

At the end of the summer, the leaves should have done their job; that of making sugars to be used in growth, the formation of new twigs and branches, forming fruits and seeds.  However, winter is not conducive to photosynthesis or growth; Read more...
Sitka Spruce Surprises

Sitka Spruce Surprises

by Angus, 9 August, 2010, 4 comments

About 70% of Britain's commercial tree plantations are Sitka Spruce.  The Forestry Commission have been planting sitka since as far back as the 1930s both because it is able to survive in inhospitable peaty conditions and because sitka grows fast and produces good quality timber.  Botanically called Picea sitchensis, sitka spruce is most easily identified by the "three p's": it has a pointed crown, its leaves (needles) are on pegs and it has pendant cones. Read more...
Citrus Longhorn beetle

Citrus Longhorn beetle

by Chris, 5 August, 2010, 1 comments

This last week, a Citrus longhorn Beetle was found in Rutland.  This beetle is found occasionally on imported trees, such as Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum).  However each finding or interception (as the finding of the occasional beetle is sometimes termed) is treated seriously as the beetle, which is native to China and Japan, has established itself in Lombardy and other parts of the EU.  Read more...
Sudden Oak Death

Sudden Oak Death

by Chris, 30 July, 2010, 12 comments

Sudden Oak Death is in the news. A number of the national and regional news programmes have recently carried reports of the felling of larch trees in the South West. Read more...
Our changing flora

Our changing flora

by Chris, 9 June, 2010, 7 comments

Our changing flora All of our present plants have arrived in the U.K. since the end of the last Ice Age, about ten to twelve thousand years ago.  Plants and animals moved north as the sheets of ice gradually retreated; they were able to do this as ‘we’ were still joined directly to parts of Europe -by a great plain with meandering rivers, so that present-day East Anglia was linked to parts of The Netherlands and North Germany. Read more...

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