When you step into your garden during the Spring or Summer months, you might be aware of the scent of honeysuckle, lavender or indeed an old fashioned rose.  Similarly, in a woodland the scent of pine or other conifers may permeate the air.  These various scents often involve a group of compounds known as the terpenes.  The resin that exudes from pine bark is rich in terpenes. Terpenes are used in the building of many complex organic molecules and contribute to the make-up of volatile, organic compounds [VOCs] - produced by many plants.  The scents released from nectaries or other parts of flowering plants are often associated with attracting pollinating insects, but they can serve other functions.  For example, some VOCs released by a plant may warn surrounding plants of attack by insects. However, as you walk down the street, the air is rarely filled with these pleasant, natural scents. Instead the fumes of traffic, factories and industry assail us.  They are the exhaust emissions from cars, lorries, buses etc, plus the various bits and pieces [particulates] that are released from the ‘rubber’ of car tyres, brake pads etc.  The damaging effects of particulates are now well documented.  The effects include lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and reduced lung function.   Particulates help create the concoction of substances that we inhale; sadly our air is often polluted with many different compounds. Scientists from Oxford University and Kew recently investigated air quality in different locations around Oxford.  The locations varied from the centre of the town, where the Botanic Garden is found, out to the University’s Wytham Woods.  Wytham is one of the most intensively studied woodland areas in the world.  The wood ‘holds’ 500 plus plant species and 800 or more butterfly and moth species. Records of bird populations go back some sixty or more years (largely due to the work of David Lack and others).   The air samples that the scientists collected were subjected to detailed chemical analysis using the technique of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Some 245 different compounds were identified in the various air samples, with each of the six different sites haveing their own signature collection of chemicals.  Sites near to busy roads contained high levels of benzene and toluene, which are traffic-related chemicals.  The tree rich areas naturally showed a greater presence of plant chemicals (VOCs).  Unsurprisingly, when they sampled the air in the Botanic Garden (over the course of a year), they found the highest levels of these plant compounds.  Warmer weather increased the levels of these VOCs / plant derived chemicals, which have been associated with improved mood and stress reduction. Full details of the Oxford study here : https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70191

Scientists from the Meteorological Office use radar data to track approaching storms and changing weather patterns.   The radar works by sending out pulses of microwaves, these bounce off rain drops and other particles in the air.  The time that it takes for this signal to return, plus its intensity gives information about the approaching weather. Early radar [during the Second World War] also picked the movement of ‘angels’. These ‘angels’ were later recognised as the movement of birds, bats and insects.  Scientists then had to develop techniques to remove this ‘biological scatter / material’, so that they could accurately predict storms etc. By removing this ‘biological component’ of the signal, a lot of biological information about the movement of birds, bats and insects was being ‘discarded’.   Now, scientists from the University of Leeds have ‘repurposed’ the radar data (from many radar stations, which scan the skies many times each day & night) but this time they remove the data relating to the weather.  This leaves information about the insects moving at a height of some 500 / 700 metres above the ground.  The results showed that some 11.2 trillion insects are moving during the day, and that this reduces to some five trillion at night.   Some of these insects are actively flying, but some are being carried by the wind  / thermals.  Furthermore, there were more insects above areas such as woodlands, grasslands and even urban areas.  However, the numbers were lower over intensively farmed areas, where plant biodiversity was reduced as compared to woodland or natural grassland.  The numbers were also lower where artificial lighting was high.   Other work by the CEH, Newcastle University and Butterfly Conservation, has involved surveys of grassland and hedgerows in southern England (Thames Valley) some of which were lit by streetlamp, others were unlit. The areas that were exposed to night time lights had roughly half the number of caterpillars as compared to the unlit areas.   In another study, LED lighting was set up in fields, and caterpillars' numbers in these illuminated fields were reduced.  The lighting may :- [caption id="attachment_40185" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cinnabar moth caterpillar.[/caption]   Deter nocturnal moths from egg laying. Make the night flying moths ‘easier targets’ for predators (such as bats). Affect the feeding habits of moth caterpillars. Whilst it would seem that night time light affects insects and the feeding behaviour of caterpillars,  quite how and why is yet to be determined.

Well, not ours exactly …. but during the spring and summer it’s rare for us not to see and hear the buzzards. In Woodcock Wood they fly above our backdrop of Corsican pine and make forays across the chestnut coppice, occasionally perching in the tall oaks. With open fields behind the pines, this makes the perfect habitat for this beautiful bird. We are lucky that Woodcock Wood is a small but central part of their territory. We see them most often in spring when the pair renew their vows in noisy and beautifully aerobatic courtship displays. It’s usually their calls that attract our attention, and then it is a privilege to watch their mastery of flight in these displays. Read more...

A while ago I came across an article on the Woodlands.co.uk website about buying a woodland in a SIPP and I thought it too good an opportunity to miss. Having recently successfully completed the process I thought it might be useful to share my experience with others who may be thinking about it. It’s worth knowing up front that although it is a relatively simple process, it is a bit more long-winded than purchasing with cash and there are a few more considerations to take into account. Here are the steps I went through: Read more...

William Shakespeare grew up in a leafy part of the country, Stratford-upon-Avon, and woodlands and forests were a very important part of many of his plays.  Forests were large areas governed by a different set of laws and they could include  marshes, bogs, fen, pasture, cultivated land and woodland.  Famously, Shakespeare made the "moving" of a woodland a pivotal point in his play 'Macbeth' when Birnam wood "moves" to Dunsinane as soldiers use branches as a camouflage in their assault on Macbeth's castle.  But he uses woodland settings in many other plays and the forest carries deeply symbolic meanings Read more...

Making gutters out of wood was traditional in most countries before the widespread use of metal and plastic made these a rarity.   But some people still use them to keep buildings looking as they would have been in the past and, actually, they work very well.  Certain woods work better than others - for example Scots pine, sweet chestnut and elm.  In Germany and America, pitch pine (Pinus rigida) was widely used for wooden gutters because of its high resin content. Read more...

Have you ever wanted to know how to stop fence posts rotting, how to choose which trees to plant, or how to build a pond so that it holds water?  This guidebook, originally written in the early 1980s, is packed with tips and explanations based on John Seymour’s own experience of improving his wooded smallholding in Pembrokeshire.  Lazy readers like me can follow the explanations through the drawings that Seymour’s wife, Sally, has scattered through the book.  But it’s not just a guide on how to manage woodlands and improve a smallholding – it’s also a whole philosophy of life……. “The reason”, says Seymour, “why our land is so desperately badly husbanded now is that it is held in too large units.”  Read more...

Making more use of small diameter wood Tim Parry is passionate about putting small diameter timber to good use. He has worked in Gloucestershire woodlands for over 25 years after initially training as a tree surgeon. In 1987 he first saw the need for more active woodland management while clearing up windblown timber in Sussex, following the "Great Storm".  At that point he realised just how much wood goes to waste and he is constantly working out ways to make the most of all the timber produced by coppicing. Read more...