A posting this week on trees, at the start of National Tree Week. During this week there’ll be plenty of events around, many of which will, of course, involve planting trees.
Here at Dove Stone we wanted to do something slightly different; it seemed like a good idea to celebrate National Tree Week and the tradition of Tree Dressing day together. So, this Saturday you’ll find us planting climbers such as Ivy and Honeysuckle around the trees at Ashway Gap. Climbers are an excellent food source throughout the year for birds and insects as well as providing ground cover and ideal nesting habitat. This really is tree dressing in its most natural form.
There’ll also be bird feeders to make on the day and hang ( either at Dove Stone or to take away ) as well as an information stall with lots of info on all things tree related and a few activities for the kids amongst ( both young and old ! ) thrown in. It’s a free event, all day, and all are welcome.
In addition to the continuing restoration work on Dove Stone’s peat bog tree planting has been part of the ongoing work on the moorland edges. The trees that are being planted now in future years will become established areas of woodland populated with native broadleaf trees such as Sessile Oak, Downy Birch, Rowan, Holly, Hawthorn and Alder. As well as providing habitat for insects, food and nesting sites for birds these trees will form natural tree corridors providing safe passage for the movement of both birds and bats around and through Dove Stone.
If you’re thinking of planting trees yourself then it might be worth having a look at sites such as the tree councils which has useful practical tips for tree planting: http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/community-action/national-tree-week/useful-information.
On an international level have a look at this http://gbmna.org/w.php?id=13 . The work of the Green Belt Movement and Wangari Maathai really does show what can be achieved. Amazing. Closer to home here’s a look at what else can be achieved when a group of people with a vision get together http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/index.html .
And there’s Harapan rainforest as well. Harapan is managed by the RSPB, in partnership with Birdlife International and Burung Indonesia. Currently the RSPB are campaigning to plant a million tree that will form a wildlife corridor between areas of existing rainforest.
To find out more about this amazing project check out this link http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/sumatra/milliontrees.aspx
A couple of other sites worth a look www.woodlandtrust.org.uk and also Greater Manchester’s community owned forest www.redroseforest.org.uk.
Apart from it being National Tree Week it seems timely to be writing of trees with news last month of the government’s plans to sell as much as 150,000 hectares of forest and woodland in England. Will selling off Forestry Commission land result in an increase in community involvement in the management of England’s woodlands and forests, a decentralised, more local approach in a move towards the ‘ Big Society ’ ? On principle should publicly owned assets be sold to private ownership? Essentially this government is saying that private ownership is not incompatible with a committment to the best management of England’s woodlands. If, as Caroline Spelman claims, the sale is motivated by the wish to protect the natural environment, increase biodiversity and reverse species loss will the priorities of business really be concordant with this ? Would charities and land trusts be able to compete financially next to private ownership ? Here’s a priceless quote from Ms Spelman: ‘ putting more woodlands into alternative ownership will not lead to a free-for-all of golf courses, holiday parks or housing developments – I imagine local planning departments would have some strong views and use a range of safeguards to prevent this happening. ’ Maybe not, but I think I’d rather have something a bit more tangible then the somewhat unsettling concept of relying on the imagination of Caroline Spelman...