Issue 16

ISSUE16

Arboriculture • Woodland • Forestry

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Acres of dedicated forest

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• NPTC Assessments • All Ground Based and Aerial Chainsaw Courses • MEWP Courses • LOLER Inspections • Chipper & Stump Grinder Training • Advanced Courses on Latest Techniques • Brushcutter and Clearing Saw

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ISSUE16

Arboriculture • Woodland • Forestry

Dal Parmar

David Lloyd-Jones

Navin Sehmi

Dal is one of the Directors at a World of Trees, she has over 10 years experience in Sales and Advertising and joined the publication team in February 2006. She has successfully raised the magazines profile to being at the forefront of the industry. Her main ongoing aims are to provide readers with articles of substance, providing informative and educational pieces.

David Lloyd-Jones is the originator of the term and the pruning procedure called “Reduction Via Thinning” © which is based on his research into the evolution of tree morphology and the ways that most trees structurally deal with periodic high winds.

With a National Diploma in arboriculture and 11 years experience in the industry, Navin has a wide and varied range of knowledge picked up from his years as a climber both in the UK and New Zealand, a practical instructor at Merrist Wood College, and as a local authority Tree Officer. His role as a LOLER inspector keeps him at the forefront of the industry.

The team are also working hard to bring you our new ‘interactive online magazine’, which will be launched very soon.

Meet some of our contributors below, they are all experts in their own fields and we would like to thank them all for their support now and in the future.

Please contact Dal for your advertising, subscriptions and editorial needs.

David Rose David Rose joined the Forestry Commission over forty years ago as a Forest Manager in Scotland. In 1981 he transferred to the Research station at Alice Holt in Hampshire to work as a Diagnostician in the then Pathology Branch.

He is now Head of the Tree Health Diagnostic and Advisory Service based at Alice Holt in Tree Health Division of Forest Research. His role is to give advice on, and investigate, tree diseases and disorders throughout Southern Britain.

He is also heavily involved in presenting seminars and workshops on tree diseases and decay not only in the UK but also in France, Belgium and Italy. He is a co-author of Tree Doctor, a multi-lingual interactive CD for diagnosing pests and diseases on non-forestry trees in Europe. Read Davids article on what diseases might be next to visit our shores on page 14.

David has been the chairman of the Consulting Arborist Society for the past six years and has been responsible for most aspects of the organisation and it’s recent emergence as a highly effective representative and promoter of consulting arborists.

Read the review on the ‘Big Dan’ Karabiner on page 30.

During his recent Presidency of the ISA he initiated a complete re-branding, re-organisation and re-launch of the ISA UK+I Chapter, which, given the size of the undertaking is a process that is even now still under way.

The range of his operations can be seen on www.CraftWoods.co.uk, www.Arbornauts.com and www.TreeAdvice.com so as a contractor of 23 years, a recycler for 20 years and a consultant for 18 years, David is eminently qualified to offer insights into all aspects of commercial arboriculture in the UK. Read more about what CAS does on page 12.

Dr Ian Rotherham Dr Ian D. Rotherham is Reader at Sheffield Hallam University. The editor of the Arboricultural Journal, he has joined the team at a World of Trees to advise on editorial matters in areas of forestry, urban forestry, landscapes and ecology.

He is happy to receive suggestions for future articles, please contact Ian on: i.d.rotherham@ shu.ac.uk Read the second part of Managing the Floods Naturally on page 8, turn to page 40 to read about how a forester reads the woodland landscape, an article on Turkish Forestry management can be found on page 44 and Responding to Access Issues in Woodlands & Forest is on page 48.

Jacquie Warrens and Geoff Billington Jacquie Warrens’ bat experience is that she started working with bats in 1978, co founding the Northants Bat Group. At this time she was working with bats purely as a hobby, catching them to identify them as this was before bat detectors were freely available. She runs the Cam Valley Wildlife Bat Group and has worked as a self employed bat consultant for the last 6 years.

Geoff Billington Started working as a bat consultant in 1990 and he founded Greena Ecological Consultancy in 1997. Geoff is a professional bat worker who is very experienced with radio tracking bats. He has surveyed and devised a great many mitigation schemes for roads, bridges, woodlands and underground sites. Greena Ecological Consultancy has a new website www.greenaeco.co.uk which contains more details of experience and areas of specialist expertise.

Read their article about the Barbastelle Bat, a large, strong flying bat with a speed averaging 29.3 mph over a 3.9 mile radius on page 22.

Justine Whittern PR officer for the Woodland Trust. Justine works with local, regional, national and specialist media to explain the fantastic work done by officers and volunteers of the Woodland Trust.

Read Justines article on restoration work to restore some of Devon’s rarest hidden treasures on page 16.

Contents 4 News - Arboriculture & Woodland 9 Landscapes & Floods 12 CAS What Does it Do? 14 Waiting in the Wings 16 Planted Ancient Woodland Restoration Work 18 Capel Manor Show Review 20 Woodland Wild Flower Glades 22 Barbastelle Bats 26 Arboricultural Association News 28 Arbtalk 30 Gear Junkies Review on Big Dan Karabiner 32 Rogue Tree Surgeons and Successful Prosecutions 34 An Increasing focus on health & well-being & the contribution of trees & woodlands to this agenda 36 Forestry News 40 Searching for Ghosts: How a Forester Reads the Woodland Landscape 42 Subscription Offer 44 Learning together: the implications of close-to-nature silviculture for Turkish forest management 47 Subscription Offer 48 Responding to Access Issues in Woodlands & Forests 50 Credit Crunch Part II

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, neither Total Arb nor its authors can accept any responsibility for errors or omissions. The views expressed in Total Arb magazineAlthough are not every necessarily of ensure Total Arb Ltd. neither Total Arb nor its authors can effort is those made to accuracy,

Steve Bullman

accept any responsibility for errors or omissions.

Steve set up Arbtalk with the emphasis to provide the industry with a forum to enable discussions of practical and sometimes controversial issues. He is also a freelance climber based in Suffolk with 13 years experience in the arboricultural industry.

manuscripts and photographs are welcomed, but no responsibility can be accepted from them, however delivered.

For Editorial & Advertising contact Dal Parmar:

For Editorial & Advertising contact Dal Parmar:

telephone: 01543 500255 or 07908 168948 email: dal@totalarb.co.uk telephone: 01543 500255 or 07908 168948 email: dal@totalarb.co.uk a World of Trees is published by Total Arb Limited, Coppice House, Teddesley, Penkridge, Staffs ST19 5RP

a World of Trees is published by Total Arb Limited, Coppice House, Teddesley, Penkridge, Staffs ST19 5RP

2

a World of Trees Issue 16

The views expressed in Total Arb

There is magazine no unauthorised reproduction, whatsoever, in whole or in part, are not necessarily thoseinofany Totalmedia Arb Ltd. permitted without the written consent of Total Arb Ltd. If you feel that your copyright is noin unauthorised reproduction, in anythe media whatsoever, in wholetoorremove in part, has beenThere infringed any way you should contact editor.

We undertake without the written of or Total Arb Ltd. If you feelhave that your copyright from our permitted publication or website anyconsent images written media that inadvertently been infringed any way you shouldcredit(s) contact the editor.applicable.

We undertake to remove infringedhas copyright or toingive appropriate where Unsolicited from and our publication or website any images written media that can havebe inadvertently manuscripts photographs are welcomed, butorno responsibility accepted infringed copyright or to give appropriate credit(s) where applicable. Unsolicited from them, however delivered.

a World of Trees Issue 16

Total Arb magazine is independent of all political parties, private interest groups and government.

It has no affiliation to commercial interests other then itsgroups own and Total Arb magazine is independent of all political parties, private interest and represents no organisations associations.

Our policy is to provide news government.

It has nooraffiliation to commercial interests other then its own and and represents no organisations or associations. is toerror provide news information to our readers in a balanced manner. IfOur youpolicy find any of fact in and our information to our readers in a balanced manner.

If you find any We errorundertake of fact in our pages you should contact the editor by telephone, letter or email. to pagespromptly you should contact the apologies, editor by telephone, letter or appropriate. email. We undertake to correct errors and to issue where deemed correct errors promptly and to issue apologies, where deemed appropriate.

3

ISSUE16

Arboriculture • Woodland • Forestry

Dal Parmar

David Lloyd-Jones

Navin Sehmi

Dal is one of the Directors at a World of Trees, she has over 10 years experience in Sales and Advertising and joined the publication team in February 2006. She has successfully raised the magazines profile to being at the forefront of the industry. Her main ongoing aims are to provide readers with articles of substance, providing informative and educational pieces.

David Lloyd-Jones is the originator of the term and the pruning procedure called “Reduction Via Thinning” © which is based on his research into the evolution of tree morphology and the ways that most trees structurally deal with periodic high winds.

With a National Diploma in arboriculture and 11 years experience in the industry, Navin has a wide and varied range of knowledge picked up from his years as a climber both in the UK and New Zealand, a practical instructor at Merrist Wood College, and as a local authority Tree Officer. His role as a LOLER inspector keeps him at the forefront of the industry.

The team are also working hard to bring you our new ‘interactive online magazine’, which will be launched very soon.

Meet some of our contributors below, they are all experts in their own fields and we would like to thank them all for their support now and in the future.

Please contact Dal for your advertising, subscriptions and editorial needs.

David Rose David Rose joined the Forestry Commission over forty years ago as a Forest Manager in Scotland. In 1981 he transferred to the Research station at Alice Holt in Hampshire to work as a Diagnostician in the then Pathology Branch.

He is now Head of the Tree Health Diagnostic and Advisory Service based at Alice Holt in Tree Health Division of Forest Research. His role is to give advice on, and investigate, tree diseases and disorders throughout Southern Britain.

He is also heavily involved in presenting seminars and workshops on tree diseases and decay not only in the UK but also in France, Belgium and Italy. He is a co-author of Tree Doctor, a multi-lingual interactive CD for diagnosing pests and diseases on non-forestry trees in Europe. Read Davids article on what diseases might be next to visit our shores on page 14.

David has been the chairman of the Consulting Arborist Society for the past six years and has been responsible for most aspects of the organisation and it’s recent emergence as a highly effective representative and promoter of consulting arborists.

Read the review on the ‘Big Dan’ Karabiner on page 30.

During his recent Presidency of the ISA he initiated a complete re-branding, re-organisation and re-launch of the ISA UK+I Chapter, which, given the size of the undertaking is a process that is even now still under way.

The range of his operations can be seen on www.CraftWoods.co.uk, www.Arbornauts.com and www.TreeAdvice.com so as a contractor of 23 years, a recycler for 20 years and a consultant for 18 years, David is eminently qualified to offer insights into all aspects of commercial arboriculture in the UK. Read more about what CAS does on page 12.

Dr Ian Rotherham Dr Ian D. Rotherham is Reader at Sheffield Hallam University. The editor of the Arboricultural Journal, he has joined the team at a World of Trees to advise on editorial matters in areas of forestry, urban forestry, landscapes and ecology.

He is happy to receive suggestions for future articles, please contact Ian on: i.d.rotherham@ shu.ac.uk Read the second part of Managing the Floods Naturally on page 8, turn to page 40 to read about how a forester reads the woodland landscape, an article on Turkish Forestry management can be found on page 44 and Responding to Access Issues in Woodlands & Forest is on page 48.

Jacquie Warrens and Geoff Billington Jacquie Warrens’ bat experience is that she started working with bats in 1978, co founding the Northants Bat Group. At this time she was working with bats purely as a hobby, catching them to identify them as this was before bat detectors were freely available. She runs the Cam Valley Wildlife Bat Group and has worked as a self employed bat consultant for the last 6 years.

Geoff Billington Started working as a bat consultant in 1990 and he founded Greena Ecological Consultancy in 1997. Geoff is a professional bat worker who is very experienced with radio tracking bats. He has surveyed and devised a great many mitigation schemes for roads, bridges, woodlands and underground sites. Greena Ecological Consultancy has a new website www.greenaeco.co.uk which contains more details of experience and areas of specialist expertise.

Read their article about the Barbastelle Bat, a large, strong flying bat with a speed averaging 29.3 mph over a 3.9 mile radius on page 22.

Justine Whittern PR officer for the Woodland Trust. Justine works with local, regional, national and specialist media to explain the fantastic work done by officers and volunteers of the Woodland Trust.

Read Justines article on restoration work to restore some of Devon’s rarest hidden treasures on page 16.

Contents 4 News - Arboriculture & Woodland 9 Landscapes & Floods 12 CAS What Does it Do? 14 Waiting in the Wings 16 Planted Ancient Woodland Restoration Work 18 Capel Manor Show Review 20 Woodland Wild Flower Glades 22 Barbastelle Bats 26 Arboricultural Association News 28 Arbtalk 30 Gear Junkies Review on Big Dan Karabiner 32 Rogue Tree Surgeons and Successful Prosecutions 34 An Increasing focus on health & well-being & the contribution of trees & woodlands to this agenda 36 Forestry News 40 Searching for Ghosts: How a Forester Reads the Woodland Landscape 42 Subscription Offer 44 Learning together: the implications of close-to-nature silviculture for Turkish forest management 47 Subscription Offer 48 Responding to Access Issues in Woodlands & Forests 50 Credit Crunch Part II

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, neither Total Arb nor its authors can accept any responsibility for errors or omissions. The views expressed in Total Arb magazineAlthough are not every necessarily of ensure Total Arb Ltd. neither Total Arb nor its authors can effort is those made to accuracy,

Steve Bullman

accept any responsibility for errors or omissions.

Steve set up Arbtalk with the emphasis to provide the industry with a forum to enable discussions of practical and sometimes controversial issues. He is also a freelance climber based in Suffolk with 13 years experience in the arboricultural industry.

manuscripts and photographs are welcomed, but no responsibility can be accepted from them, however delivered.

For Editorial & Advertising contact Dal Parmar:

For Editorial & Advertising contact Dal Parmar:

telephone: 01543 500255 or 07908 168948 email: dal@totalarb.co.uk telephone: 01543 500255 or 07908 168948 email: dal@totalarb.co.uk a World of Trees is published by Total Arb Limited, Coppice House, Teddesley, Penkridge, Staffs ST19 5RP

a World of Trees is published by Total Arb Limited, Coppice House, Teddesley, Penkridge, Staffs ST19 5RP

2

a World of Trees Issue 16

The views expressed in Total Arb

There is magazine no unauthorised reproduction, whatsoever, in whole or in part, are not necessarily thoseinofany Totalmedia Arb Ltd. permitted without the written consent of Total Arb Ltd. If you feel that your copyright is noin unauthorised reproduction, in anythe media whatsoever, in wholetoorremove in part, has beenThere infringed any way you should contact editor.

We undertake without the written of or Total Arb Ltd. If you feelhave that your copyright from our permitted publication or website anyconsent images written media that inadvertently been infringed any way you shouldcredit(s) contact the editor.applicable.

We undertake to remove infringedhas copyright or toingive appropriate where Unsolicited from and our publication or website any images written media that can havebe inadvertently manuscripts photographs are welcomed, butorno responsibility accepted infringed copyright or to give appropriate credit(s) where applicable. Unsolicited from them, however delivered.

a World of Trees Issue 16

Total Arb magazine is independent of all political parties, private interest groups and government.

It has no affiliation to commercial interests other then itsgroups own and Total Arb magazine is independent of all political parties, private interest and represents no organisations associations.

Our policy is to provide news government.

It has nooraffiliation to commercial interests other then its own and and represents no organisations or associations. is toerror provide news information to our readers in a balanced manner. IfOur youpolicy find any of fact in and our information to our readers in a balanced manner.

If you find any We errorundertake of fact in our pages you should contact the editor by telephone, letter or email. to pagespromptly you should contact the apologies, editor by telephone, letter or appropriate. email. We undertake to correct errors and to issue where deemed correct errors promptly and to issue apologies, where deemed appropriate.

3

News

Arboriculture & Woodland

The National Bat Conference 2008 The Bat Conservation Trust invites you to join us for the biggest event in the bat calendar!

The National Bat Conference will take place at the University of Reading between 12th and 14th September 2008, and we would love to see you there.

This year’s programme will cover many exciting and varied subjects, including assessing species diversity in woodlands and social calls in brown long-eared bats. If you have never attended the conference before then

do consider coming along - there’s always something new to learn, even for the most knowledgeable bat enthusiasts!

You can now download the booking form and draft programme at: www.bats.org.uk/pages/national_bat_ conference.html Workshops are now booked in advance, so it is worth booking early to get your first choice.

The conference is proudly sponsored by Andrew McCarthy

Associates, Betts Ecology and Baker Shepherd Gillespie.

For Further information: Jaime Eastham Bat Conservation Trust Tel: 0207 501 3635 www.bats.org.uk

NARROW BAND SAWMILL EXPANSION CONTINUES Enhanced, sustainable, small log processing Evolution of the prototype small log processing system (SLP) unveiled at the Ligna timber & forestry fair in Hannover a year ago has evolved to the stateof-the-art set-up demonstrated at Xylexpo.

Several components are upgraded to enhance this Wood-Mizer arrangement and 150 of them have been acquired by European timber processors this year.

The improvements are ‘general’ (eg better wheels to stabilise timber being sawn and frame changes) plus the introduction of an horizontal saw, upgrading of the single vertical saw, tables for the horizontal resaw and ramps and conveyors for better utilisation of line capacity and materials handling.

In addition to the SLP, a semi-industrial band sawmill in towing mode and a small, stationary mill showed their paces.

Small log processing, the principal demonstration, showed how small logs of often previously unviable species are converted to profitable lumber for minimal investment.

It is achieved by a set-up comprising a twin vertical saw (TVS), a TVS log infeed system, a TVS slab cross-transfer conveyor, single vertical saw (SVS) to remove third sides, horizontal resaw (HR) or multihead (MH) to resaw beams into boards and an edger for edging remaining slabs after resawing.

The main cant is passed after TVS, to a SVS splitting saw to remove the third side or split the cant.

The three sided cants and edged slabs then pass through a 1-6 head MultiHead (or horizontal resaw)

Predator and Ram on Irish Roadshow 4

for conversion into boards.

The four-machine system, which incorporates the same narrow kerf technology as all Wood-Mizer sawmills, was demonstrated by five people. Such a configuration might normally be manned by four.

The arrangement costs roughly €80 000, compared with usually-utilised wide band arrangements at around €200 000.

Combined (connecting) power requirement of the line of four machines is 100 kW, whereas four ‘traditional’ machines would consume 55 kW each, burning two or three times more energy.

The Wood-Mizer small log processing system typically produces between 35m3 and 45m3 per eight hour shift depending on average log size.

The system Wood-Mizer demonstrated is designed to process small logs from 10cm to 40cm in diameter and 1m to 3.6m length. In Europe it is particularly aimed at softwoods like pine, spruce, poplar and other minority species like western red cedar.

Worldwide interest is growing. From Africa, for example, where it could process plantation wood from either clearfell or thinnings of managed forests which would otherwise be consigned to landfill, burning or pulp. Typical African species would be rubberwood, acacia and eucalyptus.

The potential for sustainable harvesting of such common species is large. Currently, the pallet wood market, which relies on such species, is so competitive that dedicated pallet wood sawyers using

traditional wood processing equipment find it difficult to cope.

Now, with lower capital investment and advantages like easy transport, faster set-up, less space (150 - 200m2 – compared to normally twice that area) and between 20% and 25% increased recovery of pallet wood, pallet makers and their components suppliers can look to a rosy future.

Wood-Mizer has designed this small log processing equipment to utilize common parts and blades where possible, and has made all components modular so that a customer can ‘mix and match’ to suit individual needs.

Sawmills from the ‘orange’, semi-industrial range, already widely used, are expected to spread even wider as a result of enhancements on the model sawing at Xylexpo.

The ‘super hydraulic’ diesel powered, model LT70 demonstrated now includes a new Accuset II and a debarker.

A small, electric bandsaw from the LT15 series now has up/down power on a new electric version, new mainframes, improved blade guide arm movement, redesigned clamping, new safety switches and a single blade cover.

At Xylexpo it demonstrates its suitability for farmers and estate owners who require conversion of small volumes of their own timber for local use.

It saws up to 70cm diameter, and depending on the number of segments used, the length of the log is unlimited.

Predator Manufacturing and their Irish distributor, Ram Distribution, are to run a threeday roadshow in Southern Ireland on June 17th, 18th and 19th 2008.

Venues selected for demonstrations of the Predator stump grinders are Cork, Johnstown in Kilkenny and Athy, Dublin. Among those invited are tree surgeons, hire companies, landscapers and existing stump grinder owners and operators. In addition to seeing the features and benefits of the Predator machines there will be the opportunity to see the MULTI-TIP system at work. The MULTI-TIP wheel allows the operator to change four teeth in under a minute and fits all major stump grinders. More information on the demonstrations can be obtained from Ram Distribution on +35 3868181747; info@ futurefuels.ie or Predator Manufacturing on +44 (0) 845 402 1756; info@predator-mfg.com a World of Trees Issue 16

Certificate of Competence in Chainsaw & Related Operations Structure Consultation The NPTC Certificate of Competence in Chainsaw and Related Operations has been in use in its current format for five years. Feedback from Industry indicated that the suite of units needed reviewing to reflect current industry practice. The work to date with industry stakeholders has been to look at structure, prerequisites and the suitability of the current units. NPTC would like to thank all those who have taken part in our extensive consultation so far.

The proposed new structure has been simplified to offer more defined pathways for specific job roles, and more appropriate pre-requisites. This has already been commented on by key stakeholders, and can now be viewed at www.nptc.org.uk

. We would like to take this opportunity to ask you to look at the structure detailed on the website and feed back your views to consultation@nptc.org.uk by 6 June 2008.

Having dealt with the overall structure of the suite of units we are now reviewing the specific content of the units to ensure they are fit for purpose. Your feedback is invaluable to us so if you have any comments relating to unit content please send them via the above email address.

Following this opportunity for feedback the revised unit content will be available to view on our website during June 2008. NPTC anticipate being able to launch the revised qualification in September 2008.

E-mail information@nptc.org.uk Website www.nptc.org.uk

ISA UK&I CHAPTER COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR RESIGNS Andy Burgess who took on the rebranding of the ISA UK&I Chapter and the development of the members benefit scheme including the introduction of a college affiliation programme amongst other various initiatives, felt with great regret that he had no option but to throw the towel in several weeks ago and resigned his post as Commercial Director.

Andy who runs companies such as Arbessentials Ltd, BASE UK and a World of Trees resigned on the grounds that he could no longer work with competent individuals who collectively and unfortunately act incompetently.

Amongst other issues, he encountered the chapters finances in some cases being squandered due to companies house not receiving accounts which lead to fines approaching £2000.00, and in his opinion individuals misleading the board of directors, that lead to the chapters finances being misused to the tune of £3000.00, a detailed report of his findings will be available on www.totalarb.com as from 14th June.

He will be using a World of Trees online to conduct the poll to whether his recommendations should be followed. The poll will be for members both past and present. Any and all comments received

from which ever party will be published online for you to view.

Andy believes there is one obvious solution to meet the needs of the industry, simply that the AA should take over the running of the UK&I Chapter on the grounds that they have the infrastructure to support those needs.

Andy feels he has an obligation to the UK&I Chapter members, to inform them of his findings as a point of principle, quite simply most board members knew of his complaint, acknowledged the complaint and took no action of that complaint, a board of directors who ignore such serious issues he feels need to be removed.

NEW BROCHURE FROM ECHO ECHO UK have produced a new brochure for their latest range of chainsaws, brushcutters, power blowers and hedgecutters. Full specifications of all current ECHO products are provided, together with details of latest innovations from ECHO who boast some of the lowest available vibration figures for two stroke power tools.

ECHO product innovations include the i-start system and Easy-Start system, which provide easy no-effort starting of the ECHO 2-stroke engines. Product quality and reliability is reflected in the 5 year domestic and 2 year professional use warranty which is provided on all ECHO products. For the domestic user, there is the added reassurance of using equipment which has been designed and built for professionals.

Also included in the new brochure is ECHO’s new range of safety clothing, including chainsaw jacket and trousers, overalls, shirts, boots, helmet and gloves. The safety clothing is manufactured in Europe to the highest standard, and is highly recommended for users of all power tools.

ECHO Power Tools are distributed in the UK by Countax Ltd. To receive a copy of the new ECHO brochure and price list, call 0870 4055574 or email sales@echo-tools.com a World of Trees Issue 16

5

News

Down to the Final Straw!

Ecology borrower’s straw bale house wins Grand Designs Eco Home award Congratulations to Ecology borrower Rachel Whitehead, whose straw bale house in Wales won the Grand Designs Best Eco Home award last night and is through to the Home of the Year live final tonight! The pink house known as Penwhilwr, which is Welsh for watchtower, is the first two-storey load bearing straw bale house in the UK and only the second in Europe and was part financed by a green mortgage from Ecology Building Society.

The planning for the house began many years ago, when Rachel bought the woodland in which her home sits. Planning permission took a couple of years to obtain, and the build had been

underway for three years when Rachel approached the Ecology for a mortgage to fund the remaining works and the installation of the renewable energy systems. Up until this point Rachel, with the help of friends and volunteers, had lovingly but painstakingly sculpted the house by hand. The house is a truly sustainable home, incorporating photovoltaic cells, solar thermal panels, a wind turbine, rainwater harvesting, an Aquatron sewage composting system and biomass heating, using wood coppiced from her woodland.

Ecology Building Society specialises in providing mortgages for the construction of new eco homes and homes built from traditional and sustainable materials such as straw, timber,

cob and rammed earth. Homes that acquire a certified energy standard, for example, Code for Sustainable Homes level 3 or above, or where energy savings measures or renewable technologies are installed, qualify for a special CChange mortgage discount.

For further information contact: Jenny Irwin – Marketing Manager Ecology Building Society Tel: 01535 650770 Website: www.ecology.co.uk

Recently Found Fungus Phellinus Punctatus – Ian Brewster’s Story I had this misshapen fungal bracket on display in my office since July of last year, taken from a very mature Plane tree in Rustington. Having read the description of a fungi affecting Plane trees in the Tree Damage Alert leaflet No.121 issued in December 2007, it immediately drew my attention to the odd looking fungus. Subsequently I spoke to Harry Pepper at Alice Holt and he requested that I send the fungal husk to their pathology department for confirmation.

To everyone’s delight it was indeed Phellinus punctatus and one which has not been recorded on a Plane tree this side of the channel before now and to cause this kind of destructive decay. ‘A true Canker rot’ as described by David Rose and where you would normally find such organisms growing on understorey scrubby species such as Hazel. The Plane tree was a possible introduction from France, one which produces multiple outgrowths, rather like burring, typical of other Plane varieties which grow on the continent.

Due to the location of the tree affected with such an intense white rot within a public open space, we are having to decide whether to allow its’ graceful decline within a fenced off area or to have the tree made safe by reducing the lateral branches to create a ‘monolith’.

wster,

Bre pervisor), Ian (Tree Gang Su ke Lu t gh ri From left to Mark Everson rian Greig and David Rose, B

Woods are hidden ally in flooding and pollution fight Costly battles to improve water quality, prevent flooding and combat pollution from nitrates and pesticides should enlist a natural and often unrecognised ally – trees and woodland.

Trees are known to absorb carbon dioxide, but their parallel abilities to improve water quality and prevent flooding are sharply defined in a new report commissioned by the Woodland Trust from Forest Research and the University of Newcastle – with a warning that there is no time to waste.

‘Woodland actions for biodiversity and their role in water management’ analyses world wide literature - the first report of its kind - to highlight the often-unheralded role that woodland can play in overall water management, a role that should be seized upon by water and land managers alike, says the Trust.

The review assesses the impact of trees and woodland on water resources. It spells out how protecting, restoring and increasing native tree cover can help tackle threats posed by climate change, intensive farming and development.

At present 93 per cent of river water bodies in England and Wales, and 45 per cent in Scotland, risk failing to reach their required ‘good’ status under new 6

Water Framework Directive legislation. The annual cost of removing harmful pesticides and nitrates from drinking water is put at £7 for every water customer.

Woodland creation in the right place can reduce pollution entering water courses by as much as 90% without putting additional strain on water resources, says the report. Sites where ancient woodland is being restored through conifer removal can also reduce nitrate concentrations by up to 90% and increase local water quantity by 20-50 per cent.

As an example, 99% of nitrates draining from arable fields in southern England during winter were retained by the first five metres of woodland planted with poplar trees – with tree buffers shown to also reduce sediment, phosphate and pesticide concentrations.

With flooding continuing to make headlines - and the cost of UK flood risk management put at a colossal £800m for 2010/2011 alone - there is a timely suggestion that creating woodland at bottlenecks on floodplains could significantly reduce major flood events by absorbing and delaying water flows.

In addition simply retaining existing woods would continue to provide a natural prevention measure against small floods, says the Trust.

Richard Smithers, Trust UK conservation adviser and report co-author, highlighted the opportunities of new woodland planted on floodplains. “Scientific models suggest this could reduce the impact of large flood events.

There is an urgent need to crack on with field testing and developing best practice.”

“If we are to match the rigours of increasingly frequent extreme events arising from climate change, we need to work with the grain of nature, not simply try to control it in an unsustainable way. Considering how long it takes for a tree to grow, the message is that we urgently need to get on with it.”

Fran Hitchinson, Trust conservation policy officer, added: “Sensitively sited woodland creation could help deliver the major ecological and chemical improvements required by 2015 under Europe’s Water Framework Directive.”

“Water managers, planners and water companies need to consider strategic use of woodland which could hold the key to meeting these targets and addressing the challenge of moderating some of the impacts of climate change.”

Media images and full report on www.woodlandtrust. org.uk/water a World of Trees Issue 16

News

Plantlife Bluebell Survey This spring, Plantlife (www.plantlife. org.uk) is again joining forces with the Natural History Museum (www.nhm. ac.uk) and the Ramblers’ Association to encourage the public to take part in an important survey of Britain’s bluebells. They need your help to record the different types of bluebells near where you live. There are three kinds of bluebell thought to be found in the UK: the native Bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, the Spanish Bluebell, Hyacinthoides hispanica, and what appears to be a hybrid between the two, Hyacinthoides x massartiana.

The Natural History Museum has been carrying out research into the genetics of the different varieties of bluebell over the last two years and as a result has developed a new identification key, which everyone who takes part will be testing as they do the survey. The new key will make it easier for everyone to use and take part in the survey,

and results can be submitted online at the Natural History Museum website from the end of March.

Voted Britain’s most popular wild flower in a HYPERLINK “http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/ plantlife-discovering-plants-county-flowers. html” \o “Link to: County Flowers” Plantlife poll, the UK is the international stronghold for the native Bluebell; we have at least 50% of the world’s population and a global responsibility to protect it.

The HYPERLINK “http://www.nhm.ac.uk/ nature-online/british-natural-history/surveybluebells/bluebells-exploring-british-wildlife. html” \o “Link to: Natural History Museum Bluebell Survey, opens in new browser window” \t “_blank” 2008 Bluebell Survey aims to collect the evidence needed to reveal the exact nature and distribution of the bluebell species - this information will support the Museum’s scientific research investigating the threat posed by hybridisation.

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a World of Trees Issue 16

7

Ian D. Rotherham Sheffield Hallam University

Landscapesďż˝

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Total ARB: a World of Trees Issue 16

Areas at Risk Beyond the increasing risk of inundation across the wider landscape, there is a further worry for those living or working in many of the lower-lying coastal zones, with the additional threat of climate-induced sea level rise. Yorkshire around Hull and Holderness for example, or in the southeast areas around the Thames estuary are all at risk. For areas already at or even below sea level, this is a serious menace in decades to come, and of course the south-eastern seaboard of Britain is also slowly sinking anyway. It is not just in the coastal zone that people are now at risk. Across huge areas of landscape, the natural wetlands have been removed and replaced by intensive farming, by industry and commerce, and often by housing. In South Yorkshire alone, 99% of England’s third biggest fenland has been destroyed, and most moorland removed or drained, much funded by the public purse. There are now pioneering developments such as the RPSB Old Moor Nature Reserve in the Dearne Valley and the Potteric Carr Nature Reserve in Doncaster that begin to help reinvigorate this landscape. But whilst these major new wetlands helped lessen recent flood impacts, they are not enough.

So the question is what must we now do?

To solve the problems, especially if climate change accelerates as seems likely, we need radical, far-reaching actions. These should make sustainable drainage systems compulsory for major new developments, going beyond flood protection. We must ensure that all developments make positive contributions to water management, or else Planning Permission should be refused.

The years to come will undoubtedly see massive investment in the engineered infrastructure that manages water and combats floods. This will include barriers, embankments, upgraded drainage systems and the rest, costing millions of pounds.

At the same time though, there is still the threat of further development on the floodplain, nature’s water management system. So we are essentially working against the grain of nature and not with it. The human suffering and individual dilemmas then kick in, and those at risk may be trapped and unable to move.

Realistically, after all that has happened, who is going to move into a flood risk zone? If willing buyers are found, then they surely will not pay the market prices that would have been expected prior to the latest floods. House values and saleability will fall. To compound the suffering, there are serious questions about whether homeowners will be able to get or at least afford, flood damage insurance. Again, if they can’t, then in future, fewer people will risk living in flood zones. This is a controversial issue since although the intensity of Total ARB: a World of Trees Issue 16

recent events has been surprising the catastrophes are to a degree predictable.

We have suffered major floods and storm damage since time immemorial, and historic records document these back over a thousand years. Indeed, whilst individual incidents cannot be reliably forecast, they were to an extent predicted by both environmentalists and planners. Planning reports back in the 1920s for example, warned specifically against building on Yorkshire’s floodplains in the old West Riding (including South Yorkshire). This, along with similar advice given ever since, was largely ignored. We know that building on flood plains is a bad idea, but we go ahead because it is easy to do. There are both immense short-term financial gains for developers and landowners, and these are coupled with acute housing shortage and huge pressure for new developments. The local authorities are charged with protecting communities against flooding but also with providing enough new homes; the horns of a dilemma. In some localised areas, it may make sense to help residents move to new, safer location, rather than continuing to face a losing battle with the elements.

This may not be what people wish to hear, and will be a hard truth to bear. However, the principle has already been established in terms of the abandonment of active protection of some coastal zones that are at risk and now considered indefensible.

Effective Responses In the short term, engineering is a vital part of any effective response, to avoid system overload in drains and channels and to remediate risk to critically ‘at risk’ services such as power and water. This is a part of the solution but not in itself a long-term, sustainable option. In many situations this is a case of treating the symptoms not addressing the causes of the problems. It is what I call the sticking plaster approach,

and not curing the underlying problems of water management. In the short-term, targeted engineering is all we have got, but we must now learn from recent experience.

Furthermore, we must plan for even more extreme events to come. This means taking the threats seriously and planning accordingly, and long-term. We must learn to ‘work with the grain of nature not against it’; but what does this imply? On the one hand I suggest that appropriate sustainable drainage systems become mandatory on all new developments. These will vary with locations and with specific conditions, but the technology is there, it just needs to be applied. They include recent innovations such as green roofs. Again this will not be enough but only part of the solution.

Like the boy with his finger in the dyke, we need something more sustainable, and the key players in a more secure future will be farmers. We need to work with, and pay farmers, as custodians of the landscape, to manage their land to hold back the floodwaters. This won’t be cheap, but it will cost less than the alternative of repeated damage and disruption, and the continued distress and suffering of home-owners and other across the region. To remediate the damage of centuries of environmental degradation, the longer-term solution must be landscape-scale, and centred around those who manage the landscape i.e. our farmers. In this context, in recent years there’s been much talk about how farmers are ‘custodians of the countryside’ and that they should be rewarded for this role.

It is time to deliver on such talk. Changes in EU funding to Single Farm Payments and Environmental Stewardship are moves in the right direction and towards broader outputs rather than just food production.

However, it still seems there is a gulf between policy, need, and action.

Importantly too, with an increasingly urban population often disengaged from 9

Landscapes� the farming world, there remain serious problems in getting the effective message across. It is surely no coincidence that recent years have seen many families going out of farming after generations on the land, and serious difficulties in recruiting new people to the industry. Ask any agricultural college and they tell a tale of falling numbers coming to train in mainstream agriculture. One of the principle problems seems to be in recognising the central role of farming in delivering on the issues and outcomes high on political and popular agendas. There’s much written, and there are endless policies, on sustainability, on responses to climate change, and on quality of life, and even rural renaissance.

But one struggles to find how farmers and land managers are identified in these as the core group of people tasked with delivery. They are not. It seems that neither the farming industry and community, nor the wider public have grasped the fact that it is land managers who must deliver a more sustainable future. To do this requires vision, skills, and a vibrant community of professionals, including farmers and foresters. The issues range from changing farm practice and all the hotly-debated matters of carbon footprints and offset, but also the more tangible things such as the management of water, and the sustainable production of good quality food. So here’s

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the rub. What has happened to all the talk of paying the farmer to manage the flood? What happened to proposals to extend woodland cover to help mop up excess water? When York was badly hit a few years ago, and then areas around the Severn Valley were also affected, it was said that the solution was, at least in part, to pay the land manager for ‘an ecosystem service’. We can even calculate a monetary ‘worth’ of such services with a toolkit provided by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; but the necessary steps simply are not happening. It is clearly possible to target major landscape change both positively and quickly, when we want to. The evidence is there along the M42 motorway of the excellent work of the New National Forest; extensive planted woodlands and ponds, marshes and other vital habitats. All created over less then twenty years.

Paying for the Landscape In July 2007, I spoke with Stephen Watkins, a farmer near Tewksbury with 1,500 acres under flood water. Stephen’s argument was that if he and his neighbours had not allowed their land to flood, then the consequences downstream would have been even more catastrophic than they were. Indeed, it is likely that major utilities such as the Gloucestershire power station, which were so close to flooding, would have gone down. The impacts of this would have been appalling. However, he and his neighbours soaked up the floods at their

own expense and the greater catastrophe was averted. But surely, as the costs and the human tragedy of the events were lessened by the farmers’ actions, we as the wider community should foot the bill.

Isn’t this what ‘farmers as custodians of the countryside’ is all about? One problem that I have discussed with news media colleagues is that once the flood waters recede, the media eye and so the political interest slips quickly and quietly away.

Commitments made during the height of the crisis, are gently put aside until next time. The interest of the media also wanes as the waters seep away, and won’t rise again until the next disaster; when of course it is too late. This is not to say there will be no action; I’m sure there will. The real issue here is whether the necessary and correct actions will be taken and implemented in time to either avert, or at least minimise future tragedies. No, there will be a review of infrastructure and I’m sure that there will be significant investment in engineering solutions to flood risk at critical locations. But to effectively resolve these increasingly severe problems in the context of rapid global climate change, then managing the land is surely the key.

To achieve the necessary changes needs a full and frank discussion with the farming community, and with foresters and other tree managers. It also requires money on the table to make the changes happen. To expect individuals such as Stephen Watkins to bear the brunt of the waters and of the costs is misconceived and unacceptable.

Furthermore, such a situation is also going to cost us all far more, and mean greater

Total ARB: a World of Trees Issue 16

human suffering in the longer term. The role of the media is also central to this process with the need to lead and facilitate the debate, rather than trail the coat-tails of the next disaster, and the next.

Planning for Sustainable Solutions Each storm and every flood is a sexy media event, but once it has passed the spotlight shifts. Bodies such as the RSPB and Natural England are now pushing on with big proposals to create large wetlands in coastal zones and inland areas such as the Cambridgeshire Fens. These are exciting projects, but will still not be enough. A longterm sustainable solution will need to be bigger and even more radical. This needs to be at a wider catchment scale, to address opportunities both large and small, for positive water management. Some of this involves a critical look at planning zones and procedures. There should be no more floodplain developments unless absolute need is demonstrated. But beyond this, all significant new developments, whether on the floodplain or not, should guarantee a positive impact on water management.

This is a shift from the idea of simply demonstrating the absence of a negative impact, to positive management for water.

The location of critical infrastructure should, where possible, not be sited within a floodplain, or if it is, then measures should be adopted to offset flood water elsewhere close-by. The Gloucestershire situation in 2007 could have been much worse; without Stephen Watkins and his farmer colleagues

Total ARB: a World of Trees Issue 16

the waters would have risen the extra inch and the electricity sub-station would have gone down. That extra inch may be the key.

The approach needs to include innovative developments such as green roofs, soakaways, swales, and porous surfaces – as the rule and not the exception.

However, it also needs to address the 1.3 million hectares of agricultural land in England and Wales that are on floodplains and the extensive areas of woodlands and plantations too.

In the wider catchment there needs to be a long-term programme of environmental re-construction to remediate for decades and even centuries of damage. This cannot be achieved overnight, but there are signs of things moving in the right direction.

From Peak District moorland restoration to lowland fen re-creation, there are projects that begin to halt the damage. Tree and woodland management will also be a part of this bigger picture. We know that at a catchment scale, trees and woods can help moderate water behaviour and we need to harness this knowledge to enhance sustainable water management. We also know that trees can moderate the excesses of climate change at a local urban level, perhaps moderating summer temperature highs by several degrees. Perhaps riverine floodplain woodlands will have a role to play as well in holding water back and helping to reduce sediment burden in flood water. Alongside any woodland re-establishment there will need to be a programme of restoration of bogs and marshes; again to hold back and slow down

the flood waters. This will include targeted re-construction of both long-term wetter landscapes and new areas for flood water storage when the need arises. Part of what needs to be done, is the restoration of an old landscape. However, this should not be undertaken as an exercise in looking back, except perhaps to learn from mistakes.

What is now needed is a new and clear vision that can engage stakeholders from the public and home-owners, to the wider land owners and managers and developers, to politicians, agencies and the media.

This is essential because decisions need to be better informed, to be responsive to change, and accountable to those affected.

The changes need to be approached in a positive way to create new opportunities rather than barriers. A wetter landscape will provide water as a sustainable resource, new farming opportunities, new and extensive recreation and tourism opportunities and economic benefits, and it will provide ecosystem services of flood management, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. This won’t be easy and it does not imply the abandonment of agriculture, of development, or of flood control engineering. All these lie at the core of the vision, but they are placed in a context of long-term sustainable development. This is something that we hear a lot about and now is the time to deliver. Only time will tell. So until the next time the waters rise ……….

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Consulting Arborist Society (CAS) What Does It Do? So, what is CAS, what does it do, who does it represent and what does it offer those that it represents?

I have been asked this many times. CAS came into being in 2002 by evolving from the Arboricultural Mortgage & Insurance Users Group (AMIUG).

The AMIUG was set up around 1996 to represent the interests of those using the Mortgage Module report format.

Lessons learned and the growing awareness that as a group of people, we had an idea of the kinds of reports and advice that we were being asked for, we could and indeed we should, be suggesting to training providers the kinds of products that we would be able to apply commercially.

I think this is one key to CAS’s success because this is the point that the CAS Members started to say what kinds of seminars we wanted and it was all based on services that we were being asked to provide. Demand based, that’s the key.

With that in mind and the growing number of “Areas of Professional Competency” (APC’s) that we were interested in covering, CAS came into being.

So, first and foremost, CAS represents those interested in starting to sell the 12

insights they have gained in trees by becoming tree consultants. We also represent those who are already established tree consultants, but who want to develop the range of commercially applicable services that they provide. We facilitate personal, professional but always commercial, growth.

Now, the key word here is “commercial” and that is by design.

CAS most certainly is a commercial entity.

The public demand leading to enquiries is the need that our members collectively express as opportunities for product innovators and training providers to bring to our members.

Our members (and others) subscribe to those seminars and bring those solutions to their clients, (the members of the public who created the demand in the first place).

CAS is therefore truly responsive to the demands of the times and this is another commercial strength.

Communication is the key to the organisation though, and by communication I mean “commercial communication”. That is, reaching the general public by offering them the products they want to address their specific problems, from service providers who are local to them. We do this by promoting CAS through the website www.consultingarboristsociety.com.

Key to that website’s success is the ease of use supported by very visible search engine profile. So after referral from a search engine, in literally only three clicks of a mouse a member of the public can send an email to somebody close to them who provides the product they want.

It’s really as simple as that. What do you want? Where? OK, here are your choice of providers and a convenient way to contact them.

I know this works because our members regularly tell me that they are receiving regular and valuable sales leads directly from the website. That’s not vague enquiries, that’s sales requests and they are the best and only reason to become and stay a member of CAS. Sales of products that people want, that address real problems that they have. You see, CAS simply and accurately offers people solutions to common problems.

Training providers and innovative researchers are the other part of this equation and so CAS is very careful to set out to preserve and even enhance Intellectual Property Rights. By doing so we hope to be an organisation that will encourage product developers to use us to bring their best works to our members.

The New TPO seminar is a classic example of this relationship in action.

We are also looking to the future and other commercial challenges creating demand amongst our members. Shortly we hope to announce two new APC’s. Expert Witness Training and accreditation and AutoCAD plan manipulation. Beyond that we hope to establish a new report format to guide compliance with BS5837:2005.

I hope that answers the questions what we do, who we represent and how. Overall I hope that CAS represents Arboricultural Consulting reactively and responsively. For it to do so however, the key to it’s success is addressing commercial demands.

David Lloyd-Jones CAS Chairman 2002-2008 a World of Trees Issue 16

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a World of Trees Issue 16

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Waiting in the wings

Diebac k of ch estnut girdled by can kers

canker t blight Chestnu

New pests and diseases of trees have been appearing in the UK in worrying numbers in recent years – Phytophthora ramorum (the so-called Sudden Oak Death), Bleeding canker of horse chestnut, Alder Phytophthora, Horse Chestnut leaf miner, Oak Processionary moth have all featured in the news. Many reasons are put forward for this increase including climate change, dramatic increases in the trade in live plants and possibly even deliberate avoidance of import controls. The purpose of this article is not to review these existing problems, that may be covered in future articles, but to look ahead to what diseases might be next to visit these shores. Just exactly what is waiting in the wings and how likely is it to get here?

I am going to look at two diseases, one of greater importance for forestry and one of significance in Arboriculture.

14

open splitting

Chestnut Blight Spend a little time in France studying the tree diseases there and it soon becomes apparent that there are many possible candidates.

The first disease, Chestnut Blight, is one that has been spreading steadily northwards through France and is now close to the Channel coast. The disease is caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica. It was first discovered in New York (in 1904) and has since spread over the entire range of American chestnut, Castanea dentata. The disease was first recorded in Europe (in Italy) in 1938 where it was found on the trunks and branches of Spanish chestnut, Castanea sativa. It has spread rapidly westwards into France (now as far north as southern Normandy), Spain and Portugal, east into the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Hungary, Turkey and the Ukraine, and north into Switzerland and now apparently as far north as Belgium.

Total ARB: a World of Trees Issue 16

bark within the cankered areas become dark brown or black.

er ght stem cank Chestnut bli

Canker stai Each year the n general Advisory Service receives reports of possible outbreaks of this disease in Kent and Sussex but so far they have all proved to be negative. Good controls are in place to avoid the importation of diseased wood and they seem to be working. But some people feel it is only a matter of time before it becomes established. So what should we be looking for?

“

The fungus enters through wounds, and spreads through the bark and into the cambium and outer sapwood, producing greyish to buff¬-coloured mycelial fans in and under the bark. It gives rise to swollen reddish girdling cankers on stems, branches and coppice shoots. These cankers are at first smooth (and most conspicuous when the bark is wet) but they eventually become cracked and fissured. Later ochre-yellow fruit-bodies develop on and around the cankers. The first symptoms seen are the thinning, yellowing, wilting and death of the foliage beyond the cankers. The decline then continues progressively, with abundant formation of epicormic shoots below the cankers. Epidemics cause widespread deaths in chestnut forests and can lead to significant loss of production. In affected areas the disease is rare in amenity areas (as few chestnuts are used in amenity plantings) but fairly common in forest situations. As a result of the above it is classified as a quarantine organism.

Canker Stain of London Plane The next disease is still some way south of the Channel coast but its recent expansion northwards has alarmed the French. This is the highly infectious Canker Stain of London plane, caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fimbriata f. platani. The disease was first identified in the United States in 1935, but was only recorded in Europe in the Lucca area of northern Italy in 1972. Since then it has been reported from a number of other places in the Mediterranean region including Naples in Italy, Marseilles in France and Barcelona and Valencia in Spain. In Marseilles some 1800 trees, out of an original population of 12,000, were killed over a twelve-year period. After many years Total ARB: a World of Trees Issue 16

On mature trees, the first symptoms to become apparent are elongated dark blue or black strips of depressed bark, often in groups parallel to one another.

As in younger trees, these symptoms are usually found close to pruning wounds.

On pollarded trees a dark, discoloured strip may extend down from the cut surface and eventually reach the main trunk. The French name for this disease is ‘Chancre coloré’ (Coloured k ar b d re iscolou owing d Canker) which precisely describes sh em stain st Canker its appearance. Observations in France have indicated that the margins of the cankers do not normally develop callus tissues. The dead bark within the canker remains attached for some time and cracks into small, more or less rectangular sections, rather than the much larger and irregularly shaped plates which occur in healthy bark.

The fungus infects the wood beneath the diseased bark, causing a violet, bluish black or reddish brown stain. In cross section of the stem this stain is most intense in the medullary rays.

What diseases might be next to visit these shores. Just exactly what is waiting in the wings and how likely is it to get here?

”

being confined to the Mediterranean area it has moved quickly northwards and is now found as far north as Lyon in the east and Bordeaux in the west. The spread of the disease is largely, though not exclusively, due to transmission during pruning activity and of course London Plane are widely pruned and pollarded throughout France. In the UK we do not prune our trees as much but the practice is increasing and, if the disease was introduced, it could be spread rapidly if it was not spotted early enough.

It is important to know what the early signs of infection by this disease are so that action can be taken immediately. The first clearly visible symptoms of canker stain include a dwarfing and yellowing of the leaves either over the whole or a part of the crown.

However such symptoms usually become apparent only when fungal infection is far advanced. The primary symptoms of the disease are rather less obvious and are present on the trunks or branches.

On trees up to 30-years-old, the first signs of infection are slightly depressed and elongated areas of dead bark. These areas, up to 100 cm long but usually no more than 5 cm wide, are often associated with pruning wounds. During the first year, the infection may not be sufficiently noticeable to attract attention. In the second and subsequent years the areas of dead bark become wider and longer and separate areas may coalesce.

Elongated cankers develop and the dead

So how likely is it to arrive here? Well, until this year, another plane disease was only found in France south of Limoges – canker rot caused by Phellinus punctatus. A tree with a well-established infection was found in a park near Angmering in Sussex. Canker Rot is found in the same area of France that Canker Stain currently occupies so the precedent is there.

The Role of Climate Change If we accept that climate change is a reality, and most scientific opinions agree that it is, does it have a part to play in the possible establishment of new diseases? The fact that both these diseases initially gained a foothold in Southern Europe suggests that a warming of the climate in Northern Europe could enable a more rapid and successful spread northwards into the UK. We have also witnessed changes in the behaviour of existing diseases in the UK that seem to be linked to shifts in climate patterns. However, good experimental evidence is lacking on diseases and climate change so at the moment all we have is speculation. The Director General of the Forestry Commission recently announced, in a speech at the ICF Annual Conference, that climate change and forestry is a major priority for the Commission and its research arm, Forest Research. This will hopefully lead to more research into both pests and diseases under a changing climate. With the huge trade in live plants, just about any disease in the world has the possibility of making it to the UK. We need to know what will happen if and when they do even without climate change. But we must also investigate just what the effects the predicted climate change will have on their ability to survive and establish viable infections.

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Plantation Restoration in Devon is ‘Last Jigsaw Piece’ becoming the ‘last jigsaw piece’ in creating a healthy, functioning ecosystem with greater resilience to climate change. In a restored woodland landscape, the jigsaw puzzle of woods means species can move across the landscape where previously they may have been prevented by a degraded habitat.

Woodland Trust officer James Mason who leads the development of this fivewood conservation project, also steers a similar one in partnership with Dartmoor National Park Ancient Woodland Project.

The restoration of native species is currently underway within 300 hectares of PAWS in Dartmoor National Park.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly ©WTPL/Richard Becker

Later this year work starts to restore some of Devon’s rarest hidden treasures. Over the following twelve months contractors will thin out 80 hectares (49.5 acres) of conifers over five sites in Devon in preparation for restoration to upland oakwood. These sites are ancient woodland – records show they have been wooded for over 400 years – but from the 1950s through to the 1970s the native trees were felled and replanted with nonnative species, largely conifers. Devon is the least wooded county in England, with only 2.2 per cent of ancient woodland cover.

regeneration was by gradual selective thinning. The emphasis is not simply on replacing the plantation conifers with native trees, and the method seldom requires their rapid or complete removal. By gradually restoring these woods the Trust will be contributing to the targets in the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for the oak woodland. It is hoped that habitats within the five woods will respond by becoming home to a wider variety of flora and fauna.

The five woods making up this project cover, in total, almost 340 hectares (836 acres) and include designations such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), National Park and National Nature Reserve. Rivers and brooks

The sites are owned by the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.

Restoration is based on the Trust’s experience of restoring its own Planted Ancient Woodland sites (PAWS) nationally, covering almost 10,000 hectares, and the results of research it commissioned Oxford University Forestry Institute, which concluded that the most successful way to encourage natural 16

White Admiral butterfly ©WTPL/Greg Holmes

within the sites are not merely habitats within themselves. In a broadleaved woodland, they provide the humid conditions needed for bryophytes and ferns. Open ground of old meadows and remnant ancient trees support further notable wildlife species.

Historically, the five areas supported local industries – forest harvesting is evident in the remains of oak coppice, old charcoal hearths are still evident on some of the upland sites, and some prehistoric field patterns remain.

It’s not difficult to understand the appeal – and the necessity – of restoring areas of upland oakwood habitat, turning biodiversitypoor monoculture plantation to a biodiverse, broadleaved woodland, which can host up to 232 species of conservation concern, almost twice as many as any other habitat.

Ancient woodland cannot be created so PAWS restoration offers the only means of increasing the area of ancient woodland that is semi natural in character and has been identified as a conservation priority at national, regional and local levels. The restoration of five sites here will join up several semi-natural ecological networks, a World of Trees Issue 16

The work will follow two distinct operational phases. First, remnant ancient woodland features are maintained and enhanced by reducing imminent threats to their survival, a process which may take some years, and second, long-term improvements to the general ecological value of the site are made by gradually shifting the canopy towards a more semi-natural composition and structure.

Site surveys have identified the type, distribution and condition of the remnant woodland features, and the level of threat has been measured. Urgent and careful attention is directed to those most at risk.

In essence, the process is about gradual change, in particular managing light levels, as most threats to remnant ancient woodland come from either excessive shade or light.

Other management objectives can be delivered for those who are not solely concerned with biodiversity and may include timber production and game management, public benefits such as recreation and landscape enhancement and straightforward improvements to the aesthetics and primary amenity value of a property, which may produce an increase in its capital value.

Thinning will be carried out by a local expert contractor under the monitoring of woodland officers James Mason and Jonathan Burgess.

PAWS rest oration un derway in Devon - ©WTPL/ Paul Glend ell

“

The sites are owned by the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity

”

“The slow approach taken by the Trust means it will be a long time before work is complete, but some of the remnant flora is already flourishing after the first operation. It’s very encouraging. I hope my sites will inspire other woodland owners to attempt to achieve the same goal,” he commented.

The cost of work is dependent on funds raised by the charity, and grants. The projected cost for the next two years is around £140,000 and campaigns to raise the necessary funds are ongoing with help from the Trust’s members and supporters. Grant applications are also underway.

In addition to conserving habitats for species already at the site, this work will also allow species arriving at the site to flourish. In a similar project at a site belonging to the Woodland Trust near Bovey Valley on Dartmoor, a colony of Barbastelle bats, one of only 17 known in the UK, is using remnant oak trees in the conifer areas. PAWS restoration releases more remnant oaks from deep coniferous shade, increasing the number of habitats available for the bats to use as roosts.

Barbastelles form only small colonies, and often switch roost sites. A PAWS restoration project will provide them with the

increased number of roosting sites they need in order to prosper.

Other species expected to benefit from the restoration of the five woods in Devon are cuckoo, dunnock, marsh tit, song thrush, dormouse, four species of bats, and four species of butterfly including the small pearlbordered fritillary and white admiral.

The Woodland Trust’s approach to PAWS restoration is widely endorsed by other organisations and has resulted in a guide to PAWS restoration, available to download at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/publications under Conservation Practice publications.

Justine Whittern – The Woodland Trust www.woodlandtrust.org.uk Read more about the Barbastelle Bat from page 22

Dunnock ©WTPL/Adrian Yeo

“For me, it was the beauty of ancient woodlands that gave the inspiration to get involved with woodland management in the first place, not the soulless conifer monocultures; so to be able to help restore even a small part is fantastic,” said Jonathan Burgess.

a World of Trees Issue 16

17

Plantation Restoration in Devon is ‘Last Jigsaw Piece’ becoming the ‘last jigsaw piece’ in creating a healthy, functioning ecosystem with greater resilience to climate change. In a restored woodland landscape, the jigsaw puzzle of woods means species can move across the landscape where previously they may have been prevented by a degraded habitat.

Woodland Trust officer James Mason who leads the development of this fivewood conservation project, also steers a similar one in partnership with Dartmoor National Park Ancient Woodland Project.

The restoration of native species is currently underway within 300 hectares of PAWS in Dartmoor National Park.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly ©WTPL/Richard Becker

Later this year work starts to restore some of Devon’s rarest hidden treasures. Over the following twelve months contractors will thin out 80 hectares (49.5 acres) of conifers over five sites in Devon in preparation for restoration to upland oakwood. These sites are ancient woodland – records show they have been wooded for over 400 years – but from the 1950s through to the 1970s the native trees were felled and replanted with nonnative species, largely conifers. Devon is the least wooded county in England, with only 2.2 per cent of ancient woodland cover.

regeneration was by gradual selective thinning. The emphasis is not simply on replacing the plantation conifers with native trees, and the method seldom requires their rapid or complete removal. By gradually restoring these woods the Trust will be contributing to the targets in the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for the oak woodland. It is hoped that habitats within the five woods will respond by becoming home to a wider variety of flora and fauna.

The five woods making up this project cover, in total, almost 340 hectares (836 acres) and include designations such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), National Park and National Nature Reserve. Rivers and brooks

The sites are owned by the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity.

Restoration is based on the Trust’s experience of restoring its own Planted Ancient Woodland sites (PAWS) nationally, covering almost 10,000 hectares, and the results of research it commissioned Oxford University Forestry Institute, which concluded that the most successful way to encourage natural 16

White Admiral butterfly ©WTPL/Greg Holmes

within the sites are not merely habitats within themselves. In a broadleaved woodland, they provide the humid conditions needed for bryophytes and ferns. Open ground of old meadows and remnant ancient trees support further notable wildlife species.

Historically, the five areas supported local industries – forest harvesting is evident in the remains of oak coppice, old charcoal hearths are still evident on some of the upland sites, and some prehistoric field patterns remain.

It’s not difficult to understand the appeal – and the necessity – of restoring areas of upland oakwood habitat, turning biodiversitypoor monoculture plantation to a biodiverse, broadleaved woodland, which can host up to 232 species of conservation concern, almost twice as many as any other habitat.

Ancient woodland cannot be created so PAWS restoration offers the only means of increasing the area of ancient woodland that is semi natural in character and has been identified as a conservation priority at national, regional and local levels. The restoration of five sites here will join up several semi-natural ecological networks, a World of Trees Issue 16

The work will follow two distinct operational phases. First, remnant ancient woodland features are maintained and enhanced by reducing imminent threats to their survival, a process which may take some years, and second, long-term improvements to the general ecological value of the site are made by gradually shifting the canopy towards a more semi-natural composition and structure.

Site surveys have identified the type, distribution and condition of the remnant woodland features, and the level of threat has been measured. Urgent and careful attention is directed to those most at risk.

In essence, the process is about gradual change, in particular managing light levels, as most threats to remnant ancient woodland come from either excessive shade or light.

Other management objectives can be delivered for those who are not solely concerned with biodiversity and may include timber production and game management, public benefits such as recreation and landscape enhancement and straightforward improvements to the aesthetics and primary amenity value of a property, which may produce an increase in its capital value.

Thinning will be carried out by a local expert contractor under the monitoring of woodland officers James Mason and Jonathan Burgess.

PAWS rest oration un derway in Devon - ©WTPL/ Paul Glend ell

“

The sites are owned by the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity

”

“The slow approach taken by the Trust means it will be a long time before work is complete, but some of the remnant flora is already flourishing after the first operation. It’s very encouraging. I hope my sites will inspire other woodland owners to attempt to achieve the same goal,” he commented.

The cost of work is dependent on funds raised by the charity, and grants. The projected cost for the next two years is around £140,000 and campaigns to raise the necessary funds are ongoing with help from the Trust’s members and supporters. Grant applications are also underway.

In addition to conserving habitats for species already at the site, this work will also allow species arriving at the site to flourish. In a similar project at a site belonging to the Woodland Trust near Bovey Valley on Dartmoor, a colony of Barbastelle bats, one of only 17 known in the UK, is using remnant oak trees in the conifer areas. PAWS restoration releases more remnant oaks from deep coniferous shade, increasing the number of habitats available for the bats to use as roosts.

Barbastelles form only small colonies, and often switch roost sites. A PAWS restoration project will provide them with the

increased number of roosting sites they need in order to prosper.

Other species expected to benefit from the restoration of the five woods in Devon are cuckoo, dunnock, marsh tit, song thrush, dormouse, four species of bats, and four species of butterfly including the small pearlbordered fritillary and white admiral.

The Woodland Trust’s approach to PAWS restoration is widely endorsed by other organisations and has resulted in a guide to PAWS restoration, available to download at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/publications under Conservation Practice publications.

Justine Whittern – The Woodland Trust www.woodlandtrust.org.uk Read more about the Barbastelle Bat from page 22

Dunnock ©WTPL/Adrian Yeo

“For me, it was the beauty of ancient woodlands that gave the inspiration to get involved with woodland management in the first place, not the soulless conifer monocultures; so to be able to help restore even a small part is fantastic,” said Jonathan Burgess.

a World of Trees Issue 16

17

6th

CELEBRATION of TREES AND THE COUNTRYSIDE

Set within the stunning college grounds, the Husqvarna sponsored Capel Manor Celebration of Trees is one the best shows of the arb calendar. Despite its size it is well attended by a broad spectrum of exhibitors and visitors alike, who all enjoyed its friendly personable atmosphere and the much welcomed sunshine, which assured a good attendance (880 on the Friday, over 1300 on the Saturday) and hopefully brisk trade for the exhibitors.

The show also hosted the ISA Student Tree Climbing Finals, sponsored by Treeworker. Teams from Myerscough, Sparsholt, Moulton, Merrist Wood and Plumpton colleges participated in what was a friendly yet very competitive arena.

The disciplines they competed in were the belayed Speed Climb, Work Climb, Footlocking and Throw-line. Being the championship round in this competition, the top four men and top four women from the preliminary rounds move on to compete for the Masters titles, in a very exciting and hard fought finale.

To view the winners, please go to:http://www.isa-arboriculture. org/content/cmc000077.htm The standards set by the competitors was impressive despite most being relatively new to the industry, and to competition. This reflects well for the future, the colleges producing this next generation of treeworkers and competition climbers in the UK must take some well deserved credit for their training and tuition.

The Absolute Arb Company, combined with Treeworker, once again took advantage of the large Plane tree, to demonstrate their products, and positively encouraged people to try before they buy, whether it’s a harness, or simply wanting to try out a different friction hitch to climb on. It as usual, also became a focal point for discussion of techniques, tips and general banter, especially for those wide eyed gear junkies searching for there next purchases F.R. Jones kindly sponsored the Apprenticeship Spiking Competition, across in the car park, and congratulations to the winners.

The ISA and the Arb Association both had their presence on the showground, as did the CAS, who held various seminars over the weekend.

Venables Treecare put out an interesting display of equipment old and new, so we could compare and discuss the advances in our trade.

The large log was filled with many old saws, such as a Teles, and Stihls including 07 and 090AV, and an old gravity fed petrol saw, whose name evades me now. Sat alongside the latest ultra light high powered and specked machine it gives you a real appreciation of how much harder the job of felling or carting a saw up a tree was. Arborecology, Carlton, Greenmech, Timberwolf, Teupan and many more also took the time and effort to display a fantastic range of machines.

There really was something for everyone at this show, for the kids there was face painting and tree spirit activities, letting them feel more involved. Those who wanted to prove their prowess with a bow could take part in the field opposite the showground.

Camping is almost essential if you wish to truly Look inside for more celebrate the trees, and of

course many a toast was drunk. There is plenty of room put aside for camping, or for those who require a few creature comforts, then a Travel hotel is within easy reach of the showground.

If you missed out this year, then look out for the adverts of this show for next year, and mark it in your calendar, and join in the fun.

Your roving reporters at the show were Pete McSheffery (Huddersfield Tree Services) and Andy Collins (AJ Collins Tree Services (www.ajctrees.com).

Andy has been in arboriculture since 1996, though he grew up in a rural area, frequently going out to fell trees, before taking a professional interest and joining the Suffolk Trust for Nature Conservation, involving coppice work and woodland management.

He then went on to work on a subcontract basis for several local companies before setting up his own business. He is now involved in all areas of tree care, from design of sites, installation of trees and irrigation through to tree surgery.

Pete McSheffrey runs Yorkshire based Huddersfield Tree Services, carrying out contract and sub-contract work in the UK and abroad. 11:48 Page 1 8433:8067 27/5/08

Sponsored by Husqvarna

Arboriculture Opportunities for employment in arboriculture, countryside and conservation work continue to expand. If you want to further your career in arboriculture or countryside work, or are looking for specialist training to update your skills to rigorous industry standards, then London’s only specialist college for land based subjects, Capel Manor College, would be the perfect choice. With a wide range of courses we can find the right course to suit your situation: FULL-TIME PART-TIME FAST TRACK ARBORICULTURE CERTIFIED SHORT COURSES APPRENTICESHIPS

New Fast-Track Arb Courses at Horsenden Farm

Courses take place at our centres in Enfield, Horsenden Farm near Gunnersbury Park and Crystal Palace. For more information and a prospectus contact Student Registry on 08456 122 122 or visit www.capel.ac.uk.

Friday 25th and Saturday 26th April, 10am–5pm Visit www.capel.ac.uk/trees

18

Capel Manor College Main Centre: Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield EN1 4RQ

Student Registry: 08456 122 122 information about the show, it’s activities andwww.capel.ac.uk competitions. enquiries@capel.ac.uk a World of Trees Issue 16

Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield EN1 4RQ Just off Junction 25 of the M25 Tel: 08456 122 122 laura.diggins@capel.ac.uk www.capel.ac.uk/trees

1/4p APF Ad:1/4p APF ad 2008

8/3/08

15:07

Page 1

APF 2008

Bentley Weald

I N T E R N AT I O N A L F O R E S T RY E X H I B I T I O N sp on so re d

by

over 130 exhibitors

The leading woodland, wood-use & woodcraft event in the south east Friday 12th, Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th September 2008 9.30am – 5.00pm

The European Lumberjack Sports Championships & the Husqvarna Poleclimbing Competition

18/19/20 September 2008

The WoodFair is designed to bring together representatives from the entire timber industry ‘from forest to final form’.

• Innovative architectural design • Timber-framed buildings • Furniture & flooring • Fencing & Gates • Hedgelaying • Carpentry • Machinery & equipment demonstrations • Firewood production • Tools • Protective clothing • Forestry contractors • Tree Surgeons ... and much more

9.00am to 6.00pm

Cannock Chase Staffordshire For futher information: Telephone: 01737 245081 e-mail: apfexhibition@gxn.co.uk www.apfexhibition.co.uk

event sponsors:

APF 2008

SET FOR RECORD ATTENDANCE APF 2008, the UK’s largest arboricultural, woodland and forestry exhibition will be the biggest yet according to Exhibition Secretary Ian Millward “We have already had a record number of Exhibitors book with us, including many who are exhibiting for the first time.

We have sold 4250m of demonstration frontage, that is over 2 ½ miles! and the original static display area has now sold out so we have had to extend it so we can accommodate any further bookings” . “Many exhibitors tell us they sell more equipment at our show than all the other shows they attend combined. This reputation has attracted the new exhibitors.” 250 exhibitors and 20 000 visitors are expected to attend.

APF 2008 also features more competitions and displays than ever before including The European Lumberjack Sports Championships, sponsored by Stihl & UPM Tilhill, the Husqvarna Poleclimbing Championships, the Echo Chainsaw Carving Championships, the UK forwarder driving championships, sponsored by Komatsu, the UK Fencing Championships, the world log to leg pole turning championships, an extreme mountain bike circuit and an extensive woodland crafts and vintage machinery display and demonstration.

The Exhibition takes place at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire on the 18/19/20th September 2008. More information and ticket details are available on the web site www.apfexhibition.co.uk or from the office tel: 01737 245081 email apfexhibition@gxn.co.uk a World of Trees Issue 16

Please call Bentley for more information WoodFair Tel: 01825 840573/841451 Website: www.bentley.org.uk

Next month around 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the Bentley Weald WoodFair -the leading woodland, wood-use and woodcraft event in the South East of England.

It celebrates and promotes the importance of the region’s wood to the environment and local economy. Held in the spacious grounds and atmospheric woodland of the Bentley Wildfowl & Motor Museum, there are a wide range of demonstrations, exhibitors and stalls, ranging from traditional woodland crafts, educational activities, trade exhibits, forestry demonstrations to products and timber for sale.

The event offers a rare opportunity to follow the whole tree cycle – from forest to final form with over 130 exhibitors taking part from around the UK. The wide range of exhibitors reflects the tree cycle with representatives from: forestry, arboriculture and woodland management; woodland/environmental information and education; architectural design, timber-framing, and buildings; woodfuel and wood-burning stoves; tools and equipment; furniture and finished products, woodturning, woodcarving; and traditional woodland crafts. The emphasis of the event is on the many varied uses of wood and timber in our every day lives and looks at how best to look after our woodlands in order to protect our environment, encourage wildlife and support local rural employment.

As well as demonstrations there will be plenty of hands on activities for children and young people. These will range from free wood-carving lessons, archery and trebuchet to willow weaving. Add to this Bentley’s regular attractions of Bronze Age and Mesolithic Houses, the steam railway, adventure playgound and living willow tunnels and you have something for everyone to enjoy. The Bentley Weald WoodFair takes place from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th September at Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum, Halland, East Sussex.

A free shuttle bus will be running from Lewes train and bus stations.

Ticket Prices: £10 Adults £9 Senior Citizens/Students £8 Children (aged 3 and over) £28 Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children Ticket prices include entrance to the Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum. For more information visit www.bentley.org.uk

19

Woodland Wild Flower Glades & Rides

20

Woodlands where the ground is carpeted in wild flowers have a very romantic feel and can stimulate the imagination to conjure up visions of fairies flying between bluebells. However, many of the plant species that help create this peaceful atmosphere are becoming rare. Sadly their dispersal across the countryside from wood to wood, or even into your gardens, is extremely slow, and the natural establishment of the diversity of species found in an ancient wood can take hundreds of years to develop.

New planting schemes to establish the next generation of woodland, predominantly only consider trees and possibly some understory shrub, with no apparent thought for the encouragement of the woodland wildflowers.

The colourful woodland glade, that is enjoyed by both us and the wildlife, may soon be a rare thing indeed.

Species like bluebells are an intrinsic part of a British woodland, and help create much of it’s floral character. Bluebells and all the other species of native woodland wildflowers should be an essential component of any woodland project.

The design and planning of a woodland glade should be done at the early stages of a project to allow for establishment of the woodland flora. Some species may lay dormant, as seeds in the ground, until the right conditions allow germination, while others will take a number of seasons to develop from seed and may not flower for several years. Bluebells for instance will not develop the bulblet and flower for at least 3-4 years after seeds have been sown. This delay can be avoided by planting the flowers as bulbs or as young seedlings. The cost of larger plants may be prohibitive to large woodland schemes, but the instant effect might be beneficial to a landscape within a garden.

Woodland wild flowers grow best in shaded or lightly shaded locations, so the best areas to establish are often under existing trees. However, continuous or very dense shade should be avoided, although some plants are adapted to these locations, most are best grown in pots first and planted out as established specimens. However, in larger clearings where there is less shade, the woodland species may not be able to compete with the more vigorous tall grasses.

When planning a new woodland it is essential to consider the selection of wildflowers at an early stage so the choice of species can be made to fit in with the main planting scheme. Different plant species and mixes can be chosen for the range of woodland habitat created within the new woodland.

Glades, rides and woodland edges are vital components, and will provide the richest wildlife interest for insects, mammals and birds.

The best time to introduce wildflowers may not be at the time that the main trees and shrubs are planted. Most woodland plantings have a five year establishment phase which involves annual weed control where chemicals are frequently used.

Although this will reduce the competition, indiscriminate application at the wrong time, a World of Trees Issue 16

will also kill the wildflower species.

The degree of shade is also critical to the success of woodland wildflowers, although many require certain light levels to flower successfully, too much light will allow the growth of vigorous grasses and weeds.

Seeds can be sown at a similar time to planting, in the autumn or spring, however, as mentioned above weed control will need to be done carefully (spot treatment with Glyphosate) or selective cutting by strimmer or slasher. With some species it may be better to consider introducing bulbs or plants at a later stage of establishment, when the tree canopy has closed and most of the grass and weed growth has been suppressed by the reduced light conditions.

Woodland wildflowers are adapted to growth within areas where a high level of organic matter builds up, in the form of falling leaves. This thick carpet of leaf-litter that slowly decomposes on the ground, within an established wood can help suppress the growth of weeds and grasses.

When planting out on a fresh site it is very unlikely that the soil will contain much if any significant organic matter and even less likely to have the sort of depth associated with an existing woodland area. So if it is practical within the limits of the planting budget a good thick layer of mulch (leaf-litter or fine woodchip) should be added. The mulch helps to suppress the germination of the unwanted weeds, while also improving the growing conditions for both the young trees and the wildflowers.

The woodland wildflower species are adapted to germination under a thick organic layer and will be able to grow through mulch even when spread at a depth of over 15 cm (6 inches). However, it is important to be careful, when applying mulches around young trees, not to allow a build-up of organic material around the trunk or main stems. This can be avoided by using tree shelters or tubes around the saplings.

All wild flowers are protected by law, and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence for an unauthorised person to, intentionally uproot any wild plant. Some species are given further protection; it is an offence to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy any wild plants listed in schedule 8. It is also an offence to sell the wild plants listed in schedule 8, which includes, any person caught in the possession of plants (living or dead), or any part of, or anything derived from, such a plant.

All this means that it is not only ecological bad practice to collect your wild flowers from the local wood but you may also be committing an offence. The best way therefore to establish wildflowers in your next woodland planting or in your own back garden is to buy seeds, bulbs

a World of Trees Issue 16

or plants, bought from a recognised supplier.

There are now several companies that have been set up to provide an available source of native wild plant seeds, that can be included in both small and large landscape and woodland planting projects.

You will find an incredible selection of wild flower seeds, and weeds from seed and wildflower mixtures available, by searching online. Sowing time for wildflowers is all year round with best results sowing either March to

early May, or from August to September, so there really is no excuse not to get out there and increase the biodiversity of your new woodland planting.

Try the following websites to get started: www.wildflower.org.uk www.wildflowershop.co.uk www.cropwise.co.uk/wildflower-seed www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/wild

21

Woodland Wild Flower Glades & Rides

20

Woodlands where the ground is carpeted in wild flowers have a very romantic feel and can stimulate the imagination to conjure up visions of fairies flying between bluebells. However, many of the plant species that help create this peaceful atmosphere are becoming rare. Sadly their dispersal across the countryside from wood to wood, or even into your gardens, is extremely slow, and the natural establishment of the diversity of species found in an ancient wood can take hundreds of years to develop.

New planting schemes to establish the next generation of woodland, predominantly only consider trees and possibly some understory shrub, with no apparent thought for the encouragement of the woodland wildflowers.

The colourful woodland glade, that is enjoyed by both us and the wildlife, may soon be a rare thing indeed.

Species like bluebells are an intrinsic part of a British woodland, and help create much of it’s floral character. Bluebells and all the other species of native woodland wildflowers should be an essential component of any woodland project.

The design and planning of a woodland glade should be done at the early stages of a project to allow for establishment of the woodland flora. Some species may lay dormant, as seeds in the ground, until the right conditions allow germination, while others will take a number of seasons to develop from seed and may not flower for several years. Bluebells for instance will not develop the bulblet and flower for at least 3-4 years after seeds have been sown. This delay can be avoided by planting the flowers as bulbs or as young seedlings. The cost of larger plants may be prohibitive to large woodland schemes, but the instant effect might be beneficial to a landscape within a garden.

Woodland wild flowers grow best in shaded or lightly shaded locations, so the best areas to establish are often under existing trees. However, continuous or very dense shade should be avoided, although some plants are adapted to these locations, most are best grown in pots first and planted out as established specimens. However, in larger clearings where there is less shade, the woodland species may not be able to compete with the more vigorous tall grasses.

When planning a new woodland it is essential to consider the selection of wildflowers at an early stage so the choice of species can be made to fit in with the main planting scheme. Different plant species and mixes can be chosen for the range of woodland habitat created within the new woodland.

Glades, rides and woodland edges are vital components, and will provide the richest wildlife interest for insects, mammals and birds.

The best time to introduce wildflowers may not be at the time that the main trees and shrubs are planted. Most woodland plantings have a five year establishment phase which involves annual weed control where chemicals are frequently used.

Although this will reduce the competition, indiscriminate application at the wrong time, a World of Trees Issue 16

will also kill the wildflower species.

The degree of shade is also critical to the success of woodland wildflowers, although many require certain light levels to flower successfully, too much light will allow the growth of vigorous grasses and weeds.

Seeds can be sown at a similar time to planting, in the autumn or spring, however, as mentioned above weed control will need to be done carefully (spot treatment with Glyphosate) or selective cutting by strimmer or slasher. With some species it may be better to consider introducing bulbs or plants at a later stage of establishment, when the tree canopy has closed and most of the grass and weed growth has been suppressed by the reduced light conditions.

Woodland wildflowers are adapted to growth within areas where a high level of organic matter builds up, in the form of falling leaves. This thick carpet of leaf-litter that slowly decomposes on the ground, within an established wood can help suppress the growth of weeds and grasses.

When planting out on a fresh site it is very unlikely that the soil will contain much if any significant organic matter and even less likely to have the sort of depth associated with an existing woodland area. So if it is practical within the limits of the planting budget a good thick layer of mulch (leaf-litter or fine woodchip) should be added. The mulch helps to suppress the germination of the unwanted weeds, while also improving the growing conditions for both the young trees and the wildflowers.

The woodland wildflower species are adapted to germination under a thick organic layer and will be able to grow through mulch even when spread at a depth of over 15 cm (6 inches). However, it is important to be careful, when applying mulches around young trees, not to allow a build-up of organic material around the trunk or main stems. This can be avoided by using tree shelters or tubes around the saplings.

All wild flowers are protected by law, and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence for an unauthorised person to, intentionally uproot any wild plant. Some species are given further protection; it is an offence to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy any wild plants listed in schedule 8. It is also an offence to sell the wild plants listed in schedule 8, which includes, any person caught in the possession of plants (living or dead), or any part of, or anything derived from, such a plant.

All this means that it is not only ecological bad practice to collect your wild flowers from the local wood but you may also be committing an offence. The best way therefore to establish wildflowers in your next woodland planting or in your own back garden is to buy seeds, bulbs

a World of Trees Issue 16

or plants, bought from a recognised supplier.

There are now several companies that have been set up to provide an available source of native wild plant seeds, that can be included in both small and large landscape and woodland planting projects.

You will find an incredible selection of wild flower seeds, and weeds from seed and wildflower mixtures available, by searching online. Sowing time for wildflowers is all year round with best results sowing either March to

early May, or from August to September, so there really is no excuse not to get out there and increase the biodiversity of your new woodland planting.

Try the following websites to get started: www.wildflower.org.uk www.wildflowershop.co.uk www.cropwise.co.uk/wildflower-seed www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/wild

21

Barbastelle - ph otograph

“

by Hugh Clark/Ba t Conservation

Trust

Barbastelle bats fly very fast and often fly more or less directly to their foraging areas, recorded covering 20k in approximately 45 minutes

” Barbastelle Bats – The Tree Bat Every one of the 21 bat species listed in the table as occurring in the UK uses trees to some extent. Some use trees only as an occasional roost, or a night roost site while others depend almost wholly on trees for roosting for much of the year.

The list includes bats which are very rare and it also includes vagrants to the UK but any of these could be using a tree for roosting in some way. Bats and trees are not an easy subject to handle. There are no quick fix ‘one size fits all answers’ to finding bat roosts in trees, or carrying out mitigation for loss of tree roosts, or maintaining trees to ensure that roosts are not lost at a faster rate than is sustainable for the bat colonies using them. The immense variation between the way that the different species use trees and the variations caused by the bats annual cycles, also adds to the difficulties with locating tree roosts - and then deciding upon the relative importance of that roost.

This magazine has covered the basics of identifying bat roosts in trees sufficiently before and by now arborists are well used to hearing about how bats use trees and how they must be treated with a large degree of care requiring skill and a certain amount of specialist expertise, but that is not the purpose of this article.

The Barbastelle is the species focussed on in this article. Barbastelle bats are a species which is categorised as rare in the UK and vulnerable in Europe and this species which uses trees almost (but not quite) exclusively for roosting. They are listed one of the UKs’ Annex II species because they are so rare and this gives them more legal protection 22

than other bats. As they are so rare, more knowledge needs to be gathered so that more accurate and effective strategies for conservation can be devised and carried out.

Barbastelle bats are notoriously difficult to locate but Geoff Billington who founded Greena Ecological Consultancy in 1997 is a highly experienced bat consultant with many years of professional experience radio tracking bats and he has carried out several radio tracking studies on the Barbastelle bat colonies at a number of sites in the UK. This has given him a greater amount of information on the behaviour of this species than many. This article draws heavily on both Geoffs’ radio tracking data plus information gleaned from other studies carried out on the Barbastelle in UK and Europe.

The Barbastelle is a species about which it is very difficult to gain information, both here in the UK and on the continent, where it occurs in low densities. Surveying to prove absence of the Barbastelle by using a bat detector survey alone is a distinctly unreliable method, however once the Barbastelle is known to be present in an area, radio tracking them is then an option. Radio tracking really is the only way to find out more about the behaviour of this species, but this is not an easy option either. The difficulty lies in the fact that they are not easy to locate, they fly extremely fast and have slightly odd habits!

The odd thing about Barbastelle bats is that they do not remain roosting in one tree, but rather use a selection of trees for roosting, roost switching almost daily - even when they have very young offspring to care for.

Barbastelle bats will even switch roosts during the day. This has been encountered several times by Geoff and his team of surveyors at Greena Ecological Consultancy, while attempting to locate exact trees used by radio tagged bats. Roost switching was also shown to be happening by the use of logging devices recording presence or absence of bats in roosts, proving it was not merely the disturbance of surveyors causing this behaviour! Up to a dozen daytime movements out of a tree have been recorded at two sites in both Somerset and Wales.

This certainly adds to study difficulties, as surveyors returning to count bats or continue with radio tracking a bat at dusk may find they have already left the roost!

Barbastelle bats fly very fast and often fly more or less directly to their foraging areas, recorded covering 20k in approximately 45 minutes, flying mostly at canopy height.

It makes radio tracking them when they are in flight very testing, requiring rapid mobility to follow these very active flyers.

It is a species requiring an unusual degree of radio tracking skill and in Geoffs’ experience it is very often not possible to maintain close contact while radio tracking a Barbastelle. The method used to find a radio tagged bats’ exact location is known as triangulation. Triangulation is where two or three surveyors radio track the same bat from different positions, (not too far away from the bat, but not close to another surveyor either) and simultaneously, they get a fix on the bats position. Accurate fixes can only therefore be achieved by two surveyors tracking the same bat at the same time from different locations. Because a World of Trees Issue 15

Table with all of the bats found in the UK Species

Global IUCN Designation

UK

UK Distribution

Estimated UK Population Size

Greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

Lower risk, near threatened (close to qualifying for vulnerable)

Endangered

Mainly confined to south-west England and Wales

> 6,600

Lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros

Lower risk, least concern

Endangered

Mainly confined to south-west England and Wales

18,000 (c9,000 in England and c9,000 in Wales)

Bechstein’s bat Myotis bechsteinii

Vulnerable

Rare

Restricted to south England and south Wales

May be around 1,500 but very uncertain of numbers

Natterer’s bat Myotis nattereri

Lower risk, least concern

Vulnerable

Throughout the UK, apart from northern Scotland

148,000

Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii

Lower risk, least concern

Not Threatened

Throughout the UK

560,000

Whiskered bat Myotis mystacinus

Lower risk, least concern

Vulnerable

Throughout England and Wales, south Scotland and Northern Ireland

64,000

Brandt’s bat Myotis brandtii

Lower risk, least concern

Vulnerable

Throughout England and Wales

30,000

Serotine bat Eptesicus serotinus

Lower risk, least concern

Vulnerable

Southern England and occasionally in Wales.

15,000

Noctule bat Nyctalus noctula

Lower risk, least concern

Vulnerable

Throughout England and Wales and southwest Scotland.

50,000

Leisler’s bat Nyctalus leisleri

Lower risk, near threatened (close to qualifying for vulnerable)

Vulnerable

Sparse records throughout England, no records for Wales, common in Northern Ireland

28,000

Common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Lower risk, least concern

Not Threatened

Throughout the UK

2,430,000

Soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus

Lower risk, least concern

Not Threatened

Throughout the UK

1,300,000

Nathusius’ pipistrelle Pipistrellus nathusii

Lower risk, least concern

Believed Rare

Throughout the UK

Unknown

Kuhl’s Pipistrelle Pipistrellus Kuhlii

Lower risk, least concern

Rare

South coast of England

Unknown

Savi’s Pipistrelle Hypsugo Savii

Lower risk, least concern

Vagrant

Unknown

Unknown

Brown long-eared bat Plecotus auritus

Lower risk, least concern

Not Threatened

Throughout the UK

245,000

Grey long-eared bat Plecotus austriacus

Lower risk, least concern

Rare

South coast of England and Isle of Wight

1,000

Barbastelle bat Barbastella barbastellus

Vulnerable

Rare

Widespread throughout England (although more records from the southern half of country) and Wales

5,000

Greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis

Lower risk, Near Threatened (close to qualifying for Vulnerable)

Possibly extinct?

1 x recorded roosting (Feb 2003) West Sussex 1 x roosting (1960), Dorset, 1 x roosting in, Dorset plus 6 more separate grid refs of roosts in Dorset.

1 x roosting (1985) East Kent.

Unknown

Pond bat Myotis dasycneme

Vulnerable

Rare

2 x bats recorded at hibernation site Suffolk 2005 and 1 x recorded in tree roost in Suffolk and one record from Kent 2005

Unknown

Particoloured bat Vespertilio murinus

Lower risk, least concern

Vagrant

Occasional records from Shetland to Plymouth

Unknown

this species forages by roaming widely and rapidly over an area, this can be very tricky to achieve, as the surveyors have to predict where the bat may fly in order to position themselves in advance of the bat but they must still attempt to remain within the bats radio tag range. Consequently it is important to realise that information gathered is of variable quality according to surveyors techniques and experience and the difficulty of the terrain where the tracking is being carried out. Information on Barbastelle bats is limited in quantity (to say the least) and it could be very dangerous to draw too many ‘sure’ conclusions from the relatively small a World of Trees Issue 15

amount of data available, particularly with respect of habitat use.

Their typical favoured roost site choice within a tree has been found to often be an inherently fragile structure, as they often chose to roost behind flaking bark and in active de-lamination splits, which can be very easily de-stabilised by adverse weather conditions and natural decay. This may be part of the reason why Barbastelle bats require a selection of roost sites and why their roosts tend to be not limited to one tree, but rather to an area of woodland. Barbastelle bats have been found, from radio tracking

studies carried out by Geoff Billington and by others in the UK and Europe to be using trees, forest rides, high hedgerows and rivers as linear features for commuting to their foraging areas, foraging along the way.

They are a large, strong flying bat and their foraging range and commuting distance is often large. Geoff recorded one individuals average speed over 3.9 miles to be 29.3 MPH. This was recorded near the Pengelli forest in Pembrokeshire. This equates to travelling nearly 4 miles in 8 minutes.

Foraging grounds have been recorded in excess of 25k from the roost area in the 23

Photograph by Hugh Clark/Bat Conservation Trust

24

a World of Trees Issue 15

Barbastelle Bats – The Tree Bat woodland. Even 6 week old babies have been recorded travelling 7k from the roost site. Geoff has radio tracked Barbastelle bats foraging extensively over European Gorse in Somerset, which has been shown to be important foraging habitat here, together with open heather moor land and salt marshes and hedge banks and over an estuary in Pembrokeshire, heath land and gardens in Somerset, together with the more commonly recorded foraging areas associated closely with woodlands, hedgerows and tree lines.

Part of the reason for this long distance commuting behaviour is probably due to the fact that the Barbastelle have one of the narrowest diet preferences of all the Palaearctic bats. In short, they prefer moths - and in order to find them, they have to be prepared to travel a long way. Data collected from all over Europe suggests that they will eat moths of all sizes, and some data has shown that they will glean insects from leaves but it seems that they tend mostly to be aerial hawkers and they actively select moths in preference to other night flying insects. They are loyal to their foraging grounds but these foraging grounds are seasonally affected - probably according to moth availability. They frequently forage above the canopy and along open rides in the woodland but contrary to some earlier research reports, they do not always remain exclusively in or above the woodland to forage but often also venture into very open areas, far from woodland, probably using linear features to navigate, as is the case with many other bat species.

The most common roost site choice for Barbastelle bats is within de-lamination splits, with thick ivy coming in as second choice to this and flaking bark, tree joints or rot holes, coming after that. These kinds of features are often present in fallen, hung up trees and a large proportion of Barbastelle roosts were found in trees such as these in some of Geoffs’ studies. Most roost sites are several metres up the tree but exceptions have been found, such as a nursery roost Geoff found on Dartmoor which was less than 1m AGL. Many early winter roosts in his Somerset studies were 1 - 2m AGL and one bat was radio tracked and found to be roosting in moss on the ground in Somerset. This bat was disturbed by the surveyors trying to find it and flew up from its mossy home into a more conventional tree roost! Barbastelle bats have also been recorded in Europe using woodpecker holes too.

Tree species recorded with confirmed Barbastelle roosts in UK are Oak, Turkey Oak, Ash, Alder, Beech, Pine and Birch. There is a high dependency on dead trees of all kinds, or dead sections of trees for roosting, providing as they do, a wealth of features for bats of all species, including the Barbastelle.

The living trees selected by Barbastelle bats have been recorded in some studies in Italy as being significantly taller trees than the surrounding ones in the woodland, in slightly more open areas or near to the edge of the woodland. The dead trees with roosts in them a World of Trees Issue 15

obviously have less canopy around them and all of these various factors could be assisting the Barbastelle bats, both in their initial discovery and in re-locating the selected roost trees upon return from foraging.

It was thought that that Barbastelle bats preferred roosting in large ancient woodland with a dense under storey but Barbastelle roosts have been found in small copses which were not appearing on first inspection to be likely to be high value woodlands for any bat species. Similarly, Barbastelle bats (together with Bechsteins’ bats which are another rare UK mostly tree dwelling species, with critically small amounts of UK data gathered regarding behaviour patterns) have recently been found roosting and foraging in a UK woodland site which is under 100 years old, debunking any ideas that Barbastelle or Bechsteins bats will only forage or roost in ancient woodlands.

The selection of roost sites and foraging areas is likely to be based on a far more complex series of issues than initially suggested by some researchers. Another point is that with less large ancient woodland available it is vital for Barbastelle bats future breeding success to locate roosts in woodland which is not ancient, large or full of veteran trees and then actively conserving that woodland with Barbastelle bats in mind! It is perhaps most concerning, given the reducing number of suitable trees available for roosting, that it has been shown that a maternity colony of 50 Barbastelle bats in Hampshire may be using 36 roost sites within a 1km Square. In conjunction with their narrow diet preference this makes the rare Barbastelle a very vulnerable species in the UK indeed.

Barbastelle bats are very susceptible to disturbance and will often fly during day light if a roost is approached closely. Many woodland bats are more sensitive to disturbance than a bat species which dwells in buildings. Felling carried out in an area close to where Barbastelle bats are roosting could be sufficient disturbance to cause them to flee their roosts. In areas where there are known Barbastelle bat roosts, it is critically important to limit public access, rerouting public paths if necessary to minimise accidental disturbance.

Hibernation site selection in Europe often includes trees, but here in the UK, the small amount understood about hibernating Barbastelle bats suggests that they mostly select low level tree features, underground sites and buildings. As the inherent problem with locating a hibernating and therefore torpid bat, is even greater than the difficulties encountered in the bats active season, this information should be treated with extreme caution, because to prove the absence of a torpid bat in a tree can be very difficult.

Trees with bats using them need a bat licence to be issued by Natural England if the tree is to be removed or a number of bats disturbed before work can be carried out on them.

In order to gain that licence a bat survey must have been undertaken. Bat detector

surveys, emergence surveys carried out at sunset and transect surveys in the bats active season will all identify bat activity and sunrise surveys may identify some trees used for roosting but for woodland areas with mature or dead trees this may still be inadequate.

Surveying trees adequately for bats requires both the skills in being able to access trees and an understanding of what to look for.

The nature of cavities, the range of places bats use require experienced understanding of what signs to look for, and the signs can often be very subtle. Suitable equipment should then be used to view into cavities with any bat potential, i.e fibre-optic viewing probes or mini cameras. By obtaining robust information this often enables appropriate felling or branch lopping times to be successfully planned. Skilled surveyors can also determine if there is a risk of sites being used for breeding and whether they can be ruled out as being used in the depths of winter.

Active conservation is only possible once their presence is confirmed, but habitat suitable for Barbastelles can be created to encourage them to adopt an area.

Barbastelle bats can only inhabit an area of habitat which provides: 1. Dietary needs for Barbastelles - a large number of moths available within a 20 – 30k radius of the roost woodland. The moth availability is clearly key and moths are extremely vulnerable to the effects of chemicals and monoculture farmland – the so called ‘green deserts’ - with poor plant diversity, few trees, large open fields and close trimmed low hedgerows. A number of UK moth species are known to be in decline, probably due to the rise in quantity of areas such as this.

The best areas for all bats for foraging, Barbastelles especially, are any of the following; organically farmed land, smaller and less improved pasture field systems, wide field margins around crops, high and wide hedgerows interspersed with mature trees, all woodlands - especially those over hills and ones with indentations or deeply scalloped edges to enhance insect proliferation, rivers, streams and ponds and abundant plant species diversity. It is also important to have reasonable connectivity between the features available. These kinds of habitats produce more insects - and this makes them attractive to the bats.

2. Accommodation needs for Barbastelles – a quiet undisturbed woodland with sufficient trees with suitable features as discussed to accommodate the colonies, including low level roosting sites.

Greena Ecological Consultancy are running another of the popular ‘Bats in Woodlands’ courses on the 16th – 19th June 2008.

Please visit our website www.greenaeco. co.uk for details about this course and other courses we are running throughout the year.

Jacqueline Warren, Greena Ecological Consultancy 25

NEWS

Arboriculture:

Still the Poor Relation to Forestry?

There’s a glimmer of hope that the Government might be taking arboriculture more seriously following a meeting between the Forestry Commission and the Arboricultural Association in May. The FC asked the AA to help it with the development of a plan for the delivery of the objectives within government’s document A Strategy for England’s Trees, Woods and Forests (www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/ rddteam/pdf/0706forestry-strategy.pdf).

Currently the amount of resource allocated by government to arboriculture is a very small fraction of that allocated to forestry. The number of government staff employed by the Forestry Commission to look after the interests of forest trees and timber is 592 whereas the number of government staff employed by the Department for Communities and Local Government to look after the interests of amenity trees is 6. Similarly the Government’s annual research budget for the FC is £13,600,000, but by contrast the Government’s annual research budget for the DCLG is £60,000.

Looking on the bright side, A Strategy for England’s Trees, Woods and Forests is more ‘tree’ focussed (as opposed to just forestry focussed) than its predecessor strategy so the FC is beginning to acknowledge arboriculture and by involving the AA in its strategic delivery plan we have a real chance to make a difference that will filter down to those of us working in the

ered A5.indd 1 26

arb industry and to our paymasters.

At the meeting the AA was represented by two Trustees (Adam Hollis and Brian Wallis), its Director (Nick Eden) and two more members passionate about developing arboriculture at a strategic level (Jeremy Barrell and John Flannigan). The group had reviewed the Strategy and made three key points to the FC • The AA broadly supports the aims of the strategy • The aims of the strategy can not be realised without arboriculture playing its part • England needs a centrally resourced leadership for arboriculture to combat its under-resourced, fragmented and locally focussed effort.

readily achievable by any competent arb business that knows how to do good tree work and look after its customers. The technical standards will be less arduous than the AA Approved Contractor scheme which remains the pinnacle status of arboricultural contracting but there is a greater emphasis on consumer protection.

Financial probity and checking for County Court Judgements are some of the consumer protection features of the TrustMark scheme.

The AA will be presenting TrustMark at its Trade Fair in Cirencester, 13-14 June, and invites arborists interested in proving their competence to the domestic market to meet AA representatives and discuss what the scheme can offer to them and their businesses.

AA representatives made sure they were heard and the FC took careful note of these points and invited the AA to nominate itself to assist with the delivery of some of the strategy’s aims. At the time of writing this work is in progress. The AA was keen to remind Government that 90% of people in the UK live in towns and therefore Government’s resource allocation should reflect this: it is town trees that affect the quality of most people’s lives.

The AA is pushing for the following items to be included in the delivery plan • Investigate the development of an Urban Tree Research Panel • Find mechanisms for redressing the imbalance between government resources directed to arboriculture and forestry • Investigate the development of a Tree Commission incorporating the tree responsibilities for both the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG = amenity trees) and the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA = forests and timber).

The FC is keen to let the arb world know that it is changing its focus from just forestry.

AA Approved Contractor Assessors go back to School!

This winter all the Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor scheme assessors returned to the classroom, got out notebooks and pencils and grappled with Health and Safety legislation in an attempt to prove their credibility in this ever more complex area of arboriculture.

12 assessors from the AA’s national panel have all recently attained Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)’s nationally recognised qualification: ‘Supervising Safely’, over a 4-5 day period.

Paul Smith, AA Technical Officer and Lead Assessor for the AA Approved Contractor scheme, said, “Whilst all the assessors have existing accreditations including being Lantra Awards trainers, NPTC assessors and considerable industry based experience and knowledge, it was considered necessary to attain a nationally recognised health and safety qualification to which all industries could relate. Whilst in the arboricultural, forestry and horticultural sectors the Lantra Awards and NPTC qualifications are recognised and respected this is not so in many other industries, including civil engineering, construction and utility provision. We therefore identified a need to obtain a level of qualification that these sectors recognised which in turn gives more recognition and credibility to the AA Approved Contractors servicing society.”

Nick Eden, AA Director, says, “This level of investment in the AA Approved Contractor scheme raises its profile and status and further demonstrates the Association’s commitment to the industry and improving the standards of arboriculture to the benefit of trees, tree workers and tree owners.”

Winning and Keeping the Best Clients As arboriculture comes of age more and more people are appreciating the role trees play in our societies and the importance of caring for them. TrustMark is a new scheme that promotes Government-endorsed standards to society aimed at providing consumers with a reliable source of credible contractors.

The Arboricultural Association is working with TrustMark to become a scheme operator so that arboricultural contractors meeting TrustMark standards will receive this prestigious status from the AA, enabling licenced contractors to market themselves TrustMark Approved Arboricultural Contractors.

Developed with a focus mainly for the domestic market TrustMark’s standards should be

For further information see www.trees.org. uk or contact Paul Smith direct (email paul@ trees.org.uk or tel. 01794 368717). a World of Trees Issue 16

10th Arborists’ Trade Fair 13–14 June 2008

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K See the demonstrations K Try the machines & PPE and compare K Join in the Contractors’ Workshop sponsored by STIHL K See the technical demonstrations by Treevolution K Enter the fungi ident comp by Tree Life Training K See “A Day in the Life of a Development Site” K Climb with Tree Climbers’ Workshop by Treeworker.co.uk

Here to help you choose: All the big name manufacturers and suppliers side by side All enquiries: The Arboricultural Association Ampfield House, Ampfield, Romsey, Hants SO51 9PA. Tel: 01794 368717 Fax: 01794 368978 E-mail: admin@trees.org.uk Web: www.trees.org.uk

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sales@sorbus-intl.co.uk a World of Trees Issue 16

27

Arbtalk.co.uk

We asked the pioneering team at City of London for their comments...

Arb talk is a discussion forum for arborists, whether you want to read reviews on the latest products available, discuss every day issues in the tree industry or take part in the competitions .... logon to arbtalk.co.uk.

Coronet Cutting

We will be selecting topics from the forum and doing a little investigating ourselves .... had a niggling question for a while .... start your own discussion today, you never know ... we might be picking yours for the next edition.

To Coronet or Not to Coronet, now that is a question.

Do you ? Have you ? Wont you ?

If so, why?

Our local punters and the local bug fraternity, seem to like the aesthetics & micro habitat of dead standing coroneted monoliths as opposed to flushed cut ones.

Please feel free to Discuss !

Replies Replies...

I like the look of them and I can see why they have their place. I think the location needs to be right though - you wouldn’t want them on street or amenity trees. I’d love to have the chance of doing some.

I read an article where they were suggesting leaving rough cuts and big splits for the bugs and also saw some in a small wildlife park in N Wales, but never done it and never seen anything as fancy as those! Round here they don’t even want to see dead timber standing, even in a woodland setting. Just had to fell two on a new planting site even though I advised leaving them as a perch for birds of prey, apparently kestrels etc like them when hunting mice and voles, so they also serve as an establishment tool by aiding vole control!

Tree officers promote the use of coronet cuts and leaving dead wood in the appropriate place.

Did some nice highways work a few months back, the spec was to veteranise an Ash and Oak tree! We removed the hazards of the road but created hazards over the farmers field. Not only did we coronet cut, but we tried to create holes in the stem and limbs by boring out slots in the hope they will be used by bats or woodpeckers.

On one council contract we strapped deadwood high up in the canopy and strapped a dead Beech trunk to the trunk of a living Beech.

Another trick was spear cutting limbs in an attempt to get them stuck in the ground,

28

apparently Stag beetles love the bit of wood under the soil. I just think all this work makes a nice change from the normal everyday tree work.

I think its just a fad, to be honest, all this eco-this and eco-that stuff. Next we won’t prune trees at all, leave all the ivy on for the eco-purpose, before we know it we won’t do any work at all. It looks ok in a natural environment, e.g. woodland, but in the real urban area it just looks rubbish. Few years back, the flush-cut was king, as was painting the wounds, filling cavities with rubble and concrete, then along came Shigo, and a new style was born. I have been reprimanded in the past for leaving deadwood in trees, however small, and leaving leaves in a woodland. But now its all ok, and we can leave messy looking wounds in the interest of “ecology”. Lets face it, it takes longer to make coronet cuts, so the companies can charge more, in the name of “ecology”, in reality just to line their pockets.

I don’t think anyone on here is truly advocating doing this anywhere near urban parks/gardens, rightly so that would look totally rubbish & inappropriate.

But if we collectively broaden our skills & techniques then it’s win win. Lots of horses for lots of different causes.

In terms of just being a fad, you only have to acknowledge the amount of column inches that trade, national press, TV, radio and the Web have given to this issue over the last 5 years, it just goes to show how many people are naturally interested. Of course there are always hidden agendas, but time will tell!

When I was at University, I did my dissertation on Deadwood habitat ecology and I am a huge fan of coronet cuts, but I’ve never yet had a chance to do them.

Folks up here aren’t that forward thinking.

In the management plan I wrote that I encouraged the use of coronet cuts, injecting decay fungi, and boring into trees to create suitable microhabitats.

More saproxylic habitats can be created by encouraging the wood to rot inside out, hence I never recommended ring barking etc.

I have just read with interest the vario us comments about ‘coronet’ cutti ng of limbs and standing deadwood, including the understandable concerns about safety and aesthetics.

As a member of the City of Lond on team that pioneered this tech nique with our contractors on Ashtead Common National Nature Reserve in Surrey I thought I should share some thoughts on the matter with read ers.

I’ve been involved with loads of coronet cutting with SNH at Loch Lomond. Also done coronet cuts when climbing for a company in Perthshire. I’m not a big fan of doing them from a rope and harness but would be happy to make coronet cuts all day from a MEWP or spider lift etc. Did you hear about RSPB using explosives to blow the tops off old growth Scots Pines last year to create more habitat for scottish crossbills?

IMHO, conservation and arboriculture are very closely related now. Past practices have reduced habitat and eco-systems to the point of many life forms becoming threatened with extinction. Bats, stag beetles, violet click beetles, certain fungi, etc, etc. Any work- such as coronets or erecting standing deadwoodhas got to be beneficial to the environment and should be carried out where appropriate. There are obvious safety implications which should be addressed - as Tockmal says, this kind of stuff should be done from mewps were possible.

This might seem an odd idea- carving standing deadwood into sculptures in public and private gardens. It would be a good way of retaining the habitat a dead tree offers and would be pleasing on the eye, making customers more amenable to conservation. You never know, it may work!

I’m not convinced its the best idea for stags, yours sounds much better. Spear cutting has more to do with trying to replicate storm damage where torn limbs would break out and stab into the ground, and hopefully provide habitat. In some of the nature reserves, parks and trust sites I’ve worked at leaving potentially dangerous trees standing is an unacceptable risk.

So creating standing monoliths or trying to replicate storm damage as a form of reduction is more desirable, and leaving the fallen branches where they fall makes for a more natural looking and better environment.

It is true- its becoming harder to retain dangerous trees, which are the best for habitat.

Depending on the management of the park, there are ways of retaining dangerous trees. For instance- don’t mow under the tree leaving an area of long grass often prevents people going close. It is also a great way of

a World of Trees Issue 16

I would like to explain that we deve loped this method in response to comments about our ‘pruning’ of trees for safety and cons ervation reasons. Ashtead Common ancient oak pollards, as well as a contains 2,300 community of other veteran trees and ancient woodland containing large amounts of dead wood and associated fungi and inve rtebrates. Feedback from fellow managers of conserva tion sites suggested the method could have positive benefits for wildlife.

alleviating compaction- the grass and microbes will soon aerate the soil. Fallen branches can be re-positioned to create suggestive barriers or thorny bushes can be planted. Desire lines can often be diverted using dead stems or branches.

We’ve been doing a lot of coronet cutting this year - I’ve not had any sort of training on it and was just given a sheet of paper with a rubbish black and white photo on it. My coronets have been far shallower than these though. Work position is definitely an issue here and I’ve been in a few positions where it didn’t feel good. Any tips on how to carry out awkward coronet cuts? I find it a bit of a pain to do at the end of a laborious removal.

I think coronet cuts look terrible. I know one thing for sure - the majority of my customers wouldn’t pay me if I started doing them.

Actually, I think most of my customers would think I was having a laugh and get someone else in if I even suggested it.

Our public was concerned that flush cuts gave the impression of an urba n park rather than turning the natural aspect of a woo ded common. I fully accept that in other settings, such as formal parks, gardens and stree ts public opinion is likely to cons ider ‘coronet’ cutting to be untidy and inappropriate. It was never our intention that this meth od of ‘softening’ the visual impact of tree work should be applied under every circumsta nce.

On our own sites, which are publ ic open spaces, we always appl y a risk assessment approach to deciding whether or not to retain or manage standing and fallen deadwood.

We use a zoning system that cons iders potential targets, such as visit ors, employees, contractors and neighbours. It is possible that under some circumsta nces it is not appropriate to retain standing or falle n deadwood. I agree with one read er that fallen and cut deadwood and timber can be used to encourage people to keep away from risk i.e. outside the target zone.

We were adamant from the beginnin g that creating ‘coronet’ cuts shou ld not compromise the safety of employees and cont ractors. The limbs were always safe ly removed first and an assessment made of the abilit y of operators to make ‘coronet’ cuts with risk to themselves or others. We very quickly moved from rope and harness to MEWP or ‘spider lifts’, which means that it is not always possible to carry out this method under all circumstances.

On a final note there is some anec dotal evidence that ‘coronet’ cutti ng encourages new growth on a cut limb more effectively than flush cuts. This could be the result of a physiological response of the oak trees to tears rather than cuts. Our anci ent trees tend to respond better to natural pollarding (i.e. dropping limbs) rather than hum an pollarding or arboricultural work. It is encourag ing to hear that ‘coronet’ cutting has moved out of the nature conservation field into the wider Arb world.

Paul Ritchie Head Ranger, City Commons

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Arbtalk.co.uk

We asked the pioneering team at City of London for their comments...

Arb talk is a discussion forum for arborists, whether you want to read reviews on the latest products available, discuss every day issues in the tree industry or take part in the competitions .... logon to arbtalk.co.uk.

Coronet Cutting

We will be selecting topics from the forum and doing a little investigating ourselves .... had a niggling question for a while .... start your own discussion today, you never know ... we might be picking yours for the next edition.

To Coronet or Not to Coronet, now that is a question.

Do you ? Have you ? Wont you ?

If so, why?

Our local punters and the local bug fraternity, seem to like the aesthetics & micro habitat of dead standing coroneted monoliths as opposed to flushed cut ones.

Please feel free to Discuss !

Replies Replies...

I like the look of them and I can see why they have their place. I think the location needs to be right though - you wouldn’t want them on street or amenity trees. I’d love to have the chance of doing some.

I read an article where they were suggesting leaving rough cuts and big splits for the bugs and also saw some in a small wildlife park in N Wales, but never done it and never seen anything as fancy as those! Round here they don’t even want to see dead timber standing, even in a woodland setting. Just had to fell two on a new planting site even though I advised leaving them as a perch for birds of prey, apparently kestrels etc like them when hunting mice and voles, so they also serve as an establishment tool by aiding vole control!

Tree officers promote the use of coronet cuts and leaving dead wood in the appropriate place.

Did some nice highways work a few months back, the spec was to veteranise an Ash and Oak tree! We removed the hazards of the road but created hazards over the farmers field. Not only did we coronet cut, but we tried to create holes in the stem and limbs by boring out slots in the hope they will be used by bats or woodpeckers.

On one council contract we strapped deadwood high up in the canopy and strapped a dead Beech trunk to the trunk of a living Beech.

Another trick was spear cutting limbs in an attempt to get them stuck in the ground,

28

apparently Stag beetles love the bit of wood under the soil. I just think all this work makes a nice change from the normal everyday tree work.

I think its just a fad, to be honest, all this eco-this and eco-that stuff. Next we won’t prune trees at all, leave all the ivy on for the eco-purpose, before we know it we won’t do any work at all. It looks ok in a natural environment, e.g. woodland, but in the real urban area it just looks rubbish. Few years back, the flush-cut was king, as was painting the wounds, filling cavities with rubble and concrete, then along came Shigo, and a new style was born. I have been reprimanded in the past for leaving deadwood in trees, however small, and leaving leaves in a woodland. But now its all ok, and we can leave messy looking wounds in the interest of “ecology”. Lets face it, it takes longer to make coronet cuts, so the companies can charge more, in the name of “ecology”, in reality just to line their pockets.

I don’t think anyone on here is truly advocating doing this anywhere near urban parks/gardens, rightly so that would look totally rubbish & inappropriate.

But if we collectively broaden our skills & techniques then it’s win win. Lots of horses for lots of different causes.

In terms of just being a fad, you only have to acknowledge the amount of column inches that trade, national press, TV, radio and the Web have given to this issue over the last 5 years, it just goes to show how many people are naturally interested. Of course there are always hidden agendas, but time will tell!

When I was at University, I did my dissertation on Deadwood habitat ecology and I am a huge fan of coronet cuts, but I’ve never yet had a chance to do them.

Folks up here aren’t that forward thinking.

In the management plan I wrote that I encouraged the use of coronet cuts, injecting decay fungi, and boring into trees to create suitable microhabitats.

More saproxylic habitats can be created by encouraging the wood to rot inside out, hence I never recommended ring barking etc.

I have just read with interest the vario us comments about ‘coronet’ cutti ng of limbs and standing deadwood, including the understandable concerns about safety and aesthetics.

As a member of the City of Lond on team that pioneered this tech nique with our contractors on Ashtead Common National Nature Reserve in Surrey I thought I should share some thoughts on the matter with read ers.

I’ve been involved with loads of coronet cutting with SNH at Loch Lomond. Also done coronet cuts when climbing for a company in Perthshire. I’m not a big fan of doing them from a rope and harness but would be happy to make coronet cuts all day from a MEWP or spider lift etc. Did you hear about RSPB using explosives to blow the tops off old growth Scots Pines last year to create more habitat for scottish crossbills?

IMHO, conservation and arboriculture are very closely related now. Past practices have reduced habitat and eco-systems to the point of many life forms becoming threatened with extinction. Bats, stag beetles, violet click beetles, certain fungi, etc, etc. Any work- such as coronets or erecting standing deadwoodhas got to be beneficial to the environment and should be carried out where appropriate. There are obvious safety implications which should be addressed - as Tockmal says, this kind of stuff should be done from mewps were possible.

This might seem an odd idea- carving standing deadwood into sculptures in public and private gardens. It would be a good way of retaining the habitat a dead tree offers and would be pleasing on the eye, making customers more amenable to conservation. You never know, it may work!

I’m not convinced its the best idea for stags, yours sounds much better. Spear cutting has more to do with trying to replicate storm damage where torn limbs would break out and stab into the ground, and hopefully provide habitat. In some of the nature reserves, parks and trust sites I’ve worked at leaving potentially dangerous trees standing is an unacceptable risk.

So creating standing monoliths or trying to replicate storm damage as a form of reduction is more desirable, and leaving the fallen branches where they fall makes for a more natural looking and better environment.

It is true- its becoming harder to retain dangerous trees, which are the best for habitat.

Depending on the management of the park, there are ways of retaining dangerous trees. For instance- don’t mow under the tree leaving an area of long grass often prevents people going close. It is also a great way of

a World of Trees Issue 16

I would like to explain that we deve loped this method in response to comments about our ‘pruning’ of trees for safety and cons ervation reasons. Ashtead Common ancient oak pollards, as well as a contains 2,300 community of other veteran trees and ancient woodland containing large amounts of dead wood and associated fungi and inve rtebrates. Feedback from fellow managers of conserva tion sites suggested the method could have positive benefits for wildlife.

alleviating compaction- the grass and microbes will soon aerate the soil. Fallen branches can be re-positioned to create suggestive barriers or thorny bushes can be planted. Desire lines can often be diverted using dead stems or branches.

We’ve been doing a lot of coronet cutting this year - I’ve not had any sort of training on it and was just given a sheet of paper with a rubbish black and white photo on it. My coronets have been far shallower than these though. Work position is definitely an issue here and I’ve been in a few positions where it didn’t feel good. Any tips on how to carry out awkward coronet cuts? I find it a bit of a pain to do at the end of a laborious removal.

I think coronet cuts look terrible. I know one thing for sure - the majority of my customers wouldn’t pay me if I started doing them.

Actually, I think most of my customers would think I was having a laugh and get someone else in if I even suggested it.

Our public was concerned that flush cuts gave the impression of an urba n park rather than turning the natural aspect of a woo ded common. I fully accept that in other settings, such as formal parks, gardens and stree ts public opinion is likely to cons ider ‘coronet’ cutting to be untidy and inappropriate. It was never our intention that this meth od of ‘softening’ the visual impact of tree work should be applied under every circumsta nce.

On our own sites, which are publ ic open spaces, we always appl y a risk assessment approach to deciding whether or not to retain or manage standing and fallen deadwood.

We use a zoning system that cons iders potential targets, such as visit ors, employees, contractors and neighbours. It is possible that under some circumsta nces it is not appropriate to retain standing or falle n deadwood. I agree with one read er that fallen and cut deadwood and timber can be used to encourage people to keep away from risk i.e. outside the target zone.

We were adamant from the beginnin g that creating ‘coronet’ cuts shou ld not compromise the safety of employees and cont ractors. The limbs were always safe ly removed first and an assessment made of the abilit y of operators to make ‘coronet’ cuts with risk to themselves or others. We very quickly moved from rope and harness to MEWP or ‘spider lifts’, which means that it is not always possible to carry out this method under all circumstances.

On a final note there is some anec dotal evidence that ‘coronet’ cutti ng encourages new growth on a cut limb more effectively than flush cuts. This could be the result of a physiological response of the oak trees to tears rather than cuts. Our anci ent trees tend to respond better to natural pollarding (i.e. dropping limbs) rather than hum an pollarding or arboricultural work. It is encourag ing to hear that ‘coronet’ cutting has moved out of the nature conservation field into the wider Arb world.

Paul Ritchie Head Ranger, City Commons

www.totala

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ISSUE15 Arboriculture

6th

Arbor

rest d • Fo n la d o e • Wo icultur

CELEBRATIO

ry

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Friday 25th

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tion about the

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T S E T G I B

S E I S E K I N K N U U J J R R A A E G boriculture ks Environmental Ar or rW bo Ar m fro i hm This month Navin Se rabiner.

C “BIG DAN” rigging ka IS d ifie od m ly nt ce re e tests out th e or who has had a rang ct pe ins R LE LO d fie ali Navin is a qu g nd and the U.K, teachin ala Ze w Ne in ing ct ra nt of experience from co gained from , and a variety of skills at Merrist Wood College .

KEY

´ - Fell out of a cracker Local Government work

ITEM: PRICE:

ISC ‘Big Dan’ Retails around £13.00

Value for money Build quality Ease of use Overall Rating

´´´´´

The ‘BIG DAN’ has been around for some time now, and has always offered a degree of reassurance with a whopping 50kn MBS, but the makers (ISC) have recently introduced an upgraded version which has the strength of the old “BIG DAN” and some of the benefits of the popular Petzl Kador.

The 2008 ‘BIG DAN’ has a forged steel body which weighs in at 325g, and the first thing you notice is how wide the root radius is.

This will happily accommodate a rope up to 1 inch diameter which reduces both wear on the rope and the karabiner as it runs through.

Although available in all gate types, the entire new ‘BIG DAN’ range features, what ISC call a ‘blind nose’, which they claim will eliminate snagging on ropes and webbing.

Not so much of a problem I find with modern multi-braid ropes but certainly with the older 3-strand types. In practice this works rather well and is a nice feature after having used karabiners with hooked noses.

The wide gate opening allows easy attachment to larger items like pulleys, whilst already connected to slings or topping strops with hard eyes, again another feature which reduces set-up time and eliminates the frustration of trying to connect up the rig whilst suspended on your rope.

The perfect job to test this item on was a Chestnut dismantle I had lined up in a relatively small rear garden. Having been managed as a pollard for some 30 years, some of the knuckles on this tree were reasonably large and used in conjunction with a new Marlow 16mm rigging line and some 2t round slings, the ‘BIG DAN’ allowed me to dismantle the tree in reasonably big sections with a 30

´´ - I’d take it if it was free ´´´ - Wouldn’t say no ´´´´ - sell the dog ´ ´´´´ - trade it for your chipper...

or sell the kids

degree of confidence.

Inspecting the brand new item before the job, I made a quick note that the gate opened and closed with ease with no sticking of the barrel and no excess play in the hinge when forcing the gate left to right.

The three-way locking gate had a very positive snapping and locking mechanism when pulled entirely back, halfway back and just shy of the nose.

The 16mm rope runs through the root of the karabiner very freely and no wear was noted on either rope or karabiner by the end of the day.

Having had a steel karabiner bend open on me in the past, I always get a bit jittery when snatching out the larger sections on the main stem. The ‘BIG DAN’ coped with these perfectly well and when inspecting it at the end of the day, despite being a little shinier at the root, the ‘BIG DAN’ looked as good as it did in the morning.

A quick test of the gate and barrel confirmed that everything was working fine and the ‘BIG DAN’ strolled through its first day at work. At a very reasonable price, you simply cannot afford to not have four of these in your rigging kit. With regards to longevity, only time will tell but for now I would have to agree with some who say that these are the best performing and value for money steel karabiners currently on the market.

I have now used the ‘BIG DAN’ on four separate jobs and it still persists to resist the punishment of rigging. The mechanism continues to work correctly and positively and as with all heavily used rigging equipment, a thorough inspection should be carried out at the beginning and end of the job to ensure that all parts of every item are serviceable and safe for use.

I will continue to use the ‘BIG DAN’ and will report back with any advances in a few months, but so far so good.

“

BIG DAN st rolled through its first day at work !

”

a World of Trees Issue 16

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a World of Trees Issue 16

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31

S N O E G R U S E E R T E U G RO panies have left work that the rogue com rk, wo of lot a ng in the private sector, doi behind them. ry. e of a tree s in private work, my eyes up to this indust ned ope The increasing natur this Going back to when I wa and ir the te and tra Q ns B& mo from de to aw ins did not care about surgery company is Anybody can buy a cha I noticed that the public ided and also dec I ety so saf n, & h geo alt sur s bad for their trees; he wa tree in at a knowledge call themselves qualifications or wh a is low It . yel job the in sts ori ked loo the cheapest quote. all aspects of the arb to dig a little deeper and they were just looking for y I want approx wh t is tha is nd Th fou y. her, when they can bb and bot ho I ers e very expensiv pages and local pap I often thought, why do t gh hli and n hig d see an rd t I had er in. to put my view forwa 85% of tree surgeons tha just get any old rogue trad across in the rogue idea about good ing every Tree Surgery say not problems I have come ken to in the past had no am I spo re are market. ctice of good health Wirral are cow boys, the trader tree surgeon pruning techniques or pra , after led company on the cal ago r the rs so a nea yea r by and d fou d on che me ed roa for bas Wirral arb was & safety. I was even app a lot of good companies g on the ch in the Wirral pin ear lop res and of g lot pin a top ted h duc wit I had con tree surgeon Wirral. a. I found that there re should be ched me and said and the surrounding are e of his van, he approa Personally, I think that the sid ng g rati bin ope ns clim for geo s sur que istration tree hni reg led tec rgi cal Co new a so to of were a lot ‘Do ya’ know any something similar I . him to m the w w sho lic kno who the in the Wirral. trees?’ and asked me to process, so that the pub nted to ed in training wa est lly inv ica up, bas y a very long debate. he pan ; is it this com I set my was appalled by professionals are but sed the cha und pur aro and , ved mo the private sector, and health & safety issues We stopped working in see how we climbed and ‘tree ent and all led ipm cal so equ s g better things, Thi bin and re. clim wo ger rs, vehicles, chippe tree and what kit we as we wanted to do big ss for years. ing chainsaws, that ine t is a debate lud tha bus inc , the and ent in n Arb ipm lity bee equ Uti er had the oth and went into company. surgeon’ this t like oris arb es’ d ani goo mp a ‘co rate of are needed to ope There are dozens for another day. ck drive d climbers and

by Wirral Arb Ltd Wirral. If you have a qui We took on experience the r ove all o als g this ; atin tor ast sec y dev arm the exsee the trained some from around my town you can thermore we started cost a lot of money. Fur

argets T n o e g r u S Bogus TreeProperties to be on their guard afterila eldCouncil is warning locatyl relasistdewnteesk. Lichfield Dispatrrticint Cgouwncith Licchhfifi into e ci D eld istrict able people homes in th

32

Li vulner rgeted e elderly or surgeon ta is worried rogue tree will continue to scar ntion to do. neighbour te fears that he for work he has no in door, claiming that a e it. He then quotes e, to their money an has called door s asked him to remov s been paid in advanc The conm eir garden, and ha e money ha in th rst ork. Once th s without fi about a tree red pounds for the w ner out of pocket. n their tree several hundrs, leaving the tree ow sidents not to cut dow leave the tree owner eld fi d he disappea ncil is also warning re protected. This coul ut the consent of Lich lly ho ga it le w t The Cou is ou ee d see if the tr ork is carrie , said: checking to of up to £20,000 if w ent Services ne fi a r Developm to call at the door fo facing r be em ve et M ncil. by a District Cou or Neil Roberts, Cabin d and usually do not hads he has been sent r to hbou preten ig deman Councill er ne in r ad e ei tr ar e th ns h the rogu surgeo eck wit u are “Good tree ork. In this instance, in this situation to ch ing with money. If yo w rt looking for e would urge anyone ng to any work or pa e police on their nonth W neighbour. is is true before agreeicaller, please contact th or if t do ou to n help. They or nd fi t Council ca you decide about any do 330 2010.” ic d tr is ne D er d nc el fi lp 45 co rgeon, Lich n, number 08 rgeon to he emergency e looking for a tree su you can ask a tree su or for more informatio s d, te on ti ec If you ar es ot pr qu is of t ee is tr kl . a chec k if 8000 also have a are genuine. To chec officers on 01543 30 tor Jonathan Staite, ec ey ee whether th e of the Council’s tr ing Commander, Insp and callers. He on en please call d Neighbourhood Polic ainst bogus workm let them into their k or ard ag or gu Lichfiel w r ei of tricks do th to anyone e all kinds le to be on urged peop ple should never allow . These conmen will usneighbouring trees, ly added: “Peo they call unexpected ere is a problem with is to home when ll at homes claiming th thing to do but often ca er, gas or electricity. eone to call, the safest with the watare not expecting som y work.” t part by d an importan out an “If you in or carry r relatives could play d making sure they ha em th t le to to an de refuse d knew how ilies with ol their homes He said fam t to let strangers into or chains and locks an as do em no warning th rity measures such cu effective se . es: call for help vice to people includ you don’t know Police ad the door to callers en s · Never op e a door safety chain check it carefully e for repair d us s ay lw A fication an n’t let them in or quot ll police. · ti en id r fo k do be at risk, ca · Always as calls unexpectedly, el you may · If someone any suspicions, or fe · If you have

Come across any rogue tree surgeons? ..... send your photo’s and stories to dal@totalarb.co.uk We will be scrutinising this area of our industry and value your opinions

08 d January 20 First publishe

ul f s s e c c Su ns o i t u c e Pros

both been A resident and a contractor have pruning trees lly tica dras for up’ ‘pay to ordered permission ’s ncil Cou rict without Lichfield Dist who damaged Mr C Banks, a Little Aston resident out Lichfield with en gard his in tree Oak a protected £2,000 fined been has District Council’s consent, by 00 £2,5 over of s cost pay to red and orde 5.

Tamworth Magistrates on February te in Little Many of the trees in the private esta tion Orders. erva Pres Tree by cted prote Aston are ntry Cou and Town It is an offence under the cted prote any ve remo or e prun to Act Planning ent. cons ’s ority tree without the local auth of The tree, on Squirrel Walk, was part for over 40 woodland that had been protected s. Recognising years and it was destroyed within hour Magistrate ordered the , area the in the importance of trees tree in the garden Oak ent cem repla a t plan to ers the own on top of paying a fine. worth’s Magistrates In a second case, also heard at Tam r was prosecuted racto cont tree a 5, uary Febr court on Lombard Street, on tree Oak for drastically pruning an from the Council. tion orisa auth ng getti out with Lichfield was prosecuted under Mr Raymond Higgins of ‘Tree Care’ Planning Act. He ntry Cou and section 211 of the Town a further £15 and s cost 0 23.8 £1,3 plus £500 was fined s. work sed thori unau victim surcharge for the which is within the The court found that the Oak tree, lly damaged’ and ‘wilfu was , Area ation serv Con Lichfield pired that Mr trans also It ver. reco will take a long time to ssary certificates nece the out with ating oper was Higgins and without public of competence for chainsaw work e. ranc insu liability ins that he must take Tamworth Magistrates told Mr Higg sed work and, in thori unau the for a heavy responsibility d him to carry aske who der ehol hous the of nce the abse plus half of the fine the pay to him out the works, ordered s. cost Council’s ber for Development Councillor Neil Roberts, Cabinet Mem cting the prote with ged char Services, said: “We are attractive place an it keep to ing help age, herit district’s there are trees and to live and work as well as ensuring enjoy. So, we are to ns ratio gene e futur for ds woodlan s. It gives a clear case e thes of lt delighted with the resu tree surgeons and ers own tree rs, lope deve to message of Tree ches brea s take ncil that Lichfield District Cou ” usly. serio very rs Orde tion Preserva ict Council for this We would like to thank Lichfield Distr 2008 uary Febr story. First published a World of Trees Issue 16

Employment of rogue tree surgeon leads to prosecution of Aldwick man

Arun residents are carry out unauthoris being warned not to He added: “We have ed work on protected lost a great Beech trees following the tree that had absolut prosecution of a loc ely nothing wrong al man. because Aldwick resident Ra with it of these people. Ho lph Ansley was pefully others will given a 12-month co lea rn fro m thi nditional discharge s case an and ordered to pay procedures in future d follow the proper £200 costs at Chich .” ester Magistrates Court (6 Ian Brewster, an Ar February) after ple boricultural Officer ad guilty to ordering the ing Arun, said tha for t apart from doing topping and loppin considerable g of a damage to beech tree in his ga a perfectly good tre rden. e, the resident The incident came was wrong to hire to light on 31 Augu someone without ch 2007 when a memb st ecking the y ha d professional qualific er of Arun Council’s ations or safety tree staff spotted a man equipment. on a ladder propped against the tree in “Not only was dama a dangerous position ging this tree .

On further investig against the law, it wa ati on , s also extremely the Council discovered that an dangerous for both unlicensed man, co the public and the ldcalling under the na man carrying out the wo me of ‘Manor Hous rk,” he said. e Tree Care of Reading’, ha “Tree surgery is a sp d been employed by ecialist service the resident to cut down that should only be a large part of a tre carried out by quali e on surgeons wi his property within fied an Area Tree Preserva th the proper expertis e, tion cover and eq Order (TPO). uipment. The man wh insurance o carried It is a criminal offen out this work was ce to do works to observed to have no such trees without safety ha rne ss , protective clothing Council approval an or helmet and d the offence can carry a used a washing lin fine of up to £20,000 e to pull down branc .

Both the person wh hes.

“It is also highly lik o authorises the wo ely that if he rk and the person wh da ma ged any property, or o carries it out can worse, injured be prosecuted. someone, that he an d the owner of the The resident was su tree wo uld no t be covered by pro mmoned to court per indemnity and, even though he insurance.” pleaded ignorance about the existence of the The man who carri TPO, was prosecuted ed out this work his actions. for was not prosecuted as he was untraceab Councillor Ricky Bo le, de spite attempts to tra ck him down. for Planning, said: “Ig wer, Cabinet Member Un au tho rised works to a pro norance is no defen tected tree ce.

Preservation orders carries a fine of up are placed on trees to £2 for very good reasons sum can increase dra 0,000. However this and it is the respons matically if it can be ibility demonstra of any person who ted that the damage wishes to carry out or loss of a tree work to check with tre e would be profitable the Local Authority for the individuals first.

“TPOs are there to inv olv ed . retain natural amenities for the be Any residents inten nefit of everyone, no t just for the individu tree surgeon are alw ding to employ a al on whose land it ays advised to chec rests.

We expect these pe k their qualifications ople to be aware of and current indemnit it and insurance. to apply for permiss y ion to the Council in the correct way or face We would like to tha the consequences.” nk Arun Council for this story.

33

S N O E G R U S E E R T E U G RO panies have left work that the rogue com rk, wo of lot a ng in the private sector, doi behind them. ry. e of a tree s in private work, my eyes up to this indust ned ope The increasing natur this Going back to when I wa and ir the te and tra Q ns B& mo from de to aw ins did not care about surgery company is Anybody can buy a cha I noticed that the public ided and also dec I ety so saf n, & h geo alt sur s bad for their trees; he wa tree in at a knowledge call themselves qualifications or wh a is low It . yel job the in sts ori ked loo the cheapest quote. all aspects of the arb to dig a little deeper and they were just looking for y I want approx wh t is tha is nd Th fou y. her, when they can bb and bot ho I ers e very expensiv pages and local pap I often thought, why do t gh hli and n hig d see an rd t I had er in. to put my view forwa 85% of tree surgeons tha just get any old rogue trad across in the rogue idea about good ing every Tree Surgery say not problems I have come ken to in the past had no am I spo re are market. ctice of good health Wirral are cow boys, the trader tree surgeon pruning techniques or pra , after led company on the cal ago r the rs so a nea yea r by and d fou d on che me ed roa for bas Wirral arb was & safety. I was even app a lot of good companies g on the ch in the Wirral pin ear lop res and of g lot pin a top ted h duc wit I had con tree surgeon Wirral. a. I found that there re should be ched me and said and the surrounding are e of his van, he approa Personally, I think that the sid ng g rati bin ope ns clim for geo s sur que istration tree hni reg led tec rgi cal Co new a so to of were a lot ‘Do ya’ know any something similar I . him to m the w w sho lic kno who the in the Wirral. trees?’ and asked me to process, so that the pub nted to ed in training wa est lly inv ica up, bas y a very long debate. he pan ; is it this com I set my was appalled by professionals are but sed the cha und pur aro and , ved mo the private sector, and health & safety issues We stopped working in see how we climbed and ‘tree ent and all led ipm cal so equ s g better things, Thi bin and re. clim wo ger rs, vehicles, chippe tree and what kit we as we wanted to do big ss for years. ing chainsaws, that ine t is a debate lud tha bus inc , the and ent in n Arb ipm lity bee equ Uti er had the oth and went into company. surgeon’ this t like oris arb es’ d ani goo mp a ‘co rate of are needed to ope There are dozens for another day. ck drive d climbers and

by Wirral Arb Ltd Wirral. If you have a qui We took on experience the r ove all o als g this ; atin tor ast sec y dev arm the exsee the trained some from around my town you can thermore we started cost a lot of money. Fur

argets T n o e g r u S Bogus TreeProperties to be on their guard afterila eldCouncil is warning locatyl relasistdewnteesk. Lichfield Dispatrrticint Cgouwncith Licchhfifi into e ci D eld istrict able people homes in th

32

Li vulner rgeted e elderly or surgeon ta is worried rogue tree will continue to scar ntion to do. neighbour te fears that he for work he has no in door, claiming that a e it. He then quotes e, to their money an has called door s asked him to remov s been paid in advanc The conm eir garden, and ha e money ha in th rst ork. Once th s without fi about a tree red pounds for the w ner out of pocket. n their tree several hundrs, leaving the tree ow sidents not to cut dow leave the tree owner eld fi d he disappea ncil is also warning re protected. This coul ut the consent of Lich lly ho ga it le w t The Cou is ou ee d see if the tr ork is carrie , said: checking to of up to £20,000 if w ent Services ne fi a r Developm to call at the door fo facing r be em ve et M ncil. by a District Cou or Neil Roberts, Cabin d and usually do not hads he has been sent r to hbou preten ig deman Councill er ne in r ad e ei tr ar e th ns h the rogu surgeo eck wit u are “Good tree ork. In this instance, in this situation to ch ing with money. If yo w rt looking for e would urge anyone ng to any work or pa e police on their nonth W neighbour. is is true before agreeicaller, please contact th or if t do ou to n help. They or nd fi t Council ca you decide about any do 330 2010.” ic d tr is ne D er d nc el fi lp 45 co rgeon, Lich n, number 08 rgeon to he emergency e looking for a tree su you can ask a tree su or for more informatio s d, te on ti ec If you ar es ot pr qu is of t ee is tr kl . a chec k if 8000 also have a are genuine. To chec officers on 01543 30 tor Jonathan Staite, ec ey ee whether th e of the Council’s tr ing Commander, Insp and callers. He on en please call d Neighbourhood Polic ainst bogus workm let them into their k or ard ag or gu Lichfiel w r ei of tricks do th to anyone e all kinds le to be on urged peop ple should never allow . These conmen will usneighbouring trees, ly added: “Peo they call unexpected ere is a problem with is to home when ll at homes claiming th thing to do but often ca er, gas or electricity. eone to call, the safest with the watare not expecting som y work.” t part by d an importan out an “If you in or carry r relatives could play d making sure they ha em th t le to to an de refuse d knew how ilies with ol their homes He said fam t to let strangers into or chains and locks an as do em no warning th rity measures such cu effective se . es: call for help vice to people includ you don’t know Police ad the door to callers en s · Never op e a door safety chain check it carefully e for repair d us s ay lw A fication an n’t let them in or quot ll police. · ti en id r fo k do be at risk, ca · Always as calls unexpectedly, el you may · If someone any suspicions, or fe · If you have

Come across any rogue tree surgeons? ..... send your photo’s and stories to dal@totalarb.co.uk We will be scrutinising this area of our industry and value your opinions

08 d January 20 First publishe

ul f s s e c c Su ns o i t u c e Pros

both been A resident and a contractor have pruning trees lly tica dras for up’ ‘pay to ordered permission ’s ncil Cou rict without Lichfield Dist who damaged Mr C Banks, a Little Aston resident out Lichfield with en gard his in tree Oak a protected £2,000 fined been has District Council’s consent, by 00 £2,5 over of s cost pay to red and orde 5.

Tamworth Magistrates on February te in Little Many of the trees in the private esta tion Orders. erva Pres Tree by cted prote Aston are ntry Cou and Town It is an offence under the cted prote any ve remo or e prun to Act Planning ent. cons ’s ority tree without the local auth of The tree, on Squirrel Walk, was part for over 40 woodland that had been protected s. Recognising years and it was destroyed within hour Magistrate ordered the , area the in the importance of trees tree in the garden Oak ent cem repla a t plan to ers the own on top of paying a fine. worth’s Magistrates In a second case, also heard at Tam r was prosecuted racto cont tree a 5, uary Febr court on Lombard Street, on tree Oak for drastically pruning an from the Council. tion orisa auth ng getti out with Lichfield was prosecuted under Mr Raymond Higgins of ‘Tree Care’ Planning Act. He ntry Cou and section 211 of the Town a further £15 and s cost 0 23.8 £1,3 plus £500 was fined s. work sed thori unau victim surcharge for the which is within the The court found that the Oak tree, lly damaged’ and ‘wilfu was , Area ation serv Con Lichfield pired that Mr trans also It ver. reco will take a long time to ssary certificates nece the out with ating oper was Higgins and without public of competence for chainsaw work e. ranc insu liability ins that he must take Tamworth Magistrates told Mr Higg sed work and, in thori unau the for a heavy responsibility d him to carry aske who der ehol hous the of nce the abse plus half of the fine the pay to him out the works, ordered s. cost Council’s ber for Development Councillor Neil Roberts, Cabinet Mem cting the prote with ged char Services, said: “We are attractive place an it keep to ing help age, herit district’s there are trees and to live and work as well as ensuring enjoy. So, we are to ns ratio gene e futur for ds woodlan s. It gives a clear case e thes of lt delighted with the resu tree surgeons and ers own tree rs, lope deve to message of Tree ches brea s take ncil that Lichfield District Cou ” usly. serio very rs Orde tion Preserva ict Council for this We would like to thank Lichfield Distr 2008 uary Febr story. First published a World of Trees Issue 16

Employment of rogue tree surgeon leads to prosecution of Aldwick man

Arun residents are carry out unauthoris being warned not to He added: “We have ed work on protected lost a great Beech trees following the tree that had absolut prosecution of a loc ely nothing wrong al man. because Aldwick resident Ra with it of these people. Ho lph Ansley was pefully others will given a 12-month co lea rn fro m thi nditional discharge s case an and ordered to pay procedures in future d follow the proper £200 costs at Chich .” ester Magistrates Court (6 Ian Brewster, an Ar February) after ple boricultural Officer ad guilty to ordering the ing Arun, said tha for t apart from doing topping and loppin considerable g of a damage to beech tree in his ga a perfectly good tre rden. e, the resident The incident came was wrong to hire to light on 31 Augu someone without ch 2007 when a memb st ecking the y ha d professional qualific er of Arun Council’s ations or safety tree staff spotted a man equipment. on a ladder propped against the tree in “Not only was dama a dangerous position ging this tree .

On further investig against the law, it wa ati on , s also extremely the Council discovered that an dangerous for both unlicensed man, co the public and the ldcalling under the na man carrying out the wo me of ‘Manor Hous rk,” he said. e Tree Care of Reading’, ha “Tree surgery is a sp d been employed by ecialist service the resident to cut down that should only be a large part of a tre carried out by quali e on surgeons wi his property within fied an Area Tree Preserva th the proper expertis e, tion cover and eq Order (TPO). uipment. The man wh insurance o carried It is a criminal offen out this work was ce to do works to observed to have no such trees without safety ha rne ss , protective clothing Council approval an or helmet and d the offence can carry a used a washing lin fine of up to £20,000 e to pull down branc .

Both the person wh hes.

“It is also highly lik o authorises the wo ely that if he rk and the person wh da ma ged any property, or o carries it out can worse, injured be prosecuted. someone, that he an d the owner of the The resident was su tree wo uld no t be covered by pro mmoned to court per indemnity and, even though he insurance.” pleaded ignorance about the existence of the The man who carri TPO, was prosecuted ed out this work his actions. for was not prosecuted as he was untraceab Councillor Ricky Bo le, de spite attempts to tra ck him down. for Planning, said: “Ig wer, Cabinet Member Un au tho rised works to a pro norance is no defen tected tree ce.

Preservation orders carries a fine of up are placed on trees to £2 for very good reasons sum can increase dra 0,000. However this and it is the respons matically if it can be ibility demonstra of any person who ted that the damage wishes to carry out or loss of a tree work to check with tre e would be profitable the Local Authority for the individuals first.

“TPOs are there to inv olv ed . retain natural amenities for the be Any residents inten nefit of everyone, no t just for the individu tree surgeon are alw ding to employ a al on whose land it ays advised to chec rests.

We expect these pe k their qualifications ople to be aware of and current indemnit it and insurance. to apply for permiss y ion to the Council in the correct way or face We would like to tha the consequences.” nk Arun Council for this story.

33

An increasing focus on health & well-being and the contribution of trees and woodlands to this agenda Liz O’Brien, Social and Economic Research Group, Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LH Liz.obrien@forestry.gsi.gov.uk Trees and health

There is increasing interest in the role that trees, woodlands and green spaces can play in human health and well-being. Environmental health viewpoints have mainly concentrated on the negative aspects of the environment, in terms of pollution and pathogens. In the health sector, the medical model focuses on the treatment of illness rather than the prevention of ill health and the promotion of health. Over the past few years, the government has produced numerous policy strategies to encourage people to become more active, to eat fruit and vegetables and to promote good mental health. Therefore, consideration of the positive aspects of green spaces and their links to well-being is becoming an increasingly important area of study. This paper outlines how the growing focus on issues of obesity and inactivity have led to a number of projects focusing on improving health and well-being, and the incorporation of health and well-being benefits into current forestry policies. These projects have often been undertaken by the Forestry Commission in partnership with other organisations or community groups.

What links health and well-being to trees and woodlands?

The World Health Organisation has a very broad definition of health; it suggests that it is a complete state of physical, social and mental well-being and not just the absence of illness. A growing body of research is highlighting that woodlands and green spaces can make an important contribution to people’s well-being and are of therapeutic value. These contributions are often grouped in terms of three main areas: first there are physical benefits, with woodlands being seen as spaces were people can undertake a range of physical recreation activities such as walking, cycling, mountain biking and jogging. Secondly, mental well-being is also an important benefit, with woods and green spaces being shown to have restorative effects on a range of people, potentially reducing stress and mental fatigue, and thus contributing to enhanced well-being. Finally, there is social well-being and the role of green spaces in meeting social goals, such as community cohesion, and social inclusion.

The way in which green spaces positively contribute to these key components of well-being is being explored in more detail. Green spaces have often been undervalued in recent decades, particularly in relation to urban parks, with staff and maintenance often reduced.

The ways in which people value green space and the benefits they gain from contact with these spaces have been dominated by economic approaches to valuation.

However, this is only one approach and in recent years other methods focusing on people’s qualitative local experiences have become more widely used. Pleasant, tree-lined streets and urban green space networks that link sites are also an important part of an area’s green infrastructure and may enable and encourage people to walk or cycle rather than use their car. Current forestry 34

policies in England, Scotland and Wales explicitly highlight the importance of trees and woodlands for health and well-being.

Levels of access

People may participate, interact and benefit from green spaces at different levels of access. For example, they may enjoy a view of trees or green space from a window (at work or home); they may pass near to trees and woods as they undertake their daily activities; they may use green spaces for a range of activities, from the very active (such as jogging) to more relaxed approaches (such as picnicking). People may also get involved in more intensive access through voluntary hands-on activity in a green space (e.g. through conservation work, creation of habitats) or through participation in decisionmaking about their local spaces. Finally, they may own and/or be involved in the Dad’s group out walking in Great Wes management of green spaces.

Community tern Forest People may access these different levels at different stages of their lives or be involved in various levels at once. How people experience green spaces can depend on the level had visited woodlands of access; for example, active, hands-on engagement in in the year mid-2006 to mid-2007 had been on a conservation work can reinforce people’s sense of value purposefully organised event in a woodland that involved for these spaces as well as their attachment to them. physical activity. Eighty two percent agreed or strongly Different levels of health and well-being benefits may be agreed that woodlands were places to reduce stress and experienced at these various levels of access. anxiety, while seventy nine percent agreed or strongly agreed that woodlands were places to exercise and keep Examples of projects fit. Nine percent of public events organised by FCS were Two examples are given of research and evaluation considered to have had health and well-being as their of people’s relationships with trees and woodlands, primary purpose. illustrating the ways in which people feel they gain health In terms of the case study work, there were a and well-being benefits from green spaces. range of led walks in woodlands and green spaces developed through the ‘Paths to Health’ programme, Forestry for People in Scotland which is similar to the ‘Walking to Health’ programme in The Social and Economic Research Group (SERG) England and Wales. The primary purpose of the walks at Forest Research (The research agency of the Forestry is to deliver physical health improvements; however, Commission) has recently completed a two-year project there is also a strong mental health focus as people for Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) to value the are sometimes referred through their doctor due to social and economic contribution of forestry for people mental health problems such as depression. In focus in Scotland. As part of the scoping work for the project, groups, as well as talking about their interaction with the a range of interviews were undertaken to develop environment, participants discussed the importance of key themes for the valuation. Through discussion, social interaction and that they had met new people and seven themes were developed: health and well-being, developed friendships. education and learning, employment and volunteering, “I find that I am now walking further and find it contribution to the economy, recreation and accessibility, easier as I no longer need to take my medication for culture and landscape, and community capacity. The angina. All of this keeps me fit to look after my 15 research involved national surveys as well as case grandchildren and two great-grandchildren!” (Walking study research in the Loch Ness and Glasgow and Clyde group participant, Loch Ness region).

Valley regions. For the health and well-being theme, our Many participants talked about improvements research found that approximately forty percent of the in their general sense of well-being and how their Scottish population were carrying out the recommended engagement in a walking group could lead them to get 30 minutes of moderate activity on five or more days a involved in other activities. week. Nine percent of the Scottish adult population who “I thought it would be a good way to get out of the a World of Trees Issue 16

house. I initially started going out on walks with the group and this has helped improve my confidence and allowed me to meet new people. I have also been encouraged to try other activities with Ageing Well, such as badminton, dancing and acting in a roadshow” (Walking group participant, Loch Ness region).

In Glasgow, respondents also reported mental well-being benefits that included improvements in selfconfidence and a discussion of the therapeutic effect of shared collective experiences in green spaces.

“I was in hospital for quite a while. I was scared to go out — I was even scared to go home on pass; then I was referred to the walking group. I was really unsure about it. I tried to go but I was nervous so I just went back to bed…. I decided to give it a shot…. I felt fitter and it really cleared my head. I enjoyed meeting other people and chatting on the walks. I feel this was a good step to me being discharged” (Paths-to-Health participant, Glasgow and Clyde region).

The final report from this large-scale project highlights the many ways in which people engage with and can benefit from contact with woodlands at different levels in both urban and rural areas.

Active England

The Active England programme is funded by the Big Lottery Fund through Sport England. Over two hundred and fifty projects were funded for three years with the aim of increasing community participation in sport and physical activity across England. The programme focuses on specific priority groups including: • • • • • •

people on low incomes people with disabilities women and girls black and ethnic minorities 45 years + age group young people (under 16)

Three woodlands (Bedgebury in Kent, Haldon in Devon, Rosliston in the National Forest) and two Community Forests (Great Western in Wiltshire and Greenwood in Nottinghamshire) gained funding from the Active England programme. The Community Forests primarily took an events-based approach combined with regular activities such health walks. The three site-based projects in woodlands involved infrastructure improvements, such as new play areas for children, family cycle paths, improved footpaths, as well as a range of events and regular activities. SERG have been evaluating the projects at the five sites through on-site surveys and spatial analysis to produce a catchment profile of the surrounding population. They have also carried out qualitative research with user and non-user groups to explore benefits and barriers to using green space for physical activity. An action research approach was taken; for example, priority groups were identified that were not involved in the projects and they were taken to the sites to participate in health walks. They then participated in a focus group to discuss their use of woodlands and green spaces, and whether they had heard of the project and the barriers to accessing these spaces. Through this approach, the researchers were able to link the sites to community groups so that the site staff could further engage the groups by inviting them to future events and activities. An Asian ladies group at Rosliston (ten women, including a translator) talked about lacking confidence to be able to access sites like Rosliston without some support.

“It’s just breaking that barrier, sometimes for the Asian community opening that barrier takes a lot of guts, that’s all they need” (Asian women’s group, Rosliston).

The women were pleased to have been invited a World of Trees Issue 16

Young men volunteerin g at Gallow ay Forest

to the site and suggested that Rosliston staff invite a fathers’ group (with children) to the site. They argued that getting the men involved would potentially prompt them to take their families to the site. The researchers also took a father and children group (seven men and six children) from a family centre in Swindon to a nearby country park. Although it was only just over ten minutes drive from the family centre, the majority of the men had not been to the site before and were not aware of it. The men were from low-income families; the majority were unemployed and they suffered from a range of healthrelated problems. It was difficult to engage them in discussions about green spaces as it was not something that was really ‘on their radar’ and they had other more pressing issues to deal with. However, the men made a range of positive comments: “I didn’t know this place existed, we really enjoyed ourselves today” “I think I will bring my older ones out here later” “I really enjoyed coming out it makes a nice change” “The trouble I have is the bus routes” (Swindon fathers’ group) The staff member from Great Western Community Forest was able to tell the men about some of the health walks in their area and about local green spaces within walking distance to them. Two men took their family to the country park after their organised visit, highlighting that actually being invited to visit a site can not only raise awareness, it can also instil greater confidence to make a future visit as people know what to expect, where to walk and on what sort of route. The quote used as the title for this paper came from a woman involved in a led women’s mountain bike group at Haldon Forest and who had never ridden this type of bike before, again highlighting that confidence can be important for participation and use.

The future – partnerships, challenges and opportunities

A number of valuable and interesting insights are coming out of research into health and well-being and people’s connections to woodlands and green spaces. In discussing barriers to accessing woodlands it appears that there are complex reasons preventing

ealth king a h underta ores p F u l a ro n g o Women’s ston in the Nati Rosli walk at

people from accessing these spaces; understanding the local context and people’s everyday experiences is an important first step in trying to overcome some of these. Although both the environmental health sector and health sector focus primarily on negative aspects of environment-related illness and ill health in general, there is increasing debate centred on the positive aspects of the environment and the promotion of health. This is providing the environment sector (which is taking an active lead) with an opportunity to develop partnerships, run awareness campaigns such as ‘Active Woods’, and create interesting projects.

FCS is working with NHS Scotland to engage those with mental health problems in conservation volunteer work in Glasgow. Forestry Commission England has a number of projects involving ‘offenders and nature’, in which prisoners and probationers carry out conservation volunteer work, gaining well-being benefits and skills that might aid future employment. However, the funding streams for many projects are short-term. In the drive to reach more diverse and hard-to-access groups this presents problems as time is needed to develop networks and relationships with community groups.

There is potential for disillusionment to set in if the projects developed are not sustainable in the long term.

A strategic approach is needed to ensure that project processes and evaluations are undertaken in order that similarities, differences and lessons between projects can be learnt and disseminated.

Partnership working is increasingly important and developing a partnership before a project commences can ensure that each organisation is able to meet some of its objectives through the work. Longitudinal research is needed to explore whether those engaged in targeted projects carry on their engagement and activities beyond the life span of the project. Can long-term changes to people’s activity levels be made? Can engagement with woodlands and green spaces lead to a greater awareness and appreciation and potentially result in pro-environmental behaviour, e.g. conservation of the environment or less car dependency? Creative solutions are being developed to grow people’s enthusiasm and change behaviour. However, they need to become more widely known, and any learning should be embedded into future practice.

35

An increasing focus on health & well-being and the contribution of trees and woodlands to this agenda Liz O’Brien, Social and Economic Research Group, Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LH Liz.obrien@forestry.gsi.gov.uk Trees and health

There is increasing interest in the role that trees, woodlands and green spaces can play in human health and well-being. Environmental health viewpoints have mainly concentrated on the negative aspects of the environment, in terms of pollution and pathogens. In the health sector, the medical model focuses on the treatment of illness rather than the prevention of ill health and the promotion of health. Over the past few years, the government has produced numerous policy strategies to encourage people to become more active, to eat fruit and vegetables and to promote good mental health. Therefore, consideration of the positive aspects of green spaces and their links to well-being is becoming an increasingly important area of study. This paper outlines how the growing focus on issues of obesity and inactivity have led to a number of projects focusing on improving health and well-being, and the incorporation of health and well-being benefits into current forestry policies. These projects have often been undertaken by the Forestry Commission in partnership with other organisations or community groups.

What links health and well-being to trees and woodlands?

The World Health Organisation has a very broad definition of health; it suggests that it is a complete state of physical, social and mental well-being and not just the absence of illness. A growing body of research is highlighting that woodlands and green spaces can make an important contribution to people’s well-being and are of therapeutic value. These contributions are often grouped in terms of three main areas: first there are physical benefits, with woodlands being seen as spaces were people can undertake a range of physical recreation activities such as walking, cycling, mountain biking and jogging. Secondly, mental well-being is also an important benefit, with woods and green spaces being shown to have restorative effects on a range of people, potentially reducing stress and mental fatigue, and thus contributing to enhanced well-being. Finally, there is social well-being and the role of green spaces in meeting social goals, such as community cohesion, and social inclusion.

The way in which green spaces positively contribute to these key components of well-being is being explored in more detail. Green spaces have often been undervalued in recent decades, particularly in relation to urban parks, with staff and maintenance often reduced.

The ways in which people value green space and the benefits they gain from contact with these spaces have been dominated by economic approaches to valuation.

However, this is only one approach and in recent years other methods focusing on people’s qualitative local experiences have become more widely used. Pleasant, tree-lined streets and urban green space networks that link sites are also an important part of an area’s green infrastructure and may enable and encourage people to walk or cycle rather than use their car. Current forestry 34

policies in England, Scotland and Wales explicitly highlight the importance of trees and woodlands for health and well-being.

Levels of access

People may participate, interact and benefit from green spaces at different levels of access. For example, they may enjoy a view of trees or green space from a window (at work or home); they may pass near to trees and woods as they undertake their daily activities; they may use green spaces for a range of activities, from the very active (such as jogging) to more relaxed approaches (such as picnicking). People may also get involved in more intensive access through voluntary hands-on activity in a green space (e.g. through conservation work, creation of habitats) or through participation in decisionmaking about their local spaces. Finally, they may own and/or be involved in the Dad’s group out walking in Great Wes management of green spaces.

Community tern Forest People may access these different levels at different stages of their lives or be involved in various levels at once. How people experience green spaces can depend on the level had visited woodlands of access; for example, active, hands-on engagement in in the year mid-2006 to mid-2007 had been on a conservation work can reinforce people’s sense of value purposefully organised event in a woodland that involved for these spaces as well as their attachment to them. physical activity. Eighty two percent agreed or strongly Different levels of health and well-being benefits may be agreed that woodlands were places to reduce stress and experienced at these various levels of access. anxiety, while seventy nine percent agreed or strongly agreed that woodlands were places to exercise and keep Examples of projects fit. Nine percent of public events organised by FCS were Two examples are given of research and evaluation considered to have had health and well-being as their of people’s relationships with trees and woodlands, primary purpose. illustrating the ways in which people feel they gain health In terms of the case study work, there were a and well-being benefits from green spaces. range of led walks in woodlands and green spaces developed through the ‘Paths to Health’ programme, Forestry for People in Scotland which is similar to the ‘Walking to Health’ programme in The Social and Economic Research Group (SERG) England and Wales. The primary purpose of the walks at Forest Research (The research agency of the Forestry is to deliver physical health improvements; however, Commission) has recently completed a two-year project there is also a strong mental health focus as people for Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) to value the are sometimes referred through their doctor due to social and economic contribution of forestry for people mental health problems such as depression. In focus in Scotland. As part of the scoping work for the project, groups, as well as talking about their interaction with the a range of interviews were undertaken to develop environment, participants discussed the importance of key themes for the valuation. Through discussion, social interaction and that they had met new people and seven themes were developed: health and well-being, developed friendships. education and learning, employment and volunteering, “I find that I am now walking further and find it contribution to the economy, recreation and accessibility, easier as I no longer need to take my medication for culture and landscape, and community capacity. The angina. All of this keeps me fit to look after my 15 research involved national surveys as well as case grandchildren and two great-grandchildren!” (Walking study research in the Loch Ness and Glasgow and Clyde group participant, Loch Ness region).

Valley regions. For the health and well-being theme, our Many participants talked about improvements research found that approximately forty percent of the in their general sense of well-being and how their Scottish population were carrying out the recommended engagement in a walking group could lead them to get 30 minutes of moderate activity on five or more days a involved in other activities. week. Nine percent of the Scottish adult population who “I thought it would be a good way to get out of the a World of Trees Issue 16

house. I initially started going out on walks with the group and this has helped improve my confidence and allowed me to meet new people. I have also been encouraged to try other activities with Ageing Well, such as badminton, dancing and acting in a roadshow” (Walking group participant, Loch Ness region).

In Glasgow, respondents also reported mental well-being benefits that included improvements in selfconfidence and a discussion of the therapeutic effect of shared collective experiences in green spaces.

“I was in hospital for quite a while. I was scared to go out — I was even scared to go home on pass; then I was referred to the walking group. I was really unsure about it. I tried to go but I was nervous so I just went back to bed…. I decided to give it a shot…. I felt fitter and it really cleared my head. I enjoyed meeting other people and chatting on the walks. I feel this was a good step to me being discharged” (Paths-to-Health participant, Glasgow and Clyde region).

The final report from this large-scale project highlights the many ways in which people engage with and can benefit from contact with woodlands at different levels in both urban and rural areas.

Active England

The Active England programme is funded by the Big Lottery Fund through Sport England. Over two hundred and fifty projects were funded for three years with the aim of increasing community participation in sport and physical activity across England. The programme focuses on specific priority groups including: • • • • • •

people on low incomes people with disabilities women and girls black and ethnic minorities 45 years + age group young people (under 16)

Three woodlands (Bedgebury in Kent, Haldon in Devon, Rosliston in the National Forest) and two Community Forests (Great Western in Wiltshire and Greenwood in Nottinghamshire) gained funding from the Active England programme. The Community Forests primarily took an events-based approach combined with regular activities such health walks. The three site-based projects in woodlands involved infrastructure improvements, such as new play areas for children, family cycle paths, improved footpaths, as well as a range of events and regular activities. SERG have been evaluating the projects at the five sites through on-site surveys and spatial analysis to produce a catchment profile of the surrounding population. They have also carried out qualitative research with user and non-user groups to explore benefits and barriers to using green space for physical activity. An action research approach was taken; for example, priority groups were identified that were not involved in the projects and they were taken to the sites to participate in health walks. They then participated in a focus group to discuss their use of woodlands and green spaces, and whether they had heard of the project and the barriers to accessing these spaces. Through this approach, the researchers were able to link the sites to community groups so that the site staff could further engage the groups by inviting them to future events and activities. An Asian ladies group at Rosliston (ten women, including a translator) talked about lacking confidence to be able to access sites like Rosliston without some support.

“It’s just breaking that barrier, sometimes for the Asian community opening that barrier takes a lot of guts, that’s all they need” (Asian women’s group, Rosliston).

The women were pleased to have been invited a World of Trees Issue 16

Young men volunteerin g at Gallow ay Forest

to the site and suggested that Rosliston staff invite a fathers’ group (with children) to the site. They argued that getting the men involved would potentially prompt them to take their families to the site. The researchers also took a father and children group (seven men and six children) from a family centre in Swindon to a nearby country park. Although it was only just over ten minutes drive from the family centre, the majority of the men had not been to the site before and were not aware of it. The men were from low-income families; the majority were unemployed and they suffered from a range of healthrelated problems. It was difficult to engage them in discussions about green spaces as it was not something that was really ‘on their radar’ and they had other more pressing issues to deal with. However, the men made a range of positive comments: “I didn’t know this place existed, we really enjoyed ourselves today” “I think I will bring my older ones out here later” “I really enjoyed coming out it makes a nice change” “The trouble I have is the bus routes” (Swindon fathers’ group) The staff member from Great Western Community Forest was able to tell the men about some of the health walks in their area and about local green spaces within walking distance to them. Two men took their family to the country park after their organised visit, highlighting that actually being invited to visit a site can not only raise awareness, it can also instil greater confidence to make a future visit as people know what to expect, where to walk and on what sort of route. The quote used as the title for this paper came from a woman involved in a led women’s mountain bike group at Haldon Forest and who had never ridden this type of bike before, again highlighting that confidence can be important for participation and use.

The future – partnerships, challenges and opportunities

A number of valuable and interesting insights are coming out of research into health and well-being and people’s connections to woodlands and green spaces. In discussing barriers to accessing woodlands it appears that there are complex reasons preventing

ealth king a h underta ores p F u l a ro n g o Women’s ston in the Nati Rosli walk at

people from accessing these spaces; understanding the local context and people’s everyday experiences is an important first step in trying to overcome some of these. Although both the environmental health sector and health sector focus primarily on negative aspects of environment-related illness and ill health in general, there is increasing debate centred on the positive aspects of the environment and the promotion of health. This is providing the environment sector (which is taking an active lead) with an opportunity to develop partnerships, run awareness campaigns such as ‘Active Woods’, and create interesting projects.

FCS is working with NHS Scotland to engage those with mental health problems in conservation volunteer work in Glasgow. Forestry Commission England has a number of projects involving ‘offenders and nature’, in which prisoners and probationers carry out conservation volunteer work, gaining well-being benefits and skills that might aid future employment. However, the funding streams for many projects are short-term. In the drive to reach more diverse and hard-to-access groups this presents problems as time is needed to develop networks and relationships with community groups.

There is potential for disillusionment to set in if the projects developed are not sustainable in the long term.

A strategic approach is needed to ensure that project processes and evaluations are undertaken in order that similarities, differences and lessons between projects can be learnt and disseminated.

Partnership working is increasingly important and developing a partnership before a project commences can ensure that each organisation is able to meet some of its objectives through the work. Longitudinal research is needed to explore whether those engaged in targeted projects carry on their engagement and activities beyond the life span of the project. Can long-term changes to people’s activity levels be made? Can engagement with woodlands and green spaces lead to a greater awareness and appreciation and potentially result in pro-environmental behaviour, e.g. conservation of the environment or less car dependency? Creative solutions are being developed to grow people’s enthusiasm and change behaviour. However, they need to become more widely known, and any learning should be embedded into future practice.

35

News

News Forestry

Forestry

Orchards and Groves C O N F E R E N C E

Their History, Ecology, Culture & Archaeology Sheffield Hallam University Monday 8th September – Wednesday 10th September 2008

Draft Conference Programme (For full programme details, see our website www.ukeconet.co.uk) Monday 8th September 2008 Scene Setting and the History:

The conference spread over 3 days will be a major national and international event on the theme of ‘Orchards and Groves: Their History, Ecology, Culture and Archaeology’. This is a relatively poorly-documented area and we will address topics fundamental to the conservation of these wonderful and iconic landscape features. We will cover the lessons of history and landscape change, of cultural change and abandonment.

The conference will be international in flavour and cover issues from archaeology to modern-day emergence of organic products, of added value, and of the tourism plate.

Keynote speakers include Sue Clifford (Common Ground), Dr Keith Alexander and Professor Mauro Agnoletti (University of Florence).

There will be contributions from Natural England, the National Trust, English Heritage and the Forestry Commission. Other confirmed speakers and displays include Ian D. Rotherham ( ), Peter Glaves (Orchards in Kent), Crispin Hayes (Ancient Orchards by the River Tay), Hereford and Worcester Orchards Project, Northern Pomona and the Bulmer Foundation. There will be an evening product tasting session.

This will be a significant event and we will pre-publish the proceedings to be out at the conference. This will have a truly international flavour and there will be a lot of media interest too.

The event is organised by the Tourism and Environmental Change Research Unit at SHU, in partnership with the Biodiversity and Landscape History Research Institute. Offers of sponsorship, displays and posters are still welcome.

36

pm Keynote: Dr Ian D. Rotherham, Sheffield Hallam

University

Dr Crispin Hayes – Ancient Orchards by the

River Tay

Peter Herring – Cornwall Orchards

Rebecca Roseff – History of Cider Orchards

Dr Peter Glaves – Orchards in Kent

Tuesday 9th September 2008 Community and the History: am Keynote: Sue Clifford, Common Ground

Barry Potter – Northern Pomona: Farm

Orchards and Apple Usage

Juliette Wheatley, Hereford and Worcester

Community Orchards

Russell Williams – Fruit in the Historic

Environment

Dave Marshall, Herefordshire Orchards

Community Evaluation

Linden Hawthorne – Northern Pomona: Farm

Orchards and Apple Usage

Caroline Vulliamy, Tamar Orchards Group pm

Keynote:

Mauro Agnoletti

Wednesday 10th September 2008

New appointment at the Forestry Commission Dr James Pendlebury has been appointed Chief Executive of Forest Research, the scientific research and technical development agency of the Forestry Commission.

Dr Pendlebury, aged 47, who is currently head of the Forestry Commission’s team of specialist advisors, has had a distinguished career in research, management and market development in the timber and forestry sectors in several countries.

He brings a wide range of experience to the post. He holds a BSc Honours degree in forestry from Aberdeen University, and was awarded a PhD from the same university for a thesis on the preservation characteristics of tropical hardwood species from Malaysia.

He has held timber research positions in several countries, including the UK, United States, South Africa and New Zealand. He has been head of the TNO Centre for Timber Research in The Netherlands and more recently Chief Executive of Highland Birchwoods in Scotland. Since joining the Forestry Commission six years ago he has held several posts, including business

policy advisor for Forestry Commission Scotland and a period on secondment to the Scottish Government’s Renewable Policy Team.

He is a graduate of the Cabinet Office Leaders UK programme to develop management excellence in the public service, and a member of the Institute of Wood Science, the Institute of Directors and the International Research Group on Wood Preservation.

Welcoming his appointment, Tim Rollinson, Director-General of the Forestry Commission, said, “I’m delighted that James Pendlebury has accepted this very important post.

“These are exciting times for forestry research. The Forestry Commission, including Forest Research, has a very important role to play in promoting and researching the potential of the forest sector to mitigate the damaging impacts of climate change, and in helping society to adapt to a changing climate. We have already announced our intention to establish a Centre for Forestry and Climate Change, and Forest Research will have a central role in that.

“At the same time we are developing new and exciting areas of activity for forestry and forest research. These include the role that woods and forests can play in combating social exclusion, in improving our urban greenspace, and in tackling environmental degradation, while continuing our more traditional role of supporting our timber growers with vital research and development work.

“These changing times call for strong, perceptive leadership at Forest Research.

I believe Dr Pendlebury, with his depth and breadth of experience and understanding of the forest sector, coupled with his proven scientific, management and leadership skills, is well qualified to provide it. I very much look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Dr Pendlebury added, “I feel very privileged to have been entrusted with this role. Forest Research is at the cutting edge of forestry research and its internationally recognised scientists enjoy a global reputation for the quality of their science. I’m delighted to be appointed to lead Forest Research in these exciting times for world forestry, and I’m really looking forward to working with my colleagues to take on the scientific challenges and opportunities that climate change poses to forestry now and in the future.”

Forest Research has two large research stations: one is Northern Research Station at Bush, near Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland, and the other is Alice Holt Lodge, near Farnham in Surrey.

It also has a number of smaller research, survey and technical development sites across Great Britain. It has a staff of more than 300.

For further information about the Forestry Commission, visit www. forestry.gov.uk , and for further information about Forest Research, visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk .

Community and the Ecology 9am Keynote:

Dr Keith Alexander, Ancient Tree Forum Heather Robertson – Lowland Orchards and BAPs

PRE-BOOKING ESSENTIAL!

a World of Trees Issue 16

a World of Trees Issue 16

37

News

News Forestry

Forestry

Orchards and Groves C O N F E R E N C E

Their History, Ecology, Culture & Archaeology Sheffield Hallam University Monday 8th September – Wednesday 10th September 2008

Draft Conference Programme (For full programme details, see our website www.ukeconet.co.uk) Monday 8th September 2008 Scene Setting and the History:

The conference spread over 3 days will be a major national and international event on the theme of ‘Orchards and Groves: Their History, Ecology, Culture and Archaeology’. This is a relatively poorly-documented area and we will address topics fundamental to the conservation of these wonderful and iconic landscape features. We will cover the lessons of history and landscape change, of cultural change and abandonment.

The conference will be international in flavour and cover issues from archaeology to modern-day emergence of organic products, of added value, and of the tourism plate.

Keynote speakers include Sue Clifford (Common Ground), Dr Keith Alexander and Professor Mauro Agnoletti (University of Florence).

There will be contributions from Natural England, the National Trust, English Heritage and the Forestry Commission. Other confirmed speakers and displays include Ian D. Rotherham ( ), Peter Glaves (Orchards in Kent), Crispin Hayes (Ancient Orchards by the River Tay), Hereford and Worcester Orchards Project, Northern Pomona and the Bulmer Foundation. There will be an evening product tasting session.

This will be a significant event and we will pre-publish the proceedings to be out at the conference. This will have a truly international flavour and there will be a lot of media interest too.

The event is organised by the Tourism and Environmental Change Research Unit at SHU, in partnership with the Biodiversity and Landscape History Research Institute. Offers of sponsorship, displays and posters are still welcome.

36

pm Keynote: Dr Ian D. Rotherham, Sheffield Hallam

University

Dr Crispin Hayes – Ancient Orchards by the

River Tay

Peter Herring – Cornwall Orchards

Rebecca Roseff – History of Cider Orchards

Dr Peter Glaves – Orchards in Kent

Tuesday 9th September 2008 Community and the History: am Keynote: Sue Clifford, Common Ground

Barry Potter – Northern Pomona: Farm

Orchards and Apple Usage

Juliette Wheatley, Hereford and Worcester

Community Orchards

Russell Williams – Fruit in the Historic

Environment

Dave Marshall, Herefordshire Orchards

Community Evaluation

Linden Hawthorne – Northern Pomona: Farm

Orchards and Apple Usage

Caroline Vulliamy, Tamar Orchards Group pm

Keynote:

Mauro Agnoletti

Wednesday 10th September 2008

New appointment at the Forestry Commission Dr James Pendlebury has been appointed Chief Executive of Forest Research, the scientific research and technical development agency of the Forestry Commission.

Dr Pendlebury, aged 47, who is currently head of the Forestry Commission’s team of specialist advisors, has had a distinguished career in research, management and market development in the timber and forestry sectors in several countries.

He brings a wide range of experience to the post. He holds a BSc Honours degree in forestry from Aberdeen University, and was awarded a PhD from the same university for a thesis on the preservation characteristics of tropical hardwood species from Malaysia.

He has held timber research positions in several countries, including the UK, United States, South Africa and New Zealand. He has been head of the TNO Centre for Timber Research in The Netherlands and more recently Chief Executive of Highland Birchwoods in Scotland. Since joining the Forestry Commission six years ago he has held several posts, including business

policy advisor for Forestry Commission Scotland and a period on secondment to the Scottish Government’s Renewable Policy Team.

He is a graduate of the Cabinet Office Leaders UK programme to develop management excellence in the public service, and a member of the Institute of Wood Science, the Institute of Directors and the International Research Group on Wood Preservation.

Welcoming his appointment, Tim Rollinson, Director-General of the Forestry Commission, said, “I’m delighted that James Pendlebury has accepted this very important post.

“These are exciting times for forestry research. The Forestry Commission, including Forest Research, has a very important role to play in promoting and researching the potential of the forest sector to mitigate the damaging impacts of climate change, and in helping society to adapt to a changing climate. We have already announced our intention to establish a Centre for Forestry and Climate Change, and Forest Research will have a central role in that.

“At the same time we are developing new and exciting areas of activity for forestry and forest research. These include the role that woods and forests can play in combating social exclusion, in improving our urban greenspace, and in tackling environmental degradation, while continuing our more traditional role of supporting our timber growers with vital research and development work.

“These changing times call for strong, perceptive leadership at Forest Research.

I believe Dr Pendlebury, with his depth and breadth of experience and understanding of the forest sector, coupled with his proven scientific, management and leadership skills, is well qualified to provide it. I very much look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Dr Pendlebury added, “I feel very privileged to have been entrusted with this role. Forest Research is at the cutting edge of forestry research and its internationally recognised scientists enjoy a global reputation for the quality of their science. I’m delighted to be appointed to lead Forest Research in these exciting times for world forestry, and I’m really looking forward to working with my colleagues to take on the scientific challenges and opportunities that climate change poses to forestry now and in the future.”

Forest Research has two large research stations: one is Northern Research Station at Bush, near Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland, and the other is Alice Holt Lodge, near Farnham in Surrey.

It also has a number of smaller research, survey and technical development sites across Great Britain. It has a staff of more than 300.

For further information about the Forestry Commission, visit www. forestry.gov.uk , and for further information about Forest Research, visit www.forestresearch.gov.uk .

Community and the Ecology 9am Keynote:

Dr Keith Alexander, Ancient Tree Forum Heather Robertson – Lowland Orchards and BAPs

PRE-BOOKING ESSENTIAL!

a World of Trees Issue 16

a World of Trees Issue 16

37

News

Forestry

SUCCESS WITHIN REACH...

1000mm PIPE CUTTER FROM THE TT GROUP The new roller blade, which the TT Group are currently preparing for transportation to the NO DIG 2008 exhibition in Moscow/Russia, is not exactly an everyday contractor’s tool. It is designed to be used for the renewal of potable water pipes and other gas and oil pipelines to be replaced using the pipe-bursting method.

The largest Grundoburst rig from TT, the 2500G, has been in use in Russia for some time and has renewed numerous pipes from 300 to 800 mm diameter with great success.

The job currently being planned, is a further challenge. For the first time a 1000 mm potable water pipe made of steel is to be renewed. For this special task it was necessary to develop a new roller blade.

The roller blade consists of a basic body, the exchangeable guiding strip with the guiding rollers and roller blade strips, which are also exchangeable. The basic body is intended for pipes with a diameter range of 400 to 1000 mm. The quantity and arrangement of the guiding strips, which hold the old pipe in a stable circular position during the bursting process, depends on the existing diameter.

In this case a total of 11 guiding strips

with their guiding rollers hold the roller blade aligned to the old pipe.

The precisely aligned guidance is important for a clean pipe. During the cutting process the guiding strips take over the task of keeping the circular cross-section of the old pipe in place. In order to make sure this is guaranteed, the positioning of the rollers inside the guiding strips can provide an exact adaption to the actual old pipe diameter.

The cutting and bursting process itself is carried out by a 3-step assembled roller blade strip. The first roller blade is an innovative development and will be applied when the old pipe diameter has partially decreased below the diameter caught by the second cutting roller.

The main cutting work is carried out by the second roller blade. The 3rd roller blade allows pipe sockets or repair sockets to be cut apart. The cutting line can be situated at a distance of up to 150 mm from the outer coating of the old pipe.

The roller blade 1000 is equipped accordingly for the renewal of large scale pipes. It’s length of 1600 mm provides a solid alignment in the longitudinal direction.

The swivel integrated in the basic body provides an instant lead pulling force.

The pulling forces of up to 2.500 KN are transferred to the roller blade via the QuickLock rods, which each have a length of 2.200 mm and weight of 220 kg.

The roller blade 1000 from the TT Group will also make its own contribution by successfully bursting pipes with larger diameters.

For more information please contact: TT-UK Ltd, Windsor Road, Bedford MK 42 9SU England Tel:(+44) 1234 342566 Fax:(+44) 1234 352184 Email: info@tt-uk.com Website: www.tt-uk.com

Two New Commercial Chainsaws from ECHO ECHO UK have launched two new tough and durable commercial grade chainsaws, designed for felling.

The new ECHO CS-6703 operates on an ECHO 66.7cc two stroke engine, and is supplied with a 25cm bar. Weighing 6.5kg, this saw has been carefully balanced to allow the operator optimum power and versatility in the field. The new CS-6703 is available from all authorised ECHO dealers, SRP £549.00 + Vat. The new CS-8002 is ECHO’s largest chainsaw, powered with a 80.77cc two stroke ECHO engine, and fitted with a 35cm bar. The CS-8002 delivers professional quality, reliability, and performance for the toughest applications, SRP £699.00 + Vat. In addition to many anti-vibration improvements, both new models are fitted with the ECHO automatic lubrication feature, where the oil pump for the bar and chain is attached to the clutch. This means that the automatic lubrication of the chain ceases when the chain is not turning, therefore when the saw is idling, there is no oil being pumped to the bar and chain, resulting in zero oil leaks, and less oil is used.

In addition, both new saws have the innovative feature of automatic chain oiling, which is adjustable by the operator to suit different timbers of varied density and hardness. This versatile lubrication results in smoother cutting and prolongs the working life of the bar and chain.

For peace of mind, all ECHO products carry an unprecedented two year warranty for professional use, and five year warranty for domestic use, and enjoy a reputation for durability and dependable proven performance.

ECHO Chainsaws are distributed in the UK by Countax Ltd, and are available from authorised ECHO dealers. For a brochure and price list, contact 01844 278800, email sales@echo-tools.com www.echo-tools.com 38

a World of Trees Issue 16

To advertise in

WHY CHOOSE SPIDERLIFT?

please contact Dal Parmar on TO WORK ON DELICATE FLOORS, TACKLE ROUGH TERRAIN, ACCESS NARROW DOORWAYS AND SET UP ON UNEVEN GROUND

01543 500255 SEE US AT THE ARBORISTS’ TRADE FAIR STAND No. G16

SPECIALIST

Extremely strong, fast, powerful & new reliable stump grinders

SPECIAL SHOW DISCOUNTS

• Very compact

and highly manoeuvrable

• Low centre of

gravity

• Complete

range of power from 13 to 75hp

• Wheeled or

tracked

new

CALL US NOW ON 0870 225 5554 OR SEE OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SPIDERLIFT.CO.UK PART OF THE GROUP OF COMPANIES

a World of Trees Issue 16

• Remote

control option

powerfuLCOMPACT Fitted with the MULTITIP quick change tooth system as standard

Sales: +44 (0)845 402 1756 Mobile: 07769 683874 Leasing & Contract Hire: +44 (0)118 940 1740 Email:patrick@predator-mfg.com www.predator-mfg.com 39

News

Forestry

SUCCESS WITHIN REACH...

1000mm PIPE CUTTER FROM THE TT GROUP The new roller blade, which the TT Group are currently preparing for transportation to the NO DIG 2008 exhibition in Moscow/Russia, is not exactly an everyday contractor’s tool. It is designed to be used for the renewal of potable water pipes and other gas and oil pipelines to be replaced using the pipe-bursting method.

The largest Grundoburst rig from TT, the 2500G, has been in use in Russia for some time and has renewed numerous pipes from 300 to 800 mm diameter with great success.

The job currently being planned, is a further challenge. For the first time a 1000 mm potable water pipe made of steel is to be renewed. For this special task it was necessary to develop a new roller blade.

The roller blade consists of a basic body, the exchangeable guiding strip with the guiding rollers and roller blade strips, which are also exchangeable. The basic body is intended for pipes with a diameter range of 400 to 1000 mm. The quantity and arrangement of the guiding strips, which hold the old pipe in a stable circular position during the bursting process, depends on the existing diameter.

In this case a total of 11 guiding strips

with their guiding rollers hold the roller blade aligned to the old pipe.

The precisely aligned guidance is important for a clean pipe. During the cutting process the guiding strips take over the task of keeping the circular cross-section of the old pipe in place. In order to make sure this is guaranteed, the positioning of the rollers inside the guiding strips can provide an exact adaption to the actual old pipe diameter.

The cutting and bursting process itself is carried out by a 3-step assembled roller blade strip. The first roller blade is an innovative development and will be applied when the old pipe diameter has partially decreased below the diameter caught by the second cutting roller.

The main cutting work is carried out by the second roller blade. The 3rd roller blade allows pipe sockets or repair sockets to be cut apart. The cutting line can be situated at a distance of up to 150 mm from the outer coating of the old pipe.

The roller blade 1000 is equipped accordingly for the renewal of large scale pipes. It’s length of 1600 mm provides a solid alignment in the longitudinal direction.

The swivel integrated in the basic body provides an instant lead pulling force.

The pulling forces of up to 2.500 KN are transferred to the roller blade via the QuickLock rods, which each have a length of 2.200 mm and weight of 220 kg.

The roller blade 1000 from the TT Group will also make its own contribution by successfully bursting pipes with larger diameters.

For more information please contact: TT-UK Ltd, Windsor Road, Bedford MK 42 9SU England Tel:(+44) 1234 342566 Fax:(+44) 1234 352184 Email: info@tt-uk.com Website: www.tt-uk.com

Two New Commercial Chainsaws from ECHO ECHO UK have launched two new tough and durable commercial grade chainsaws, designed for felling.

The new ECHO CS-6703 operates on an ECHO 66.7cc two stroke engine, and is supplied with a 25cm bar. Weighing 6.5kg, this saw has been carefully balanced to allow the operator optimum power and versatility in the field. The new CS-6703 is available from all authorised ECHO dealers, SRP £549.00 + Vat. The new CS-8002 is ECHO’s largest chainsaw, powered with a 80.77cc two stroke ECHO engine, and fitted with a 35cm bar. The CS-8002 delivers professional quality, reliability, and performance for the toughest applications, SRP £699.00 + Vat. In addition to many anti-vibration improvements, both new models are fitted with the ECHO automatic lubrication feature, where the oil pump for the bar and chain is attached to the clutch. This means that the automatic lubrication of the chain ceases when the chain is not turning, therefore when the saw is idling, there is no oil being pumped to the bar and chain, resulting in zero oil leaks, and less oil is used.

In addition, both new saws have the innovative feature of automatic chain oiling, which is adjustable by the operator to suit different timbers of varied density and hardness. This versatile lubrication results in smoother cutting and prolongs the working life of the bar and chain.

For peace of mind, all ECHO products carry an unprecedented two year warranty for professional use, and five year warranty for domestic use, and enjoy a reputation for durability and dependable proven performance.

ECHO Chainsaws are distributed in the UK by Countax Ltd, and are available from authorised ECHO dealers. For a brochure and price list, contact 01844 278800, email sales@echo-tools.com www.echo-tools.com 38

a World of Trees Issue 16

To advertise in

WHY CHOOSE SPIDERLIFT?

please contact Dal Parmar on TO WORK ON DELICATE FLOORS, TACKLE ROUGH TERRAIN, ACCESS NARROW DOORWAYS AND SET UP ON UNEVEN GROUND

01543 500255 SEE US AT THE ARBORISTS’ TRADE FAIR STAND No. G16

SPECIALIST

Extremely strong, fast, powerful & new reliable stump grinders

SPECIAL SHOW DISCOUNTS

• Very compact

and highly manoeuvrable

• Low centre of

gravity

• Complete

range of power from 13 to 75hp

• Wheeled or

tracked

new

CALL US NOW ON 0870 225 5554 OR SEE OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SPIDERLIFT.CO.UK PART OF THE GROUP OF COMPANIES

a World of Trees Issue 16

• Remote

control option

powerfuLCOMPACT Fitted with the MULTITIP quick change tooth system as standard

Sales: +44 (0)845 402 1756 Mobile: 07769 683874 Leasing & Contract Hire: +44 (0)118 940 1740 Email:patrick@predator-mfg.com www.predator-mfg.com 39

Searching for ghosts: Ian D. Rotherham and Barry Wright

how a forester reads the woodland landscape ANCIENT LANDSCAPES AND WILD WOODS

Forest and woodland managers need a ‘feel’ for their woodland areas. A walk through the woods in May gives a feeling of a special place, a connection with times past and with a sense of place and of wildness. Most such walks in England, resplendent in swathes of bluebells, do touch the past but not the ‘Wildwood’ as such. The majority of our ancient bluebell woodlands are in fact abandoned medieval and industrial ‘working woods’, often coppiced for centuries to fuel and power industry. Few if any have direct links back to a primeval wooded landscape; the closest connections probably not coppices but remnants of great medieval deer parks. Yet ancient Bluebell woods have their own history and a lineage over centuries unique in the landscape. Many sites of so-called ‘ancient semi-natural woodlands’ were mapped in the late 1970s and early 1980s by the then Nature Conservancy Council, and were set down on the ‘Ancient Woodland Inventory’.

Most of this was based on analysis of old maps and especially the first Edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in the early 1800s. Some were surveyed but often by relatively inexperienced fieldworkers, and in some cases they were assessed by binocular from the upper decks of (moving) double-decker buses. However, once labelled as either ‘on’ or ‘not on’ the Inventory List, the status of each wood is sealed and a degree of mystique attached to its standing. But there are problems as noted, and the worst is the omission of smaller fragments, less than 2 hectares, and of or less obvious linear woods or remnants of woodland ghosts in the landscape. So very often trying to get a ‘feel’ for the wood is a matter of experience and the understanding that comes from many years of fieldwork. Quite often a forester or other woodland manager will apply a process of reading the landscape and looking for ‘indicators’ without necessarily much conscious effort.

INTRODUCTION: FINDING YOUR WOOD

Woodlands and their trees form one of our most valuable wildlife habitats. The ideal scenario would be mature, mixed woodland including ancient and veteran trees, dead branches and timber lying on the ground, open rides and clearings scattered throughout the wood, a diverse ground layer of vegetation and a recognisable field layer of shrubs and scrub with no one component dominating. This combination of habitats within the woodland macro-habitat offers the greatest range of conditions to attract the greatest variety of wildlife. Managing a wood or forest towards such as condition has been a priority for only a few foresters charged with overseeing nature reserves or other protected areas. But now, with changed priorities for many forest areas, this has altered dramatically. Today’s forest manager is expected to enhance biodiversity and to provide a rich environment for recreation too.

Variety of plants and trees within woodlands depends mostly on soil type and condition, but the availability of sunlight reaching the woodland floor is also significant. A heavily shaded woodland environment, as found in coniferous monocultures and in beech dominated woods, is not conducive to a diverse ground layer of vegetation. Without the flowering plants the variety of invertebrates is diminished and in turn the range of small mammals 40

and birds found in such woodland is severely restricted. Beech trees come in to leaf very early in the spring and consequently there is hardly any ground layer. Compared with other broadleaf woods there is almost complete silence within beech woods during the spring and summer – the lack of birds (and birdsong) being an indirect result of the heavily shaded woodland floor supporting little, if any, ground layer vegetation, and the consequent lack of invertebrates as food supply for the bird population.

Therefore, for woodland to have value for wildlife it needs to be of mixed composition and age. This combination will include clearings and open patches where, for instance, limbs have fallen from more mature trees and the canopy has consequently been opened up. If carried out systematically, traditional woodland management techniques such as coppicing can also create a variety of light conditions within a wood. As any traditional woodman would know, recently coppiced sections will be completely open to sunlight whereas those ready for coppicing will be considerably darker. If coppicing is carried out as part of a long-term management programme there is the opportunity to create a complete range of light conditions within a single wood. It has long been recognised that the opening up of woodland in this way is of great benefit to woodland butterflies and coppicing is a standard management tool in many

woodland nature reserves. It encourages the growth of flowering plants in the ground layer making the habitat more attractive to butterflies plus other nectar and pollen feeding invertebrates. However, coppicing, by its very nature, necessitates the cutting and removal of timber from the woodland environment. All too often this also includes the ‘tidying up’ of coppiced stools and a general housekeeping approach which may also include the clearance of fallen dead limbs from mature trees growing in the vicinity. On the one hand, the woodland becomes more attractive for nectar and pollen feeding invertebrates but on the other hand, any saproxylic invertebrates (those associated with dead wood) will, through removal of cut timber, suffer loss of habitat. In any management programme for mature woodland the retention of fallen limbs and standing dead timber is a priority if populations of saproxylic invertebrates are to flourish. Even the stage of decay of dead wood is significant – some invertebrates are only associated with recently dead wood, whilst others require the well rotted conditions found in standing trees which have been dead for some time. Whilst flowering plants in the ground layer provide an important nectar source for butterflies, some adult saproxylic invertebrates obtain nectar and pollen from flowering trees and shrubs. Where mature hawthorn and wild fruit trees such as crab apple and wild pear are present in woodland they can provide an a World of Trees Issue 16

important food source for adult dead wood beetles, craneflies, and hoverflies that are associated with ancient trees in their larval stages.

So if the forest manager is to deliver woods rich in wildlife alongside a sustainable output of timber and wood, then understanding the dynamics of the woodland resource is vital. Furthermore, the first step in many cases is being able to identify so-called ‘ancient’ woods and to then apply appropriate management. For the experienced woodman this may be an art acquired with age and experience. For those starting out, or for the interested amateur, a little help may be required.

THE USE OF INDICATOR SPECIES

For the woodland surveyor reading the landscape for clues to its history is an acquired skill. Yet it is something that everyone does at a superficial level when we make the basic connection between bluebell wood and antiquity.

Refine the approach and link it to detailed knowledge of species ecology, an understanding of woodland archaeological features (often humps and bumps), and underpin the findings with map and archive interpretation, and this becomes a powerful tool. Of all the things to help guide you to finding an ancient wood or a woodland ghost, the indicators of antiquity are the easiest, the quickest and in many ways the most exciting; living connections to the past. Taking time to connect with your woodland is not something that all today’s managers have time for. Yet in times past, this intimate knowledge of the landscape, the trees and the vegetation and how these change with the seasons, would have been vital to the forester’s work. Reading and understanding the wild flowers and the trees of the wood helps the woodman know when to intervene and when to leave alone.

I suspect that with the emergence of agri-forestry during the late twentieth century many of these traditional skills and their associated intuition were lost or forgotten. Now is a good time to get them back and to value them once more.

WHY USE INDICATOR PLANTS?

For fieldwork assessment, ecological complexity combines with limited resources to limit time for survey and research, making sites difficult to evaluate for management. Time, resources and even competence are often restricted and so ecologists and managers often rely on so-called ‘indicator species’ to provide information on the nature and quality of a particular site. This information may help inform nature conservation evaluations and identify priority areas for forestry management or protection. We can also use them for site monitoring too. The general idea of an indicator is that some animals and plants have their distribution and abundance (i.e. where they are and how many there are) restricted or facilitated by particular environmental factors or variables.

Analysis of their occurrence or their absence may therefore provide information about not only the individual species, but of a more general nature, about the communities of animals and plants, or about the environment. When assessing this we need to consider site context and especially: • Associated species.

• Known environmental factors like geography, geology, soil, topography, aspect etc.

• Known history of the site and its management.

• The status of the particular species in the district and in sites with similar environmental factors and constraints. a World of Trees Issue 16

The field worker will often produce lists of species for a site and maybe for a region (so that sites can be compared and each placed in context). These lists are not definitive or necessarily reliable, but they attempt to draw information together into relatively usable and coherent forms. There are different types of indicators that may suggest: 1. Long-term habitat continuity on site 2. Environmental quality e.g. soil-, water- or airpollution, and fragmentation or isolation 3. Environmental conditions on site e.g. soil type, wetness, micro-climate / aspect 4. Human impacts and management history For the working forester it is worth making contact with local experts who may be able to provide regional lists of good indicators. This will help give your management assessment a strong and therefore more reliable local context.

HELPING CHOOSE SITES FOR MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION The woodland manager may use indicators in the first steps of site selection for protection or for intervention, and occurrence of rare or unusual ‘native’ species usually indicates nature conservation importance. This is often the initial approach although for the assessment of vegetation communities the National Vegetation Classification is now also widely used. It is fair to say that the forester or woodland manager will find this difficult to apply except with specialist support. So indicators can be immensely helpful.

But remember that indicators vary from region to region, and perhaps with long-term environmental change (e.g. climate). They must be considered in context and as part of a broad assessment of a range of taxa (plant and animal species) with knowledge of local, regional, and national status.

The great thing about ancient woodland indicators is that they are quick and easy to use.

They don’t necessarily give definitive answers but they can steer you in the right direction to better understand your woodland. They apply equally to urban and urban-fringe woods and to those in rural areas too, aiding professional foresters or arboriculturalists to give a context of ecology or history to their trees. Through this they help guide suitable management approaches. A future article will address some specifics of what to look out for.

In the meantime there are workshops and seminars to help develop more useable guidance.

Table 1. HOW TO IDENTIFY ANCIENT WOODLAND

It is exciting and informative to identify the various forms of ancient woodland in your landscape.

Furthermore, it is useful to be able to make judgments as to their history and their current state of management. Set out below is an overall approach to woodland identification.

STEP 1: ANCIENT WOODLAND INVENTORY English Nature (now Natural England) produced a map and inventory showing records of known ancient woods of 2ha or more in extent; wood pasture sites may not be included. If your wood is small you can skip Step 1. [Note: There are similar inventories for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.]

USING THE ANCIENT WOODLAND INVENTORY: • Visit http://www.english-nature.org.uk/pubs/gis/tech_aw.htm for more information on the Ancient Woodland Inventory. From here you can access the interactive map at www.magic.gov.uk.

• Click on the interactive map icon and select Habitat Inventories from the drop down menu and tick place. Type in a nearby town to your woodland (you can also use the other options provided).

• You can now zoom in by selecting the location where your wood is found. A panel to the right of the map will tell you what your wood has been classified as.

[A note of caution: The data collected as part of the Inventory is as accurate as possible however, if your wood is not noted here as ancient semi-natural woodland but you suspect otherwise then continue your research].

STEP 2: MAPS AND WOODLAND NAMES • Maps: Studying maps is useful in several ways. They can give you a date when your wood was first recorded on a map and show subsequent changes in its extent and sometimes composition (e.g. coniferous or broadleaf).

• Woodland names: Does your wood have a name with coppice, spring, greave or a tree species name in it e.g. Oaken Cliff? Or does it reflect the name of a nearby settlement e.g. Bradfield Wood?

STEP 3: WOODLAND SHAPE AND LOCATION • Is your wood situated on the edge of a parish? Woods were normally cleared from the centre of the settlement outwards thus ancient woods often remain on the edge of the boundary.

• Is your wood on a steep slope? Steep slopes were not useful for agriculture and so woods survive more often on them.

• Is the woodland boundary irregular? This may be the result of piecemeal clearance. Plantations generally have straight boundaries. Note: Former deer parks and gardens may also have straight boundaries but may be classified as ancient.

STEP 4: FIELD INVESTIGATIONS • Is your woodland enclosed by a boundary bank, hedge, wall and / or ditch? This could reflect former management or division of ownership of the wood.

• Are there ancient and/ or working trees within your wood? Old trees can give insight into the history and longevity of the management of your wood.

• Do you have several Botanical Woodland Indicator species growing in your wood? Certain species depend on the conditions which are present in ancient woodlands. The exact composition of these will vary across regions.

Table 2. SOME BASIC GUIDANCE TO INDICATOR SPECIES The ideal indicator should be: 1. Relatively conspicuous and easily identifiable.

2. Widespread and relatively abundant in suitable environments.

3. Some degree of tolerance of adverse conditions over a range of intensities of environmental pressures.

4. Relatively long-lived (as individuals or as a colony / population).

5. Not too mobile: must tolerate adverse conditions or die. For indicators of antiquity, minimal mobility is preferred. For indicators of pollution, organisms should be able to re-colonise reasonably quickly, should conditions improve.

All indicators need to be carefully assessed in terms of: 1. Local context and distribution.

2. Other indicators. A range of species or taxa is more reliable than a one-off.

3. Status at a site. Expert ecological opinion may be necessary to ascertain the validity of a particular assessment or potential status. This especially applies if identification or genuine ‘wild’ occurrence is in question.

4. Other historical / ecological information available.

5. Caution in interpretation.

41

Searching for ghosts: Ian D. Rotherham and Barry Wright

how a forester reads the woodland landscape ANCIENT LANDSCAPES AND WILD WOODS

Forest and woodland managers need a ‘feel’ for their woodland areas. A walk through the woods in May gives a feeling of a special place, a connection with times past and with a sense of place and of wildness. Most such walks in England, resplendent in swathes of bluebells, do touch the past but not the ‘Wildwood’ as such. The majority of our ancient bluebell woodlands are in fact abandoned medieval and industrial ‘working woods’, often coppiced for centuries to fuel and power industry. Few if any have direct links back to a primeval wooded landscape; the closest connections probably not coppices but remnants of great medieval deer parks. Yet ancient Bluebell woods have their own history and a lineage over centuries unique in the landscape. Many sites of so-called ‘ancient semi-natural woodlands’ were mapped in the late 1970s and early 1980s by the then Nature Conservancy Council, and were set down on the ‘Ancient Woodland Inventory’.

Most of this was based on analysis of old maps and especially the first Edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in the early 1800s. Some were surveyed but often by relatively inexperienced fieldworkers, and in some cases they were assessed by binocular from the upper decks of (moving) double-decker buses. However, once labelled as either ‘on’ or ‘not on’ the Inventory List, the status of each wood is sealed and a degree of mystique attached to its standing. But there are problems as noted, and the worst is the omission of smaller fragments, less than 2 hectares, and of or less obvious linear woods or remnants of woodland ghosts in the landscape. So very often trying to get a ‘feel’ for the wood is a matter of experience and the understanding that comes from many years of fieldwork. Quite often a forester or other woodland manager will apply a process of reading the landscape and looking for ‘indicators’ without necessarily much conscious effort.

INTRODUCTION: FINDING YOUR WOOD

Woodlands and their trees form one of our most valuable wildlife habitats. The ideal scenario would be mature, mixed woodland including ancient and veteran trees, dead branches and timber lying on the ground, open rides and clearings scattered throughout the wood, a diverse ground layer of vegetation and a recognisable field layer of shrubs and scrub with no one component dominating. This combination of habitats within the woodland macro-habitat offers the greatest range of conditions to attract the greatest variety of wildlife. Managing a wood or forest towards such as condition has been a priority for only a few foresters charged with overseeing nature reserves or other protected areas. But now, with changed priorities for many forest areas, this has altered dramatically. Today’s forest manager is expected to enhance biodiversity and to provide a rich environment for recreation too.

Variety of plants and trees within woodlands depends mostly on soil type and condition, but the availability of sunlight reaching the woodland floor is also significant. A heavily shaded woodland environment, as found in coniferous monocultures and in beech dominated woods, is not conducive to a diverse ground layer of vegetation. Without the flowering plants the variety of invertebrates is diminished and in turn the range of small mammals 40

and birds found in such woodland is severely restricted. Beech trees come in to leaf very early in the spring and consequently there is hardly any ground layer. Compared with other broadleaf woods there is almost complete silence within beech woods during the spring and summer – the lack of birds (and birdsong) being an indirect result of the heavily shaded woodland floor supporting little, if any, ground layer vegetation, and the consequent lack of invertebrates as food supply for the bird population.

Therefore, for woodland to have value for wildlife it needs to be of mixed composition and age. This combination will include clearings and open patches where, for instance, limbs have fallen from more mature trees and the canopy has consequently been opened up. If carried out systematically, traditional woodland management techniques such as coppicing can also create a variety of light conditions within a wood. As any traditional woodman would know, recently coppiced sections will be completely open to sunlight whereas those ready for coppicing will be considerably darker. If coppicing is carried out as part of a long-term management programme there is the opportunity to create a complete range of light conditions within a single wood. It has long been recognised that the opening up of woodland in this way is of great benefit to woodland butterflies and coppicing is a standard management tool in many

woodland nature reserves. It encourages the growth of flowering plants in the ground layer making the habitat more attractive to butterflies plus other nectar and pollen feeding invertebrates. However, coppicing, by its very nature, necessitates the cutting and removal of timber from the woodland environment. All too often this also includes the ‘tidying up’ of coppiced stools and a general housekeeping approach which may also include the clearance of fallen dead limbs from mature trees growing in the vicinity. On the one hand, the woodland becomes more attractive for nectar and pollen feeding invertebrates but on the other hand, any saproxylic invertebrates (those associated with dead wood) will, through removal of cut timber, suffer loss of habitat. In any management programme for mature woodland the retention of fallen limbs and standing dead timber is a priority if populations of saproxylic invertebrates are to flourish. Even the stage of decay of dead wood is significant – some invertebrates are only associated with recently dead wood, whilst others require the well rotted conditions found in standing trees which have been dead for some time. Whilst flowering plants in the ground layer provide an important nectar source for butterflies, some adult saproxylic invertebrates obtain nectar and pollen from flowering trees and shrubs. Where mature hawthorn and wild fruit trees such as crab apple and wild pear are present in woodland they can provide an a World of Trees Issue 16

important food source for adult dead wood beetles, craneflies, and hoverflies that are associated with ancient trees in their larval stages.

So if the forest manager is to deliver woods rich in wildlife alongside a sustainable output of timber and wood, then understanding the dynamics of the woodland resource is vital. Furthermore, the first step in many cases is being able to identify so-called ‘ancient’ woods and to then apply appropriate management. For the experienced woodman this may be an art acquired with age and experience. For those starting out, or for the interested amateur, a little help may be required.

THE USE OF INDICATOR SPECIES

For the woodland surveyor reading the landscape for clues to its history is an acquired skill. Yet it is something that everyone does at a superficial level when we make the basic connection between bluebell wood and antiquity.

Refine the approach and link it to detailed knowledge of species ecology, an understanding of woodland archaeological features (often humps and bumps), and underpin the findings with map and archive interpretation, and this becomes a powerful tool. Of all the things to help guide you to finding an ancient wood or a woodland ghost, the indicators of antiquity are the easiest, the quickest and in many ways the most exciting; living connections to the past. Taking time to connect with your woodland is not something that all today’s managers have time for. Yet in times past, this intimate knowledge of the landscape, the trees and the vegetation and how these change with the seasons, would have been vital to the forester’s work. Reading and understanding the wild flowers and the trees of the wood helps the woodman know when to intervene and when to leave alone.

I suspect that with the emergence of agri-forestry during the late twentieth century many of these traditional skills and their associated intuition were lost or forgotten. Now is a good time to get them back and to value them once more.

WHY USE INDICATOR PLANTS?

For fieldwork assessment, ecological complexity combines with limited resources to limit time for survey and research, making sites difficult to evaluate for management. Time, resources and even competence are often restricted and so ecologists and managers often rely on so-called ‘indicator species’ to provide information on the nature and quality of a particular site. This information may help inform nature conservation evaluations and identify priority areas for forestry management or protection. We can also use them for site monitoring too. The general idea of an indicator is that some animals and plants have their distribution and abundance (i.e. where they are and how many there are) restricted or facilitated by particular environmental factors or variables.

Analysis of their occurrence or their absence may therefore provide information about not only the individual species, but of a more general nature, about the communities of animals and plants, or about the environment. When assessing this we need to consider site context and especially: • Associated species.

• Known environmental factors like geography, geology, soil, topography, aspect etc.

• Known history of the site and its management.

• The status of the particular species in the district and in sites with similar environmental factors and constraints. a World of Trees Issue 16

The field worker will often produce lists of species for a site and maybe for a region (so that sites can be compared and each placed in context). These lists are not definitive or necessarily reliable, but they attempt to draw information together into relatively usable and coherent forms. There are different types of indicators that may suggest: 1. Long-term habitat continuity on site 2. Environmental quality e.g. soil-, water- or airpollution, and fragmentation or isolation 3. Environmental conditions on site e.g. soil type, wetness, micro-climate / aspect 4. Human impacts and management history For the working forester it is worth making contact with local experts who may be able to provide regional lists of good indicators. This will help give your management assessment a strong and therefore more reliable local context.

HELPING CHOOSE SITES FOR MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION The woodland manager may use indicators in the first steps of site selection for protection or for intervention, and occurrence of rare or unusual ‘native’ species usually indicates nature conservation importance. This is often the initial approach although for the assessment of vegetation communities the National Vegetation Classification is now also widely used. It is fair to say that the forester or woodland manager will find this difficult to apply except with specialist support. So indicators can be immensely helpful.

But remember that indicators vary from region to region, and perhaps with long-term environmental change (e.g. climate). They must be considered in context and as part of a broad assessment of a range of taxa (plant and animal species) with knowledge of local, regional, and national status.

The great thing about ancient woodland indicators is that they are quick and easy to use.

They don’t necessarily give definitive answers but they can steer you in the right direction to better understand your woodland. They apply equally to urban and urban-fringe woods and to those in rural areas too, aiding professional foresters or arboriculturalists to give a context of ecology or history to their trees. Through this they help guide suitable management approaches. A future article will address some specifics of what to look out for.

In the meantime there are workshops and seminars to help develop more useable guidance.

Table 1. HOW TO IDENTIFY ANCIENT WOODLAND

It is exciting and informative to identify the various forms of ancient woodland in your landscape.

Furthermore, it is useful to be able to make judgments as to their history and their current state of management. Set out below is an overall approach to woodland identification.

STEP 1: ANCIENT WOODLAND INVENTORY English Nature (now Natural England) produced a map and inventory showing records of known ancient woods of 2ha or more in extent; wood pasture sites may not be included. If your wood is small you can skip Step 1. [Note: There are similar inventories for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.]

USING THE ANCIENT WOODLAND INVENTORY: • Visit http://www.english-nature.org.uk/pubs/gis/tech_aw.htm for more information on the Ancient Woodland Inventory. From here you can access the interactive map at www.magic.gov.uk.

• Click on the interactive map icon and select Habitat Inventories from the drop down menu and tick place. Type in a nearby town to your woodland (you can also use the other options provided).

• You can now zoom in by selecting the location where your wood is found. A panel to the right of the map will tell you what your wood has been classified as.

[A note of caution: The data collected as part of the Inventory is as accurate as possible however, if your wood is not noted here as ancient semi-natural woodland but you suspect otherwise then continue your research].

STEP 2: MAPS AND WOODLAND NAMES • Maps: Studying maps is useful in several ways. They can give you a date when your wood was first recorded on a map and show subsequent changes in its extent and sometimes composition (e.g. coniferous or broadleaf).

• Woodland names: Does your wood have a name with coppice, spring, greave or a tree species name in it e.g. Oaken Cliff? Or does it reflect the name of a nearby settlement e.g. Bradfield Wood?

STEP 3: WOODLAND SHAPE AND LOCATION • Is your wood situated on the edge of a parish? Woods were normally cleared from the centre of the settlement outwards thus ancient woods often remain on the edge of the boundary.

• Is your wood on a steep slope? Steep slopes were not useful for agriculture and so woods survive more often on them.

• Is the woodland boundary irregular? This may be the result of piecemeal clearance. Plantations generally have straight boundaries. Note: Former deer parks and gardens may also have straight boundaries but may be classified as ancient.

STEP 4: FIELD INVESTIGATIONS • Is your woodland enclosed by a boundary bank, hedge, wall and / or ditch? This could reflect former management or division of ownership of the wood.

• Are there ancient and/ or working trees within your wood? Old trees can give insight into the history and longevity of the management of your wood.

• Do you have several Botanical Woodland Indicator species growing in your wood? Certain species depend on the conditions which are present in ancient woodlands. The exact composition of these will vary across regions.

Table 2. SOME BASIC GUIDANCE TO INDICATOR SPECIES The ideal indicator should be: 1. Relatively conspicuous and easily identifiable.

2. Widespread and relatively abundant in suitable environments.

3. Some degree of tolerance of adverse conditions over a range of intensities of environmental pressures.

4. Relatively long-lived (as individuals or as a colony / population).

5. Not too mobile: must tolerate adverse conditions or die. For indicators of antiquity, minimal mobility is preferred. For indicators of pollution, organisms should be able to re-colonise reasonably quickly, should conditions improve.

All indicators need to be carefully assessed in terms of: 1. Local context and distribution.

2. Other indicators. A range of species or taxa is more reliable than a one-off.

3. Status at a site. Expert ecological opinion may be necessary to ascertain the validity of a particular assessment or potential status. This especially applies if identification or genuine ‘wild’ occurrence is in question.

4. Other historical / ecological information available.

5. Caution in interpretation.

41

Westonbirt

Festival of The Tree Spreads its Roots Since taking root at Westonbirt the National Arboretum 10 years ago, the celebrated Festival of the Tree has blossomed. And for one week this summer, from 18-25 August, it’s set to draw more people than ever experts, enthusiasts and tree lovers alike. Across the week, alongside loads of family fun, the famous giant tree sculpting event ‘Sculptree’ promises a 3-metre-high milk bottle and a surfer’s dream wave. Then over the Bank Holiday weekend there’s a fantastic Woodcraft Exhibition with expert demonstrations and artisan crafts and tools to buy all against the fitting backdrop of rare and spectacular trees that make up this world-famous Forestry Commission tree garden.

For ‘Sculptree’, 12 of the world’s top sculptors apply chainsaws, chisels and sheer muscle power to huge recycled Westonbirt tree trunks, carving out colossal works of art.

This year, nearly all the sculptors are home grown – including three new faces alongside festival favourites such as Lee Dickenson

and Neil Gow from Stroud, whose ‘Surfer’ is inspired by the great rollers breaking along Australia’s coast. ‘Nostalgia’ is Paul Clarke’s homage to a much slower pace of life – when blue tits stole the cream from the tops of doorstep milk bottles.

The annual Festival of the Tree is a real summer treat and a great day out for all the family. Alongside ‘Sculptree’, there are plenty of woodland crafts for the kids to join in over the week from wand making and oldfashioned rides to the William Woodworm trail through the trees.

Over the long Bank Holiday weekend, from 22-25 August, the tented Woodcraft Exhibition becomes second home to over 150 renowned craftsmen and women – demonstrating their unique talents and selling specialist antique and new tools alongside artisan wooden products, from musical instruments to garden art.

With the resurgence of interest in working with wood, expert demonstrations including guitar making, cabinet making and boat building are increasingly popular, and last year’s international masterclasses are back

42 All pictures copyright Forestry Commission

by huge demand with Canadian Rob Cosman displaying his skills alongside the UK’s John Lloyd and David Charlesworth.

There’s even the rare opportunity to buy unique pieces of wood felled within the Arboretum to further skills at home.

The festival draws to an exciting close on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon (25 August), with the public auction of the mighty wooden sculptures created over the week. This frantic auction raises many thousands of pounds for the Bristol-based charity Tree Aid, which helps support African villagers in planting and getting the most out of their trees. On this final day, the winner of the British Woodcarvers’ Association coveted Westonbirt Trophy is also announced – in honour of the best wood carving of the exhibition, as chosen purely by public vote.

Simon Hough, Westonbirt Arboretum’s Events Manager, says: “The Festival of the Tree is what Westonbirt is all about – people with passion and a desire to share their skills and enthusiasm with others, including our thousands of visitors. This week is becoming a firm favourite in our diary and has something for everyone, from real enthusiasts to people of all ages who simply love trees.”

Westonbirt is open all year round from 9am-8pm, or dusk if earlier. The festival is open from 9am-5pm, and during that week admission to the whole arboretum is £8 for adults, £3 for children (18yrs and under).

Annual membership is also available.

Westonbirt Arboretum is three miles south west of Tetbury on the A433 (Tetbury to Bath Road). It is 10 miles north east of Junction 18 of the M4, and south-east of junction 13 of the M5.

a World of Trees Issue 16

a World of Trees Issue 16

43

Learning together: Alper H. Colak Ian D. Rotherham Simay Kirca

the implications of close-to-nature silviculture for Turkish forest management

Figure 3: Mixed coniferous and broadleaved high forests (Abies bornmülleriana, Pinus nigra, Pinus sylvestris, Fagus orientalis, Quercus petraea and Carpinus betulus) in north-west Anatolia (Karabük/Büyükdüz, c. 860-1800 m; Foto: M.Tokcan).

A bit of background

It is clear that many of today’s environmental problems in the Turkish mountains, and they are severe in places, stem in part from the export of ideas of agriforestry from Britain, Germany and Austria. However, with an increased awareness of issues such as landslides, soil erosion and water loss, action is now being taken to remediate these problems.

Exchange of ideas and awareness of new concepts has proved the key.

Indeed this year’s visit to the Turkish forest by the Royal Forestry Society represents an important reflection of this process. One of the ideas which a group of Turkish foresters is now actively promoting is that of close-tonature forestry.

“

For Turkish mountain forests there has been increasing recognition that ecological sustainability is now a key priority

”

44

Close-to-nature forestry

The general principles of close-to-nature forestry or silviculture are generally known to both woodland and forest managers.

Indeed uneven-aged silviculture has alternated between periods of popularity and rejection over the last 10-20 years.

Foresters have also attempted to find stand- and forest-level relationships that provide ‘balance’ to justify certain types of uneven-aged management practices.

Since 1963 in Turkey there has been extensive forest management based on age classes resulting in single-aged stands. A consequence has been the conversion of relatively natural forest to blocks of single ages; damaging to soils, stand structure and biodiversity, and also to water management. This mirrors what happened across much of the UK during

the twentieth century but concentrated into a shorter period. However during the last 15-20 years there has been move back to mixed ages and close-to-nature forestry. Awareness of the characteristics of a natural forest is important once again and this highlights the recent shift in emphasis away from timber production to a more holistic approach. The latter is similar to the re-focus of forestry in Britain in recent years and embraces the delivery of richer wildlife resources and greater biodiversity. This shift in priorities demands an evaluation of the forest concept and an increased understanding of aspects of a forest important for key wildlife species.

Furthermore, there is then a need to provide guidance on how the principles can be applied in practice. For close-to-nature silviculture and nature conservation the protection and maintenance of unevenaged stands are very important. Successful future management will require practices that recognize the disturbance and stand dynamics of individual forest types and use these to guide management.

For Turkish mountain forests there has been increasing recognition that ecological sustainability is now a key priority. Indeed, the incredibly high biodiversity and the large proportion of endemic species make this of genuinely international significance. Closeto-nature silviculture is now promoted as a framework in which to develop this.

However, the scale and importance of the a World of Trees Issue 16

Figure 2: The edict on the regulation of usage and tree cutting in the forest, supplying city’s water supply during the Periof of Suleyman the Magnificent. It is concerned about the restriction on cutting trees from the groves around the fresh water, which was brought to Istanbul through the aqueducts constructed earlier by Sultan Süleyman (Documents on Ottoman Forestry I: Published by Ministry of Environment and Forestry Turkey).

task should not be under-estimated. On the one hand the forest industry in Turkey is very important to society and to regional economies, and on the other, the failure of ecosystem functions can mean very rapid and very acute deterioration. In many ways these impacts are potentially far more damaging than the problems in the more maritime climatic conditions of the UK. This means that if management to maintain and restore Turkish forests is not effective, then the consequences will be serious.

Expected impacts include: (a) Disruption to groundwater re-charge and discharge leading to flood risk; (b) Deterioration in groundwater and spring-water quality; (c) Downwash and erosion of soil with accumulation of sediments in the valleys; (d) Increased landslides and avalanches.

Furthermore, there are problems of socio-economic impacts with serious loss of potential for heritage-, wildlife-, and eco-tourism and their consequent economic benefits to the areas. Such benefits if harnessed can be long-term and sustainable. Over much of the Turkish forest the present regime of management is counter to the principles of close-to-nature silviculture and an immediate objective is the maintenance or improvement of environmental stability. There is an urgent need to decrease erosion and hydrological disruption. As in British forestry there is a requirement for relevant indicators against which progress can be measured, and it is suggested that respect stand structure and the degree to which the forest resembles its locally-distinctive ‘type’ can fulfil this need. In many ways this is a bit like the NVC (National Vegetation Classification) approach to woodland management in the UK.

The importance of forests and forestry – an unrecognised richness

Sustainable forestry is increasingly recognised for its importance in the UK, in Europe and certainly in Turkey. Despite this recognition, in many countries such as Turkey there has been little awareness of the sometimes subtle but important ecosystem differences between different forest areas. This has led to often drastic and damaging impacts of inappropriate management; forestry often not environmentally or even economically sustainable. Ecologically distinct forests and their ecosystems have been simplified and both landscape quality and conservation value reduced. In these areas the local economies are in decline and this a World of Trees Issue 16

has been exacerbated by deterioration in forest ‘quality’ and associated ecosystem services. This parallels problems that we witness across parts of the UK. A rejuvenated forest is seen as a positive contributor to social and economic recovery in these areas.

Since much of what has happened in Turkey has been influenced

by British forestry, it is worth comparing the situation with the United Kingdom. So whilst the process of deforestation has gone much further in the UK than in Turkey, many of the problems now faced by the Turkish mountain forests are very similar in nature and cause to those experienced in the United Kingdom during the late twentieth century. British forestry has suffered longer and more intensive periods of agriforestry, a large-scale collapse of traditional management and a consequent decline in species-richness. Also, with the possible exception of the Scottish Caledonian Pine Forests the woodland resource of the United Kingdom is far more fragmented than that of Turkey. Importantly from an international perspective, for higher plants at least, the woods of the United Kingdom are far less diverse than the forests of Turkey. (Of course there are high levels of UK biodiversity in other taxa, such as lichens, bryophytes, myxomycetes, and saproxylic invertebrates, for example). An exciting but also worrying aspect for Turkish forests is that there may well be significant unrecorded and unrecognised biodiversity.

This richness is relatively unknown outside a small group of forest enthusiasts and it is vital that there is a wider dissemination of this and then support for conservation action across Turkey.

The consequences of damage and the need for change

The impacts of land-use changes in Turkey have been very similar to those witnessed in the UK from 1950 to 1990, with loss of biodiversity, decline in cultural distinctiveness of the landscape, soil erosion and water management problems. The agri-forestry approach has

diminished both the natural and the cultural forest resource, but has also eroded the areas of marginal and unproductive lands that are likely to have biodiversity conservation significance and probably also archaeological and cultural value. However, the implications of the continued decline in biodiversity and of the impacts of global climate change are different. For Turkey there are the twin issues of the inherent species diversity and loss. There is also the significance of its geographical location as a source of or corridor for long-term species migration and genetic resource conservation.

The United Kingdom, in contrast, is geographically isolated and for many species there may simply be nowhere else to go.

The need for a more sensitive and sustainable approach to Turkish forestry is clear, and the consequences of failure to change current practice very serious.

Risks range from socio-economic (including rural depopulation and falling wealth in the mountain areas), and increased environmental degradation (soil erosion, floods, loss of wildlife etc). These problems are not unique to Turkey. However, the potential costs of further decline are perhaps more acute here for a diversity of social and environmental reasons. There is a wealth of good practice and casestudy evidence from around Europe that can help inform the future management of this unique resource. It is essential that the lines of communication and information exchange are opened.

45

Figure 3: Mixed coniferous and broadleaved high forests (Abies bornmülleriana, Pinus nigra, Quercus petraea, Quercus cerris and Fagus orientalis) in north-west Anatolia (Karabük/Büyükdüz, c. 700-1000 m; Foto: M.Tokcan).

Figure 4: The first “Forest Management Plan” developed in the Ottoman Empire Period with the collaboration of Austiran experts (1912). generally incorporated into development plans that help sustain local communities through jobs and economic regeneration; the forest seen as a key to success.

What now?

In particular, the concept of multi-functional forest management with the landscape producing sustainable tourism and leisure (and essential income to the regions), forest products of wood and timber, wildlife and heritage, and forest culture including local food and drink, begins to provide a potential framework for longterm remediation. A vital element is local difference and distinctiveness of landscape, of forest produce, and advocated here, of management. However, the first key step is to halt the continuing decline, and to set in place the necessary forest management to sustain the resource. Beyond this there will be opportunities to grow the support of the local communities, to encourage economic drivers such as tourism, and to reverse the demographic drift to the cities. This is

46

Effective conservation management of Turkish forests is an urgent necessity, with new approaches and practical applications.

Steps are being taken to organise forestry activities such as silvicultural conversion, restoration and ‘close-to-nature’ silvicultural operations by ‘naturalness zone maps’. With these naturalness maps it is possible to predict human impacts on forest ecosystems and so influence the degree to which ‘close-to-nature’ forestry practices can meet forest management and conservation targets. Furthermore, the use of naturalness maps with biotope maps can assist in the prediction at a landscape scale of any likely variations, deviations or conservation risks. In preparing naturalness maps, natural forest conditions and relevant natural life-stages and processes are taken into account. Zones in which management ceases and for which only natural successional development is allowed are to be carefully monitored. In this the use of new technology e.g. Geographic

Information Systems, Geographic Location Systems, and portable computers, will assist site management and monitoring.

This approach should help to provide a useful and unifying framework for directing management and assist in setting realistic targets as well as for monitoring and evaluating progress.

However, there are further challenges too.

In the UK and across Western Europe we are witnessing the emergence of a vibrant sector of urban forestry and community forestry that parallels the forester in the wider landscape. It is important that this approach is better recognised in Turkey and that steps are taken to encourage this further transformation of Turkish forestry.

There are major issues of potential for forest recreation and for forest tourism that are still untapped, and associated with these are the now well-known community health benefits of a richly wooded landscape. It is vital that the relevant players in the UK forest sector begin to engage with and so influence their counterparts in Turkey. If forestry is to have a centre stage in the battle to combat climate change and environmental deterioration, then we must be more international and less parochial in our outlooks.

a World of Trees Issue 16

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Responding to access issues in woodlands & the forest A challenge for managers and owners

Common to many sources of recreational impact on woodlands, environmental damage is most likely when vehicles or horses are driven or ridden off established trails, across steep and wet topography, and on poorly maintained or badly constructed trails. Woodland managers can predict the potential of a site to withstand recreational use by considering plant growth strategies of key ground flora species. Vegetation dominated by medium to tall, herbaceous and woody vegetation in shady conditions is the most sensitive to trampling for example ferns (other than bracken), dog’s mercury, bluebell and enchanter’s nightshade. This contrasts with impacts in vegetation dominated by short, rosette and tussocky species growing in more open conditions, where impacts are less severe such as grasses, sedges and rushes.

James Littlemore and Ian D. Rotherham

Reduce recreational use in woodlands

Control visitor use patterns

Reduce attraction of woodland for access

Re-establish vegetation

Improve surfacing and drainage of existing routes

Reduce facilities

Block off minor routes

Discourage access

Restrict use in vulnerable areas

Provide new routes and reroute Channel use away

Cordon off areas, habitat zoning

(Reproduced with kind permission of the Quarterly Journal of Forestry, a publication of the Royal Forestry Society)

Managing the Resource and the User

Sensitive management techniques are the key in managing for increased access and recreation in Britain’s woodlands. The approach should be orientated towards managing both the resource (i.e. trees, vegetation and soils) and the user. Figure 1 gives a schematic representation of a decision-making model to help inform the forester or woodland manager’s plans.

The Way Forward

48

Encourage trampling tolerant vegetation

Trail management

Destruction of habitat

Act now

Artificially increase the carrying capacity

Vegetation management

Do nothing

Concentrate use in durable zones

There are various responses available to site managers.

Site zoning in relation to habitat or vegetation is a common approach. This can be combined with innovations in the use of interpretation to engage with people (Plate 1). These can be adopted alongside technical indices to help ascertain the level of risk associated with permitting access to previously undisturbed areas. Ideally the strategy is in place to avoid damage before it occurs rather than to repair a site once it has deteriorated.

Site management plans provide a framework with which to guide decision making for recreation and wildlife conservation.

Failure to embrace sympathetic management policies may lead to ecological damage to the site, and also have a negative impact on the environmental quality experienced by the visitor.

Potentially site decline create an environment that no longer has the attractive characteristics that visitors originally sought.

Some woods can absorb lots of people without seeming crowded, but the trick seems to lie in not allowing over-use to compromise the special qualities that attract people to the wood in the first place. Managers are encouraged to learn from action research projects and real-life case studies. For example, the four year PROGRESS project led by The Forestry

Figure 1: Decision making model of management strategies to resolve conflicts of recreation with conservation in woodlands.

Recreational use exceeds the ecological carrying capacity

Picture: J. Littlemore

Plate 1: The tree top walk at Salcey Forest managed by the Forestry Commission in Northamptonshire provides a truly innovative learning, emotional, behavioural and promotional message for the viewer but at a high financial cost! a World of Trees Issue 16

Commission, Natural England and partners focuses on reconciling recreation with conservation in forests in England and France and there is a handy guide to encouraging good practice.

of the wildlife and vegetation. However, both options need to acknowledge the likely behavioural responses of recreationists and the particular context of the individual site.

Of course people will never behave exactly as you want them to and efforts to control access may not always work. Recreational users do not always stay on defined pathways, so the woodland manager is generally faced with two options in controlling the movement of visitor. The first is to deny access to certain parts of a wood by initiating enforced closures, bearing in mind that such containment strategies will inevitably be unpopular with some user groups. Spatial containment to create permanent sanctuary areas can be used in combination with buffer zones to discourage visitors. If necessary, seasonal restrictions can be imposed during specific time-periods when wildlife is vulnerable to disturbance. This applies especially to protected birds such as birds of prey at nest sites. So it is adopted with the particular species in mind. A second option is to encourage coexistence whilst being aware of how the relative impacts of specific activities impinge on the life-cycles

The provision of recreational infrastructure and form example informal, play equipment, at woodland sites requires careful consideration in light of current legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

There are also serious matters of health and safety and potential litigation following accidents that need to be carefully considered.

Any provision beyond the most basic seating and perhaps picnicking facilities need to be professionally planned. Sound design can help to modify human behaviour, limit access to sensitive areas and avoid dispersal of visitors. If linear routes are maintained and well planned, then the majority of people will stick to them. Very few people will wander off a wellmade path, and if they do, it is unlikely that they will cause significant damage. Special attention must be paid to the potentially more damaging activities such as horse riding so that the benefits of recreational provision for other activities are not reduced. Again this can

a World of Trees Issue 16

Some Issues

be more problematic for the individual small woodland owner than for a large public estate.

Ultimately the way forward lies with you – the woodland manager or forester. If you understand the requirements of the particular wildlife and plant species of your wood, and the complexities of the environment in which they species live, along with the possible recreational pressures likely to affect them, then you will be in a better position to anticipate and avoid conflicts, or to resolve them if they occur. There may be important archaeology in your wood as well, and this can be especially vulnerable to trampling and erosion. However, perhaps most important of all is that your woodland is incredibly important to all sorts of local people and brings them huge benefits of pleasure and of quality of life. So it is important too that we never lose sight of how important these woodlands are for people, for wildlife, and for heritage. There is a real danger sometimes that we take all this for granted.

James Littlemore lectures at Moulton College, Higher Education Building, Main Site, West Street, Moulton, Northampton, NN3 7RR. 49

Responding to access issues in woodlands & the forest A challenge for managers and owners

Common to many sources of recreational impact on woodlands, environmental damage is most likely when vehicles or horses are driven or ridden off established trails, across steep and wet topography, and on poorly maintained or badly constructed trails. Woodland managers can predict the potential of a site to withstand recreational use by considering plant growth strategies of key ground flora species. Vegetation dominated by medium to tall, herbaceous and woody vegetation in shady conditions is the most sensitive to trampling for example ferns (other than bracken), dog’s mercury, bluebell and enchanter’s nightshade. This contrasts with impacts in vegetation dominated by short, rosette and tussocky species growing in more open conditions, where impacts are less severe such as grasses, sedges and rushes.

James Littlemore and Ian D. Rotherham

Reduce recreational use in woodlands

Control visitor use patterns

Reduce attraction of woodland for access

Re-establish vegetation

Improve surfacing and drainage of existing routes

Reduce facilities

Block off minor routes

Discourage access

Restrict use in vulnerable areas

Provide new routes and reroute Channel use away

Cordon off areas, habitat zoning

(Reproduced with kind permission of the Quarterly Journal of Forestry, a publication of the Royal Forestry Society)

Managing the Resource and the User

Sensitive management techniques are the key in managing for increased access and recreation in Britain’s woodlands. The approach should be orientated towards managing both the resource (i.e. trees, vegetation and soils) and the user. Figure 1 gives a schematic representation of a decision-making model to help inform the forester or woodland manager’s plans.

The Way Forward

48

Encourage trampling tolerant vegetation

Trail management

Destruction of habitat

Act now

Artificially increase the carrying capacity

Vegetation management

Do nothing

Concentrate use in durable zones

There are various responses available to site managers.

Site zoning in relation to habitat or vegetation is a common approach. This can be combined with innovations in the use of interpretation to engage with people (Plate 1). These can be adopted alongside technical indices to help ascertain the level of risk associated with permitting access to previously undisturbed areas. Ideally the strategy is in place to avoid damage before it occurs rather than to repair a site once it has deteriorated.

Site management plans provide a framework with which to guide decision making for recreation and wildlife conservation.

Failure to embrace sympathetic management policies may lead to ecological damage to the site, and also have a negative impact on the environmental quality experienced by the visitor.

Potentially site decline create an environment that no longer has the attractive characteristics that visitors originally sought.

Some woods can absorb lots of people without seeming crowded, but the trick seems to lie in not allowing over-use to compromise the special qualities that attract people to the wood in the first place. Managers are encouraged to learn from action research projects and real-life case studies. For example, the four year PROGRESS project led by The Forestry

Figure 1: Decision making model of management strategies to resolve conflicts of recreation with conservation in woodlands.

Recreational use exceeds the ecological carrying capacity

Picture: J. Littlemore

Plate 1: The tree top walk at Salcey Forest managed by the Forestry Commission in Northamptonshire provides a truly innovative learning, emotional, behavioural and promotional message for the viewer but at a high financial cost! a World of Trees Issue 16

Commission, Natural England and partners focuses on reconciling recreation with conservation in forests in England and France and there is a handy guide to encouraging good practice.

of the wildlife and vegetation. However, both options need to acknowledge the likely behavioural responses of recreationists and the particular context of the individual site.

Of course people will never behave exactly as you want them to and efforts to control access may not always work. Recreational users do not always stay on defined pathways, so the woodland manager is generally faced with two options in controlling the movement of visitor. The first is to deny access to certain parts of a wood by initiating enforced closures, bearing in mind that such containment strategies will inevitably be unpopular with some user groups. Spatial containment to create permanent sanctuary areas can be used in combination with buffer zones to discourage visitors. If necessary, seasonal restrictions can be imposed during specific time-periods when wildlife is vulnerable to disturbance. This applies especially to protected birds such as birds of prey at nest sites. So it is adopted with the particular species in mind. A second option is to encourage coexistence whilst being aware of how the relative impacts of specific activities impinge on the life-cycles

The provision of recreational infrastructure and form example informal, play equipment, at woodland sites requires careful consideration in light of current legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

There are also serious matters of health and safety and potential litigation following accidents that need to be carefully considered.

Any provision beyond the most basic seating and perhaps picnicking facilities need to be professionally planned. Sound design can help to modify human behaviour, limit access to sensitive areas and avoid dispersal of visitors. If linear routes are maintained and well planned, then the majority of people will stick to them. Very few people will wander off a wellmade path, and if they do, it is unlikely that they will cause significant damage. Special attention must be paid to the potentially more damaging activities such as horse riding so that the benefits of recreational provision for other activities are not reduced. Again this can

a World of Trees Issue 16

Some Issues

be more problematic for the individual small woodland owner than for a large public estate.

Ultimately the way forward lies with you – the woodland manager or forester. If you understand the requirements of the particular wildlife and plant species of your wood, and the complexities of the environment in which they species live, along with the possible recreational pressures likely to affect them, then you will be in a better position to anticipate and avoid conflicts, or to resolve them if they occur. There may be important archaeology in your wood as well, and this can be especially vulnerable to trampling and erosion. However, perhaps most important of all is that your woodland is incredibly important to all sorts of local people and brings them huge benefits of pleasure and of quality of life. So it is important too that we never lose sight of how important these woodlands are for people, for wildlife, and for heritage. There is a real danger sometimes that we take all this for granted.

James Littlemore lectures at Moulton College, Higher Education Building, Main Site, West Street, Moulton, Northampton, NN3 7RR. 49

Credit Crunch Part II

- Annual Writing Down Allowances The 2008 March Budget finalised a number of important changes to the “Annual Writing Down Allowances”.

This is in effect the amount of deprecation you can use in your accounts to reduce the profit on which tax is paid.

Historically for small businesses an initial allowance of 50% could be used followed by a 25% annual allowance thereafter.

This meant for an average size business a Unimog costing £70,000 would have a 1 year allowance of £35,000, a year 2 allowance of £8750.00 and a year 3 allowance of £6562.50.

This system has been replaced by a new annual writing down limit of £50,000 followed by a 20% reducing balance thereafter. So a £70,000 Unimog would have £50,000 written off in year 1 followed by 2nd year allowance of £4,000 followed by 3rd year allowance of £3,200.

The £50,000 limit is valid per tax year and if not utilised in one year, cannot be roll over to the next.

balance could result in the total amount of the asset not being written off over the useful life of the machine or the total amount could be written off at day one but then generate a taxable charge if that machine is sold.

To resolve this problem we at Eastern Counties Finance Ltd are finding leases have started to become more fashionable.

A lease is an agreement where the payments are made for the use of assets over a predetermined fixed period of time.

Each payment carries a VAT element, therefore eliminating the need to pay the VAT at the time of purchase as would be required with a cash or Hire Purchase.

The tax advantages are that the total rentals payable for the asset during the course of the agreement are deductable against tax.

If the Unimog for £70,000 + VAT is acquired using a 3 year lease (based on a deposit of 3 months payments) the monthly cost would be £2149.00 + VAT equating to total payments of £90,902.70 including rental

and VAT. Out of this total £13,538.70 of VAT is reclaimed leaving a total of £77,364 being the amount of rentals paid excluding VAT. This whole amount of £77,364 can be used to off set against profits to reduce the business’s tax burden. Compared to only £57,200 if the Unimog had been bought outright or on HP. The final decision on any purchase should however not be based on tax. Any purchase and the individual circumstances of the organisation need to be reviewed on a case by case basis and guidance should be sort by your accountant, but if you require any information or details on the finance options available, please do not hesitate to contact Eastern Counties Finance on 01223 203398.

For purchases under £50,000 the total balance can be offset against tax in year 1. Anything over £50,000 for one year will be pooled together and be reduced on an ongoing basis at 20%. This system will apply only to plant and machinery (not cars) purchased outright or on Hire Purchase.

A second tax change from the 2008 Budget is the reduction and increases in corporation tax. Whilst overall the headline rate of corporation tax has been reduced 30% to 28% - small firms rates have risen to 21% and will rise to 22% in 2009. This Corporation Tax change will influence the decisions made with regard to the use of the £50,000 writing down allowance. If a customer purchases a tractor for £35,000 and writes off the total value in year 1 and then 2 years later sells it for £25,000 a large taxable gain will be generated.

Using the £50,000 limit and 20% reducing

a World of Trees Issue 16

13

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With a used machine you can develop your operations flexibly and according to your own needs. Ponsse’s trade-in machines are full of steam for a long time! Contact your closest PONSSE sales and we will help you to find a quality machine that meets your needs.

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a World of Trees Issue 16

Ponsse UK Limited Unit 3, Broomhouses Industrial Estate, Lockerbie, Scotland DG11 2 RZ UNITED KINGDOM Tel: 01576 203000 Fax: 01576 202202

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