Farming Parts of the county to be ‘rewilded’ The government has vowed to plant 30,000 hectares of trees throughout the British countryside by 2025. But NFU Dorset says farmers already take environmental obligations very seriously. A spokesman said: “If the government succeeds in getting the country to net zero by 2050 they will be a decade behind agriculture as the NFU’s ambition is for farming to get to net zero by 2040. “To some extent the process of incentivising farmers to ‘rewild’ has already begun as the EU transition period ends and we move away from the old Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) towards a system of payment for public goods, which would include environmental work and things like planting trees and hedgerows. “Unfortunately, there is a complete lack of clarity on exactly how the transition away from BPS is going to work – even though we are now just a few weeks away from it happening.”
Country Diary with AJ Selby What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? John Steinbeck It’s time for reflection as the year closes and what a strange and unforeseen year we have had. Unless you are at least an octogenarian and remember the last war then few people will have experienced the sort of impact that the pandemic has had upon us. However, there have been some positives and the natural world has played a large part in keeping people sane. December sees pheasants abound in field and forest margin, eating a very varied diet of both animal and vegetable origins. They will gorge on beech mast, spilled grains, fruits, berries and leaves, and also eat small insects such as caterpillars, leatherjackets, wireworms and beetles. Occasionally they will take small lizards and rodents and when out feeding even the weak winter sun is enough to strike a glint of rainbow brilliance on their
Pheasants feasting plumage. It’s strange to think that this iconic British countryside bird is not a native, but hails from Asia. The trees, so resplendent just a few weeks ago, have been stripped of their autumn display. Now we are left with the last of the leaves and a bounteous crop of holly berries in the hedgerow. These field boundaries are no
less busy at this time of year compared with spring, but the absence of foliage enables the keen watcher to see far more than at other times of the year. Marauding bands of finches and tits work their way down the hedge-line and I am always delighted to see small groups of a favourite bird, the long-tailed tit, whose presence never fails to stay
Have your say on landscape strategy People living in the Cranborne Chase and Chalke Valley with an interest in the landscape are being asked to join a new board. People with a ‘broad range of interests’ who are actively To-let: approximately 100 acres of winter sheep grazing/pasture, Higher Ansty, ring fenced, water available three months November, December, January only. Offers invited. 01258 880006.
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involved in the community and want to help the area are being sought for the Cranborne Chase and Chalke Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme – a National Lottery Heritage Fund Scheme. The community stakeholder group will advise the landscape partnership board of local views until the end of 2024. You will meet every three months and will advise, support and provide a strategic direction to the
landscape partnership. Applications are welcome from representatives from local communities and parishes in and around the scheme area, particularly those with interests in the environment, wildlife conservation, heritage and history, recreation, health and wellbeing, young people, volunteering, interpretation, practical skills and business. Apply by 31 January 2021. It is expected that the first
meeting will be held in February 2021. A role description, application form, person specification as well as other supporting documents can be found at cranbornechase. org.uk/landscapepartnership-scheme. If you are interested in being involved or to know more, call landscape partnership manager Jonathan Monteith on 01725 517417 or jonathanmonteith@cranbor nechase.org.uk
