Tree Warden event reports 2006
Ancient Trees
Sunday 29th January
Around 15 tree wardens visited Escot with arboricultural consultant Simon Major, who is employed by Major Tree Services. Simon has a particular interest in ancient trees and how to look after them. We looked at the ancient oaks which are found throughout the estate and discussed ways of "prematurely ageing" younger trees to provide wildlife habitats. We found a field maple which had split apart to reveal aerial roots thrown out to take advantage of its rotting trunk. We also discussed ways of identifying if a tree has diseases which might cause it to fall or drop branches and methods of making it safer, without felling the tree.
Hedgerow Regulations
Tuesday 7th February
12 tree wardens and councillors attended the evening looking at the hedgerow regulations and the importance of hedges to wildlife. David Colman, EDDC tree officer, made a very interesting presentation on the extent of the legislation and its pitfalls - particularly the lack of protection given to old hedgebanks that now form garden boundaries. Dave Collings, EDDC enforcement officer, gave a rundown of how the council deal with complaints under the legislation. You can obtain a summary of the hedgerow regulations by e-mailing farmland.conservation@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Hedgelaying
Saturday 18th February
George Pidgin and Martin Turner from the Blackdown Hills Hedge Association were the trainers for this event. They showed us how to lay a traditional Devon hedge with a high bank and a double row of trees, mainly hawthorn, hazel and with some spindle and field maple. Hedgelaying involves splitting the tree stems carefully right down to the base and laying it over on its side, whilst leaving around third of the bark attached to the roots so that the sap can still run up the tree, which then resprouts from the roots and all along the stem. We learnt that you need to "lay towards the sunrise" to get the sap rising best. More information about hedgelaying is available from Kate Tobin at ktobin@eastdevon.gov.uk.
Exploring the Undercliffs
Wednesday 29th March
Around 16 tree wardens and countryside staff joined David Allen and Donald Campbell for a fantastic day's adventure through the Undercliffs. David and Donald know the National Nature Reserve extremely well and showed us some wonderful places off the beaten track, including areas of calcareous grassland recently cleared of the invasive holm oak, where rare plants and insects are thriving. We also found the rare small leaved lime trees which survive near a steep chalk escarpment and the French Lieutenant's Woman's Beech tree, where Meryl Streep sat moodily looking out to sea.
Storytelling under trees
Sunday 23rd April
A group of 30 intrepid explorers joined us on this joint project between the Farringdon Society of Arts, Farringdon History Society and the Great Trees project. It featured history and folklore of the landscape with story telling by Chris Holland, a professional story teller. Local landowners allowed us to walk on private fields and down an old lane which had been closed for a hundred years. The trees gave us clues to the way Farringdon’s landscape has developed over time. By looking at the few remaining very old English Oaks, and comparing with old maps, it appears that the slopes above the church would have been pasture with a lot of mature trees standing amongst them. This highly prized native parkland landscape was then added to by landowners with exotic planting
We got a strong sense of Farringdon as a small village, skirted by many great events – Vespasian marched past nearby en route to Exeter, the Danes attacked neighbouring villages, the Prayer Book Rebellion was fought out close by, King Charles I marched past on the way to Naseby but Farringdon has remained tucked peacefully away throughout. What particularly struck us was how many people had been involved in pulling this day together and how inspiring it was to find that level of cooperation and trust in a community. It was pleasing to have discovered more about this charming, quiet corner of East Devon.
Walk in the Woods at Ashclyst Forest
Wednesday 31st May
We visited this beautiful woodland owned by the National Trust on a sunny spring day. This was one of the first woodlands planted at the birth of the Forestry Commission, with the intention of making Britain self-sufficient in timber. We looked at areas of conifer and broadleaved plantation, as well as some of the huge veteran trees remaining from the old field hedgerows into which the woodland was planted.
Bat Tracking in Branscombe
Thursday 31st August
Officially European Bat night. Bats are key species in East Devon's Biodiversity Action Plan and all species are reliant on trees in some way. 40 people attended this event, run in conjunction with the East Devon partnership. Farmer and ecologist Ian Crowe took the group around his farm in Branscombe, which is managed with wildlife in mind. For example, Ian avoids worming medecines for his cattle which "sterilise" the dung (responsible for those non-degradable cow pats we all know). Plenty of invertebrates in dung breaks it down and provides an important food source for bats.
Wildlife Conference
Sunday 15th October
70 people came to Escot House to take part in the 2006 Wildlife Conference. Workshops covered included Wildlife in Ancient Trees, Grand Designs for Bats, Landscape Archaeology, Water Voles, and Biodiversity in Orchards. Fraser Rush, East Devon District Council's Nature Reserves Officer, gave a very entertaining rundown of East Devon's rarest species which he managed to turn into an audience participation event. Information on some of the workshops can be obtained by e-mailing Kate Tobin at Ktobin@eastdevon.gov.uk
