Later today I will be joining a discussion about what is important about ancient woods and whether some characteristics are also shared with younger woodland. So, I am revisiting some of the history of the terms beforehand and how they have evolved. Hayley – the quintessential ancient wood; and recent woodland in the Heart of… Continue reading Is the Old Man Ancient or simply Long-established?
Tag: Nature
Woodman good, Forester bad?
In folk tales and songs the woodman is generally a good character: he saves Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf. Foresters are a more dubious lot who deserve what they get: in one of the Robin Hood ballads, a group of foresters make fun of the hero and are subsequently slain out of hand;… Continue reading Woodman good, Forester bad?
Heading for the Hills
The other week, I had a walk over the Long Mynd. The plan was to get the train to Church Stretton, then walk (12 miles) up and over the hills to end up at Bishops Castle. The weather was brilliant, but less sensibly my pack was heavier than it could have been. It is not… Continue reading Heading for the Hills
Heading for the Hills
The other week, I had a walk over the Long Mynd. The plan was to get the train to Church Stretton, then walk (12 miles) up and over the hills to end up at Bishops Castle. The weather was brilliant, but less sensibly my pack was heavier than it could have been. It is not… Continue reading Heading for the Hills
What should we do with our land?
Defra has launched a consultation on a land-use framework for England. This framework should provide the context within which discussions on land-use changes, whether on where to put new forestry plantations or where to put new solar panels. While people may agree with these changes in principle there are frequently objections over individual proposals. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/land-use-in-england… Continue reading What should we do with our land?
Non-native plants in woodland ground flora in the future
The snowdrops are coming into bloom in the woods on the top of Wytham Hill; soon there will be the (garden variety) daffodils and even a plant or two of star-of-Bethlehem: all non-natives, but I will enjoy their beauty none-the-less. They are part of the story of the Woods, mostly probably planted in the 1920s.… Continue reading Non-native plants in woodland ground flora in the future
Sound thinking, but uncertain comparisons
At the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting in Liverpool (2024) there was a soundscape of tropical birds and mammals running in the lecture halls in the run-ups to the start of the talks. Back home I encountered something similar recently when I walked on to Port Meadow. It was still dark but there was a… Continue reading Sound thinking, but uncertain comparisons
Paddle your oak canoe
Waterways are still important lines of communication in parts of Britain: I see the boats going up and down the Thames and the Oxford Canal on my bike ride out to Wytham Woods. Rivers were probably even more convenient highways and transport routes for our ancestors before the development of major road networks, although we… Continue reading Paddle your oak canoe
Who ate all the dead wood
So much for hopes of an Indian Summer, with, instead, nearly a month’s worth of rain over the course of a weekend: on my morning walk I paddled through water, when yesterday the level had been about 15 cm below the path. In woodland the extra weight of the wet leaves and the soaking of… Continue reading Who ate all the dead wood
How do we get more trees planted?
The past is a foreign country: we might imagine that medieval kings were primarily concerned with affairs of state such as wars, hunting or other courtly pursuits, but firewood supplies?
The Old Man of Wytham 