By Katie Stevens Welcome to the third blog in the Forest Tree series. This blog will focus on one of the minor productive tree species, the Wild Cherry (Prunus avium). A deciduous tree, it can grow up to 25-30m tall and has an average life span of 60-100 years; in the right Read more »
By Francois-Xavier Procureur Continuous cover forestry (CCF) is a broad term covering an array of silvicultural methods where the objectives are to permanently retain some form of canopy or forest presence. One of the primary methods used to achieve CCF is through shelterwoods systems, a method widely used for small-scale forestry in lowland England. Read more »
By Libby Reeves It is so easy to think that any green space must be beneficial for the local environment, any tree to be planted must assist with the fight against carbon, and promoting everyone from individuals to large estates to add more plants must help our landscape to improve. This is, however, not Read more »
By Rachel Jackson As we continue to head into February, we start to see the tell-tale signs of Spring approaching. The days are getting longer, the weather is becoming mildly warmer, and the first green shoots start to appear through the soil, bringing much needed colour back into our gardens and natural landscapes. It Read more »
By Libby Reeves As I look out of the office window, the beech hedge is almost white with frost, and my fingers are just starting to thaw from being outside in temperatures getting close to -6 degrees. It sometimes feels like the garden is a forgotten pastime better suited to later in the year, Read more »
By Natasha Hannah-Lyons If you were asked to list iconic British wildlife, I would confidently say that the small, prickly mammal that gently toddles around our gardens after dark would be on most of our lists. This little bug eating carnivore is a firm favourite of many, but it is in need of our Read more »
By Katie Stevens Welcome to the second blog in the Forest Tree series. This blog will focus on the toweringly tall Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii); a non-native conifer. It has soft, green needles with grey-white undersides; the bark is reddy-brown in colour, deeply fissured and cork like. Douglas fir is monoecious, meaning both male Read more »
By Libby Reeves Prior to Christmas, I was given some interesting blog ideas from our Managing Director, Liz Nicholson. On looking through this list, I saw the idea of planting one tree per household, which I thought I should address first, as, in an ideal world, I would have written this a few months Read more »
By Libby Reeves Another year is coming to an end, the weather is getting cooler and wetter, and I am regularly getting asked ‘when is the right time to plant a tree?’ The answer is simple; now is the perfect time to plant trees, shrubs, or even herbaceous plants, despite the top growth starting Read more »
By Harriet Smith Over the past couple of years, I have gained a newfound appreciation for nature and all the benefits it can offer, both physically and mentally. This appreciation mainly stemmed from lockdowns spent in my back garden, with highlights including finding hedgehogs and seeing deer for the first time at a local, Read more »
By Katie Stevens Welcome to a new Forestry Wisdom blog series called 'Forest Tree'. Each blog will focus on a productive tree species that is commercially managed and grown in the UK. This simply means that the main objective for the woodland is to grow and manage trees to a good enough size and Read more »
By Charlotte Harris Growing in popularity and recognition, English wines have been going from strength to strength, often beating champagne in tastings and competitions. Due to long growing seasons, high rainfall and mild climates, vines thrive on our chalky, sandy soils in locations such as Sussex and Hampshire. The Yurt team are proud to Read more »
The Oxfordshire Treescape Project is a small, collaborative project set up in 2019 in response to concerns about how to balance the UK government’s ambitious tree planting targets with both sustainable food production and the need to protect and restore the natural environment. We are run by the charity GrowGreenCarbon in collaboration with University Read more »
By Charlotte Harris Eating in tandem with the seasons and utilising produce in its prime has long been encouraged as a means of reducing food miles and unnecessary plastic when storing fresh produce. Not to mention, ingredients which are enjoyed closer to their harvest will be higher in nutrients and fuller in flavour. The Read more »
How forestry research and practices are developing and adapting in the face of future climatic pressures Article prepared by Harry Poole, Graduate Woodland Manager With the list of challenges and threats to effective woodland management growing seemingly larger every year, driven by anthropogenic climate change, it is becoming apparent that Read more »
'A word from the nursery' Counting the cost of change using a different currency Merlin Brooke-Little, our Director of Plants, considers how forces on the horticultural industry can be given a more optimistic context with the environment as the focus. At the time of writing the forces of global economics have been a Read more »
By Ruby Simpson We all share the idealistic notion of sitting in the garden, gazing at the delightfully perfect planting and taking a moment away from the madness of daily life to relax and appreciate the beautiful outdoors. In reality, I find that if I ever have a spare moment to sit down in Read more »
By Libby Reeves It's a fresh, September morning and I find myself enjoying a bike ride to exploit some of the fine weather before the cold and the dark set in. This blog is an account of what horticultural pleasures I come across along the way, hoping that you might find something useful for Read more »
