Be aware of Ticks and Lyme disease
2011-04-04
Everyone who enjoys the outdoors should be aware of Lyme disease, and with the coming of Spring, now’s a good time to become TICK-AWARE.Continue Reading
Today’s pollen count
2011-04-02
Here are two useful daily forecasts for pollen levels in the UK.Continue Reading
The spaghetti tree
2011-04-01
Today is April Fool’s Day. Perhaps the most famous April Fool’s Day hoax of all time involved trees. Viewers of a BBC Panorama programme in 1957 were told that due to a combination of favourable growing conditions and a fall in the population of the spaghetti weevil, there was aContinue Reading
Birch pollen allergy
2011-03-28
Trees provide us with many miracle cures, most famously aspirin from the willow and the cancer-busting drug taxol from the yew. However, they can also affect human health negatively. Pollen from the silver birch, Betula pendula, is the second most severe allergen for people in the UK. Late March isContinue Reading
Union of man and trees
2011-03-21
Forestry concerns mankind and our relationship with trees and forests. Today, is World Forestry Day but it its marketing by the UN is disappointing. Continue Reading
Pruning tools – my top choices
2011-03-18
I have often been asked what tools I use for tree pruning; here’s my top personal choice of tools. Always …Continue Reading
Tree wound occlusion
2011-03-17
The ability of a tree to heal itself quickly following pruning is important as it reduces the risk of infection, reduces the impact on tree growth, and improves the quality of its timber. I’ve written previously about how to prune a tree and if you follow these guidelines correctly, theContinue Reading
Rooks came home in scrambled sort
2011-03-10
Everyday, on my walking-commute to and from work, I pass under a spinney of ash trees supporting a rookery – causing the birds to scatter noisily. Continue Reading
European countries and their forest cover
2011-02-28
I wrote recently that the UK had the second-lowest forest cover of any country in Europe (see post). More specifically with 12% forest cover the UK has the same forest cover as the Republic of Moldova. Ireland and the Netherlands are equally the least-wooded countries in Europe, each with 11%Continue Reading
Hunting for black walnut
2011-02-25
Visits to walnut growers in the USA laid the foundation to a tree improvement programme for black walnut in the United Kingdom.Continue Reading
Tree species and provenance choice for Britain
2011-02-22
We must ensure that our trees, woodlands and forests are resiliant to increasing threats from pests and diseases, and will thrive with climate change. A fantastic online resource has been created listing 60 species that will help us meet these challenges.Continue Reading
The top ten largest forests in the UK
2011-02-21
The top ten largest forests in the UK. There are seven in Scotland, three in England but none in Wales. View an interactive map …Continue Reading
Poll: 84% believe that the state should own forests in England
2011-02-16
Poll Results: 84% of visitors to my site believe that the State should own forests in England. The public consultation should ask “should we” as well as “how”.Continue Reading
Oak diseases in the UK
2011-02-15
Chronic oak decline, acute oak decline, sudden oak death … there is widespread public concern about the health of the nation’s flagship tree species. What’s the difference between these diseases and what causes them?Continue Reading
