On:
In: feature, science, travel

We’ve been here one week today but time seems immeasurable: it feels like a lifetime ago that my companion, Peter Savill, and I left London Heathrow. We had another good day collecting walnuts; this time in a new area further East. Mid-morning, we’d stopped in a remote area for our usual snack of chai and lepyoshkas …Continue Reading

On:
In: science

What are the top ten most important priorities facing trees in the 21st Century? Policy is traditionally led by civil servants with the agenda of delivering Government policies.  However, these may not always reflect the views and the vision of the experts and practitioners amongst an industry.  They may alsoContinue Reading

On:
In: arboriculture, art, feature, forestry

Young forest trees often require some form of ‘formative’ shaping or pruning during the first 5-10 years after planting.  I co-wrote a practical guide on this subject for Woodland Heritage, and created the artwork that I’ve reproduced here.     Young trees may require pruning for a variety of reasons,Continue Reading

On:
In: comment

Forestry is in the news this week; a rare-enough event in the British media.   An apparent Government leak suggests that the Forestry Commission will be forced to sell off much of the private estate in England (probably not Wales and definately not Scotland).  There could be benefits and of courseContinue Reading

On:
In: birds, feature, trees

Nature brings us gifts in abundance at this time of year.  I was lucky to enjoy one after another during a brief visit to a jewel in England’s woodlands: the Forest of Dean. I soaked in the view from Symonds Yat Rock, a popular landmark in the Forest, where theContinue Reading

On:
In: feature, forestry, science

I spent over a decade as a forest scientist working to improve the genetic quality of various hardwood tree species.  To put it another way, to maniupate NATURE.  It became increasingly obvious to me that we must never ignore NURTURE.  We must work with both nature and nurture when creatingContinue Reading

On:
In: food, news

The diversity of the walnut world always holds surprises and today I received a fascinating enquiry.  Donna Beveridge wrote to me with a plea for help in sourcing walnuts for sick Parrots on the tiny Scottish island of Kerrera (population 35): “I am a volunteer at The Island Parrot SanctuaryContinue Reading

On:
In: news

Today I met legendary chef Raymond Blanc, at the stunning Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons.  We met to discuss the combining of chickens and egg production with organic fruit production in orchards.  Hopefully RB and I will be working together on an exciting new project in the future. I willContinue Reading

On:
In: feature, science

Today we collected seeds from a valley near Gava village. Mamajan headed off to Jalal-Abad seeking permission to collect seeds from this area. After starting promptly at 0900 and having a productive morning, we unfortunately had to walk back to the farmstead for lunch; a round trip of at least 2.5 hours. I have found …Continue Reading

On:
In: news

I am delighted to have been promoted to a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. I am proud to be a Chartered Forester as I believe that the profession needs to be promoted more widely in a positive light, and because I strongly support the importance of the ICFContinue Reading

On:
In: forestry, science, walnut

My forestry research work took me to the USA and Italy looking for the best ways to grow walnut trees for timber.  Foresters in both countries pioneered the planting of nitrogen-fixing trees or shrubs with hardwood trees, where their ability to improve soil fertility for ‘hungry’ species, such as walnut,Continue Reading

On:
In: art, feature

I recently came across a bird’s eye view of the farmland at College Farm in Southern Oxfordshire, before I had designed and started the planting of two new woodlands: Paradise Wood and Neptune Wood. The aerial photograph, taken in 1991, clearly shows that College Farm was an arable desert.  WheatContinue Reading