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In: arboriculture, feature, forestry, silviculture, trees

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

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In: feature, science, trees

I undertook an expedition to Kyrgyzstan in 1997 to collect walnut seeds from the wild walnut-fruit forests. Following our last day collecting walnut seeds in the mountains near the spectacular Sary Chalek lake (see post) we travelled back to the capital Bishkek via a three hour jeep journey, first throughContinue Reading

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In: feature, health, trees

A book published in 1922 captures the spirit of childhood almost 90 years ago, when children would spend days on their own exploring the countryside, building shelters and catching their own food …Continue Reading

message on an Ash coppice stool

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In: ash, comment, policy

It was an ancient Ash coppice stool; carpeted in green moss, fantastically gnarled and partly hollow. ” This was one our best loved trees. We are sad that you have cut it down?” Bad management or poor communication?Continue Reading

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In: feature, science, trees

The rushing of the mountain river, whose banks we cooked on last night, soothed me to sleep. I woke up to another beautiful sunny day; the sun striking the steep mountainside beyond the river. Its glowing red rock is covered here and there in junipers, walnuts and scrub. Our ‘guesthouse’ is bizarre. It is quite nicely built but had no glass in its windows and has no running water …Continue Reading

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In: feature, science, trees

So, we left Gava – all six of us in the ancient Russian jeep: Mamajan and his son, Askar, Sergei, Peter and me. After a couple of stops for food, including 50 minutes spent negotiating the price for some meat, it took eight hours to reach Sary-Chelek, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.Continue Reading

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In: feature, nature, science, trees

If you are lucky enough to have a kitchen garden and to grow your own rhubarb, you should be aware that a danger lurks in the form of the walnut tree.  Juglone, a natural but toxic compound found in walnut trees, will kill rhubarb as it is very sensitive toContinue Reading

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In: feature, science, trees

Just as we thought things were going very well – last night we were told that our hosts needed to make a phone call. Ordinarily this would not be a major event but here at Gava, this means a round trip to the nearest phone that will take at least six hours! Continue Reading