Winter Ash Haiku

On:
In: art, film

Afterlife tool and spoke Winter ash gale bend and yield Oak a merest nod Gabriel Hemery http://youtu.be/fZYMHKjnCbs During the recent winter gales in England I was inspired to write a Haiku poem. The amazing flexibility of the ash Fraxinus excelsior tree means that its wood is widely used in toolContinue Reading

misty morning trees

On:
In: photo

I always say to myself, “don’t forget the camera“. You never know when you may come across a great landscape scene, newsworthy event, or chance upon something really photogenic. Today was one of those frantic mornings – getting the kids ready for school and dashing off for work – andContinue Reading

Forester moths

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In: Uncategorised

I’ve been spending some time with entomologists at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, as the museum is hosting an exhibition of the Sylva Foundation’s OneOak educational project for the next six months. I was lucky enough to be able to handle some wonderful collections of insects of myriadContinue Reading

Wild cherry and hawksbeard

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In: photo

It’s always a challenge photographing flowers in a woodland. Very often you have to battle with low light conditions due to shade, so a tripod is essential. Being outdoors, the wind is often a problem in trying to capture the detail of flowers. In this case I made the mostContinue Reading

On:
In: Our Forests

Today The Hawk and Owl Trust released a strongly worded position statement aimed at the England Forestry Panel. It states that: Forestry Commission forests must remain in national ownership and be given effective protection in the public domain for all of us, for ever the Forestry Commission should be givenContinue Reading

On:
In: feature, forestry, policy

Today is World Environment Day.  This year, the theme supports the UN’s International Year of Forests and is entitled Forests: Nature at Your Service. The UN says the day will emphasise “the many essential life-sustaining values that forests provide and the intrinsic link between our quality of life and theContinue Reading

On:
In: feature, forestry, photo

There is considerable and widespread evidence that demonstrates exercise in the presence of nature leads to positive short and long-term health benefits for people; in physical wellbeing and mental health …Continue Reading

On:
In: feature

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbaEVfHi-b4 Earlier this month I discovered a warbler in full song, perched in a leafing ash tree.  I was unsure what species it was because although I’m not bad at the visual identification of birds, I’m not so good at identifying them by their song.  I thought it was aContinue Reading

On:
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