Our Tree Walk n Talk event was led by Roger Parkinson, Woodland Trust Volunteer (and much, much more!)Roger’s knowledge about trees and other hedgrow plants is immense, here he explains how hedges develop over the years and how they come to be so important in our rural environment.Glorious hawthorn, one of the many flowering trees we saw today.Is there a much more majestic sight than pine trees reacing up into a beautiful blue sky on a sunny spring morning.This oak on the edge of the pine plantation will eventually come to dominate this corner of Haw Park Wood, perhaps with the help of the foresters if they thinned out the Corsicans behind it.Talking of thinning out, Roger showed us examples of where dense growth can inhibit tree development, here is another example of where a bit of felling will encourage the remaining trees to grow stronger.The beauty of a clearing in a woodland can take your breath away.The oak is the most environmentally valuable tree in any woodland, it is said that up to 2,500 animal species can live on them.Roger told us all about how leaves take in carbon dioxide and give out water vapour (transpiration) and the importance of this process to the worldwide environment. The destruction of rainforests around the world is leading to drought conditions in many countries.One of Roger’s many talents includes woodworking, he showed us one of his larch benches at Fox Well.Can you see the braille pins Roger has incorporated in theis bench, . Just below the engraving.The rings on this plank clearly show how trees usually grow faster in early life than in their latter years. Roger explained how so more more can be learnt from its’ cross section other than just the age of a tree.The stream at Fox Well is looking a bit sad at the moment, despite a recent tidy-up by the rangers. It could do with a bit of a dredge to allow the dam to hold back more water.This young oak is one many trees that can establish itself on the edge of a woodland…..….. as has this rowan. A whitebam in flower.An oak prepares to shed its pollen.Holly in flowerWillow.MapleIt’s been a great morning out, if you didn’t come because you thought there wasn’t much to know about trees, you would be much wiser now.
