Woodland
Ways, in caring for the
community woodland in their charge,
are intent upon planting a variety of native trees
in the Moreton Hall landscape.
You
can use the links to the right to take
you to specific locations.
This
page contains short notes about
some of the
varieties of tree we are planting.
The
Hawthorn (Crataegus
monogyna)
A
mature Hawthorn tree is an impressive sight. Growing to a height
of
some forty feet, with a circumference of anything from three to
ten feet.
The berries the tree puts out range from crimson to
yellow
in colour and can, in October, give the effect of the tree
being
on fire in the autumnal sunshine.
The
Hawthorn is most often subject to the attention of grazing
animals.
In hedgerows, where the depredation of both animal and
nature
prevent it from reaching its full glory, it is often
entwined with
Blackthorn, another limitation to growth.
The
Hawthorns that we have planted can live for up to 300 years and
will
be an environmental testimony to the work of Woodland Ways
volunteers
for generations to come.
The
Ash (Fraxinus
excelsior)
Sometimes
called the 'Venus of the Woods', the Ash is a graceful tree
in the
breeze. Before the Industrial evolution, the wood of the Ash was
the
material of choice for construction that needed to be
strong and
durable - boat oars, axe handles and hammers.
The
bark of the tree is often pale grey hence the derivation of its
name,
and the tree will live often for two hundred years. The
leaves of the
tree were often used in the past as fodder for
cattle, but too much
was said to curdle the milk.
In
Moreton Hall we will just be happy to see a beautiful tree
for
years to come.
The
Oak (Quercus
Robur)
Largest
and most majestic of the British trees, the oak is not
even
considered mature at 100 years old, only giving acorns
when
some sixty or seventy years old.
A
full grown oak can achieve a height of 130 feet, and is often
only
considered ready for felling at the age of two hundred
years.
Historical records tell of the Gelenos Oak in
Monmouthshire,
cut down in 1810. This tree gave up some 2,246
cubic feet of
good timber and six tonnes of bark which was all
sold for the
then princely sum of £600.
Woodland
Ways oaks will have more modest ambitions
- to populate the
landscape for all to enjoy.
The
Sycamore (Acer
pseudoplatanus)
Sometimes
known as the Great Maple or False Plane Tree,
the Sycamore is not
native to Britain, but was introduced
in the fifteenth century.
Mature
trees grow to a height of some eighty feet or more and can
live
for 250 years. Much given to the production of sap, so much so
that
the tree will extrude sap from its leaves.
Sycamores
can withstand planting on exposed hillsides and make
excellent
shelter trees for developing plantations.
Do
you have a favourite tree - tell us at
information@woodlandways.org.uk
-
we'll write about it here for you.
If
you would like to
find out more about our work parties,
or to confirm the latest details, you can use
our 'contact us' page on the website
- or call the Woodland Ways people below.
We are happy to help.
Nick Sibbett
(Chair) 01284 723847
Sue Gridley (Vice-Chair) 01284 700046
Jenny Green (Secretary) 01284 723857
