Moulton College is about to
participate in an innovative new venture being led by the Royal Forestry
Society to put coniferous trees back on the map!
The mainstay of the forestry
sector, conifers (or softwoods) grow quickly in poor soils and contrary to belief
are native both in England, with ancient Yew woodlands, and in Scotland, with
Scots Pine clothing great swathes of the Highlands. Working with project leader
Phil Tanner from the RFS, staff from the College are looking forward to
receiving 400 coniferous trees made up of 18 different species and 100
additional broadleaf trees, with 500 additional tree guards to protect from
hare and rabbit damage kindly donated by Tubex.
A site for the new wood has
already been identified and as Senior Lecturer James Littlemore explains, this
offers a unique opportunity for students studying countryside management and
arboriculture at the College….. ‘We are very excited as a College to be
involved in the ‘Conifers for Colleges’ scheme with the RFS and the new woodland
will not only enhance the extent of woodland cover on our estate, but students
will be involved at all stages from planting design to planting to maintenance
and aftercare’.
He adds, ‘The new woodland will be planted in the
autumn and we will work with the RFS to ensure that students realise the value
of conifers is not just in forestry, but in landscape aesthetics and
conservation too’.
Interestingly some species of conifer are native to these shores, including Scot's pine (of the famed Caledonian Pine forests of Scotland - see below) and yew in central England.
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