Woodlands

Above: on the way back I stopped to walk in a Forestry Commission Wood. Wet and damp and cold, but also very beautiful (in a bleak sort of way). I often think that some of the best days are winter days.



Above: obviously a wood is not easy to photograph. This picture shows the place to be drab and uninteresting. You can't hear the birdsong or breath the fresh air or see the light vary the hundreds of different shades of grey and dull green.



Above: woodlands have been in the news a great deal recently due to government consultation on the future of the Forestry Commission. Hundreds of articles have appeared in the media on the subject. This article by Ben Webster (http://journalisted.com/ben-webster) appeared in The Times on 8th January, with the interesting idea that charities are considering whether they will be able to take over the woods.

Personally I am not enthusiastic about the Forestry Commission. They do some good work, but most of their history since the 1920s is a record of environmental spoilation - creating monocultural plantations of conifers that do not support native wildlife. The ideal solution would be for the Forestry Commission woodlands to be transferred without payment to either the Woodland Trust or the National Trust.



Above: Year 5 are learning about woodlands. Woodlands are an emotive subject even among townies who never go near a wood from one decade to the next. The hold which "the wild wood" has on our cultural imagination probably stems from our paleolithic past when most of northern Europe was covered by deciduous forest.



Above: in a corner of the south aisle the Sunday School set up this bare tree-structure and decorated it with painted flowers. This seems to be an almost Jungian attempt to help the winter pass more quickly. Seeing the bare trees in the county's landscape it is difficult to visualise that they will soon be covered in blossom and making the air smell sweet.



Above: forestry was an honourable occupation in the county up until the First World War. In the medieval period they would have their own guilds with services in the local parish church and "friendly society" activities (annual feast, training programmes for apprentices, support for elderly ex-members and their families). If they were not wealthy to have their own guild hall they would meet in specific pubs or even private houses.

http://www.forestersfriendlysociety.co.uk/our-history.aspx



Above: I have supported the Woodland Trust since 1999. I totally support their aim of doubling (at least) the amount of native woodland in the United Kingdom. I would especially like to see more woods planted in the eastern counties.

The Woodland Trust should be carefully noting the names of all the celebrities, journalists and politicians who are currently jumping on the "save our woodlands" bandwaggon - given the huge salaries these people enjoy they should be good for a grand each, collectively enough to plant a new wood.

http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/Pages/default.aspx