NEWS
THE TREE COUNCIL
and partners present
NATIONAL HEDGEROW WEEK
8-14 May 2023
Focussing on Healthy Hedgerows, there will be free online Hedge Talks, considering everything from what makes a healthy hedgerow, to the crucial role data collection and monitoring plays in ensuring UK hedgerows prosper.
As part of the 'Big Help Out' on Monday 8 May to mark HM King's Coronation, the Tree Council and CPRE have developed Hedgelife Help Out. For details of this and other hedgerow activities see the Tree Council website www.treecouncil.org.uk
We will be doing our maintenance day on the newly planted hedge at White Lund Farm on the 21st May.
PLANTING TUBS AT BARE LANE STATION ARE LOOKING FOR SPONSORS
As Northern Station Adopters at Bare Lane, Lancaster & District Conservation Volunteers are looking for interested local people and businesses to sponsor planting tubs. The sponsorship is renewed annually and covers plants through the year, soil, compost, feed etc, together with a small plaque to commemorate your sponsorship. It also includes the cost of maintaining the planters themselves with appropriate treatment throughout the year. Our volunteers will do all the necessary work on the planters and look after them on a regular basis. The annual cost for interested people is £40 in the first year (including plaque) and then £35. For businesses, the cost is £80 in the first year (including plaque) and then £75.
If you would like to sponsor a planting tub, contact Liz on 01524 412938 or via email on e.a.alexander@btinternet.com to discuss it further and help brighten up the local station.
NATIONAL TREE WEEK
26 November - 4 December 2022
GROUP CONNECTS TWO HEDGEROWS AT WHITE LUND FARM, TO PROVIDE A BETTER FUNCTIONING WILDLIFE CORRIDOR
As National Tree Week 2022 got underway, the Lancaster & District Conservation Volunteers began planting work to connect two hedgerows at White Lund Farm in Morecambe and improve access in and around the farm for wildlife. After stripping back the vegetation, over 350 hawthorn hedging plants were planted, together with a few variations (such as dogwood, dog rose and hazel), and a few hedgerow trees (such as oak, rowan, field maple and alder) that will also provide future shade for stock on the farm. It was good to work in conjunction with the farm staff at White Lund to ensure that the few trees will be adequately protected from the cattle as they grow.
National Tree Week is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration. Each year, the country’s conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers come together to plant thousands of trees to mark the start of the annual tree planting season.
in 2022 the focus was on Hidden Connections vital to tree life - roots, soil and fungi.
Read about the Orchards for Schools Programme. See www.treecouncil.org.uk
We did our bit at White Lund Farm over the first weekend.
Thank you to Bolton-le-Sands WI
Yvonne Bell, President of Bolton-le-Sands WI, came to one of our task days at the station and Sylvia Cooper, a WI member, handed over a cheque from them.
Our sincere 'thank-you' goes to BLS WI for such generosity and support for our community work. The money will be used to enhance our tool collection.
Lancaster & District Conservation Volunteers assist Bolton-le-Sands WI
The field maple was planted as part of the Queen's Green Canopy across the UK, to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee 2022 and to help to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
OUR TORRISHOLME BARROW HEDGE WAS INCLUDED ON THE QUEEN'S GREEN CANOPY MAP ACROSS THE UK!!
Maggie and Pete planting the hedge
Community Volunteers Boost Biodiversity and Nature at Stations...
While our work at Bare Lane Station continues to steadily improve local biodiversity and nature, similar groups working with the Greater Anglia Train Operating Company are to be rewarded with an official recognition from Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
The Greater Anglia Wildlife Friendly Stations Accreditation Scheme recognises the range of habitats found at local stations, from planted borders of shrubs and flowers, through areas of grassland, becoming increasingly 'wilder' until quite dense scrub and trees are reached. Such areas are managed by local station adopters.
From 'Branchline News', 7 August 2021
Station Adopters, August 2021
DONATION
Covid produced a very challenging time for us all, not least for volunteer conservation groups such as our own. We tried every safe and secure way we could to maintain our programme of management work at our sites across the district. In this light, we were absolutely delighted to have received a substantial donation from Julian and Janice, who are friends of Liz, and who wished to support our conservation work. This donation was especially appreciated when we were fundraising towards replacing our old strimmer, after such dependable service for around 20 years! Thank you to Julian and Janice.
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A booklet for useful stay-at-home reading:
'Healthy Hedgerows on your land’
produced by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species
It talks about more joined up hedgerows to act as wildlife corridors; the benefits of hedgerows for farms, wildlife and the environment; planting up gaps in hedgerows; giving hedgerow trees the space to grow on, and managing hedgerows well and at the right time of year.
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Carbon+ Million Trees Planting Project
For information on this Lancaster City Council project and any planting days,
email sgray@lancaster.gov.uk or telephone 01524 582217.
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