This week is the 40th anniversary National Tree Week. In celebration we are paying homage to the trees on our farm and all the wonderful work they do.
The well-being of communities and ecosystems are rooted in their trees and strong healthy trees are a mark of a strong healthy community and ecosystem. To continue to grow together, it’s essential for communities to keep on planting trees."Standing proud of an old hedgerow, this picture of a mature oak tree taken at the The Community Farm shows how it has been allowed to grow freely over many decades.
An oak's wide spreading branches, gnarled, dense bark, leaves, stems and roots can provide a home for nearly 300 species of plants and animals. That's not all. According to Esmond Harris, who wrote, 'Oak, A British History', oak trees have been around in Britain for over a million years and they hold a special place in our hearts and our culture.
Ships for the British Navy were made from oak for three hundred years. Building one large warship needed two thousand mature oaks and would strip up to ninety acres of woodland.
Oak carves well and its beauty and durability meant it was used to adorn homes and grand castles, made into furniture and domestic goods. The tannin from its bark was used in 'tanning' hides for leather so they would last longer.
However, if left to itself many diverse species in the natural world are very grateful to the oak - they like its staying power too.
Lichens, mosses and liverworts, whose spores blow around in the atmosphere, tend to land on something that's going to be around for over one hundred years and thrive.
Fungi like oak trees too. Look out for the Oak bracket fungus with a thick, lumpy cushion-like, velvety surface of cream and brown that grows out from the trunk of the tree at ground level.
I guess the bird most commonly associated with the oak tree is that colourful member of the crow family, the jay. In autumn this normally shy bird can be seen more easily as they gather acorns and store them for use later in winter.
The holes and crevices in the bark of an old oak, like the trees on the farm, provide nesting sites for a host of birds. We don't yet know what nests in our trees so if you spot any, let us know!
The tree canopy will also provide homes for masses of insects. There are a myriad of tiny micro-moths, flies, lacewings, bugs and of course, wild bees that are supported by an oak tree.
There's even a moth called the Oak Beauty that can be seen in the spring. It has attractive banded wings and lives in oak woodland. I can't promise it's on the farm but with such beautiful specimens of oak trees here, I wouldn't be surprised. Let's not forget the wood wasps, ants and beetles too and you can see why birds and bats are drawn to all this insect fauna.
Oak trees have become symbols of strength and permanence. I wouldn't suggest you plant them in your garden but why not consider planting acorns as a community or neighbourhood project? The Woodland Trust offers advice and gives free tree packs to communities and schools.
Finally, think on this - oak trees can help us combat climate change. It's calculated that after 100 years an oak tree has accumulated 2.9 tons of carbon and that it would take 38 widely spaced trees to absorb the emissions of an average car over that period. Based on 2013 figures, that means we'd require 19.2 million hectares of oak woodland (an area one and a half times the size of England), to absorb the carbon emissions from our 35 million vehicles!
This mature oak is just one of a number of magnificent trees on the farm. There are mighty ash trees and wonderful berry bearing holly trees as well as the hawthorns in hedges that are allowed to grow fully and provide blossom and berries for wildlife across the year. Let's celebrate trees and if you want to give one a hug then good for you!"
Sarah Pitt, Board member, 2015.
