Reducing the visual impact of HS2

Whilst we have yet to hear whether or not the proposed High Speed line from London to Birmingham is going to go ahead, some people who live along the preferred route are beginning to prepare for the worst - but hoping for the best.

Nicholsons have planted some 500 native trees with associated hedging and fencing to help reduce the visual impact of any future High Speed rail line and construction work at Butlers Cross in the Aylesbury Vale. The plantation builds off an existing hedgerow, thickening it, and in keeping with the landscape of the Chilterns.

Sensitive and well considered planting of trees and hedgerows offer a great long-term landscaping solution for many situations, especially for medium to long distance views. Whether these trees and shrubs will ever be used to block a view over a high speed rail line - we don't know, but they will already be contributing to the local landscape and wildlife.

Forest Road Construction

Nicholsons Forestry team have recently completed the upgrading of a 500m access road from the public highway into the woodlands on one of our client estates. The work involved the digging out of existing material, the importation from a local quarry of 800 tonnes of stone, and the spreading and compaction of the stone to form the new road surface. We also constructed a turning area to allow road going timber lorries to get into and out of the site more easily and to facilitate the loading of timber that will be brought down to the turning area by timber forwarders. The cost of the work was part-funded by a Woodland Improvement Grant from the Forestry Commission, and the work was completed ahead of timber harvesting operations on the estate which are due to begin in early March.

Forestry Commission consultation halted

The Nicholsons Forestry team were pleased to hear that the consulatation on the Public Forest Estate in England has been brought to a halt. We feel this is the right decision at this time. Whilst we could understand the ethos behind the process, we had serious reservations with the proposals. Especially that there would be adequate protection put in place to secure the scale of access, recreational opportunities, biodiversity and landscape protection the Forestry Commission offer.

One of the issues raised in the Consultation was that the Forestry Commission is both a regulator (administering aspects of forestry law), and an operator in the business. We don't currently see a disparity in them holding both roles, and in some respects it is probably quite healthy and helpful. Provided the Forestry Commission are prepared to take heed of criticism levied at them by the private sector and their own regulatory arm, may they continue their good work.

We will be interested to see who will be sitting on the advisory panel (now being formed by the Environment Secretary), to report on forestry policy in England this autumn.

For DEFRA the press release see: - http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/news/2011/02/17/futureforestry/

This old warrior has come to us from a client's garden. It is an olive tree that has been lovingly pruned....then subsequently hoicked out by a digger and brought back to our yard. We are giving it the benefit of the doubt and have carefully replanted it in our heeling in bed. The olives that we sell in Nicholson Plants do hail from Italy and some of them while not nearly as old as this fellow are recipients of pretty harsh hair cuts - they seem to respond well to this treatment and flush back vigourously. We do take our olive trees in under cover during the winter which does preserve the leaf on the tree - if they are left out there is a danger in prolonged temperatures of less than -7c that they will suffer - at this point they need wrapping in horticultural fleece as will the pot.

Lets hope that the trauma enjoyed by this tree will spur it on to a new lease of life - watch this spot....

One Oak Project starts the Tree Planting

Nicholsons have been supporting the One Oak Project (http://www.oneoak.info/) which has been involved in the story of an Oak tree starting from its felling and the products that can be made from it. Seed had been collected and grown by Nicholsons and now it was time to start to plant the next generation.

On the site of the old tree a Sculpture was unveiled by the Duke of Marlborough (seen on the right of the picture), made from a bow of the tree. Local schools who have been involved with the project from the start then set about replanting with Oak Transplants having sung an Ode to Trees.