Thank You
Month: Jun 2023
Ask Permission
💚🌿‘⁀⋱🌲🌿‘⁀⋱🌳🌿‘⁀⋱🌿
Before cutting the branch of a tree or removing a flower, tell the spirit of the tree or plant what you are going to do, so that they can withdraw their energy from that place and not feel the cut so strong.
When you go to nature and want to take a stone that was in the river, ask the river keeper if he allows you to take one of his sacred stones.
If you have to climb a mountain or make a pilgrimage through the jungle, ask permission from the spirits and guardians of the place. It is very important that you communicate even if you do not feel, do not listen or do not see. Enter with respect to each place, since Nature listens to you, sees you and feels you.
Every movement you make in the microcosm generates a great impact on the macrocosm.
When you approach an animal, give thanks for the medicine it has for you.
Honour life in its many forms and be aware that each being is fulfilling its purpose, nothing was created to fill spaces, everything and everyone is here remembering our mission, remembering who we are and awakening from the sacred dream to return home. 🌿‘⁀⋱🌿💚
art 🌿 Treebeard by Jerry Vanderstelt
The Hobbit Hole at Arch Inn fb page.
Happy Summer Solstice
The Felling of Thousands of Healthy Trees
Sheffield City Council has issued a four-page apology to residents after an inquiry found it had behaved dishonestly during a dispute over the felling of healthy trees in the city in a £2.2billion street improvement project.
On March 6, the Sheffield Street Trees Inquiry Report by Sir Mark Lowcock found the council also misled the high court twice during the row – during which elderly residents were arrested and held for eight hours for trying to protect the trees.
In autumn 2016, council contractors dragged residents out of bed to move their cars at 4.45am to begin cutting down trees, before protesters arrived. The scenes were compared to ‘something you’d expect to see in Putin’s Russia’ by former Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg.
On another occasion, the council applied for an injunction against Green member Alison Teal – one of its own councillors. She was taken to court for breaching the injunction but found not guilty.
The removal of trees, which became known locally as the ‘chainsaw massacre’, provoked scenes involving protesters, van-loads of police and arrests in some of the city’s leafiest middle-class suburbs.
The police came at five o’clock one Thursday morning, banging on doors to inform bleary-eyed homeowners that they needed to get out of bed and move their cars.
Residents who failed to comply were swiftly punished: within minutes, around ten vehicles were loaded on to lorries and towed away, past road blocks that now prevented access to either end of the street.
Inside this cordon, dissent was crushed. Three people who took umbrage at the pre-dawn raid were slapped in handcuffs, including a thirtysomething man and two grandmothers in their early 70s.
The elderly duo, a retired sociology professor called Jenny Hockey, and her neighbour Freda Brayshaw, a former teacher, were driven to the police station for questioning. It would be eight hours before they were released.
How the controversial saga unfolded
Sheffield City Council’s controversial tree felling programme was billed as a £2.2bn, 25-year street improvement works.
This is how it unfolded.
2012: The £2.2 billion ‘Streets Ahead’ contract was signed to improve pavements and street lighting. It included the management of Sheffield’s highway trees.
2014: Felling notices began to appear on trees, some of which were more than 100 years old.
2015: Campaign groups were set up to protect the trees on various streets.
November 2015: The Independent Tree Panel (ITP) is established as a specialist group to resolve ongoing disagreements.
December 2015: By the end of the year, campaigners claim more than 3,000 trees had been felled across the city.
February 2016: Sheffield residents apply to the High Court seeking a Judicial Review, resulting in an interim injunction which halted felling from February to April 2016.
June 2016: When felling resumed, police became involved as protesters clash with workmen. Other protestors are arrested as protests carry on throughout the year.
November 2016: The council publish ITP’s recommendation to save seven of threatened treesat 4.30am, hours before contractors tear down eight.
December 2016: By the end of the year, campaigners claim more than 5,000 trees had been felled across the city.
2017: Protests continue.
2018: Freedom of Information data shows Council planned to chop down nearly half of the 36,000 trees along the city’s streets.
2020: Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman release their report saying the council acted dishonestly.
Source: Sheffield Tree Action Group
‘The Inquiry found serious errors of strategic leadership and wisdom of decision making during the dispute.
‘The errors made were enabled by an unsympathetic culture and problems with the quality of advice, capability, systems and resourcing which were not addressed when they should have been.’
The dispute began in 2012 when the council signed a 25-year deal with firm Amey. The deal included the removal and replacement of 17,500 street trees.
Opposition within the community to the felling grew and by 2015, an ‘independent tree panel’ was set up. But the inquiry found the council misled the panel, the public and the courts over what could be achieved with the money provided by Amey.
Sir Mark Lowcock wrote: ‘From 2016, the council rejected many of the recommendations the ITP made in good faith to save trees.
Setting up an independent panel, misleading it and then ignoring substantial numbers of its recommendations was destructive of public trust and confidence.’
He concluded: ‘The dispute did significant harm.
‘Thousands of healthy and loved trees were lost. Many more could have been.
‘Sheffield’s reputation was damaged. Public trust and confidence in the council was undermined. It has not been fully rebuilt.’
The apology from Sheffield City Council addresses missed opportunities and inadequate risk assessment, sustained failure of strategic leadership, a culture that was unreceptive to external views and discouraging of internal dissent and a lack of transparency, openness and honesty.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost
Abbot Henderson Thayer – landscape at Fontainebleau Forest, 1876.
UK Tree planting: Officials React in Wake of Forest Research Report
OFFICIALS have reacted with a mixture of pride and disappointment after the UK’s tree-planting rates slumped to their lowest levels in five years – but rose in England and Wales.
Just 12,960 hectares of woodland were created in the 12 months prior to the end of March 2023, around 1,000 ha fewer than the previous year and the first time the figure has fallen below 13,000 ha since the 2017/18 planting season.
The new total is not much more than a third of the UK government’s annual goal of 30,000 ha per year by the end of 2025.
Scotland came out on top of the country’s four nations, but its performance was strikingly poorer than previous years. It saw rates hit just 8,190 ha, well short of the 10,480 ha recorded last year. It is the first time figures have fallen below 10,000 ha north of the border in half a decade.
According to the Forest Research document, England created 3,130 ha of new woodland (a rise of nearly 1,000 ha), Wales 1,190 ha (around double on last year’s total) and Northern Ireland 451 ha (a fall of around 100 ha).
But how does each of the UK’s four nations fare compared to their individual targets and what has been the response to the Forest Research report? We’ve brought it all together in our handy guide.
ENGLAND
England’s Annual Tree Planting Rates
While it recorded a significant rise, Forest Research’s latest statistics show England is falling well below tree-planting targets of around 7,500 hectares each year.
Long deemed a lost cause by figures within the industry, England’s latest planting rates will provide some optimism for ministers. Rising by nearly 1,000 ha to their highest level in nearly a decade, they still fell well short of the country’s 7,500 ha goal but have been welcomed by the country’s Forestry Minister.
Commenting on the statistics, Trudy Harrison said: “Since the start of this parliament, we have planted or supported the planting of over 10.8 million trees.
“Increasing tree cover is at the heart our pledge to leave the environment in a better condition than when we inherited it, which is why we are investing £650m in transforming England’s treescapes.
“Tree planting rates have risen to 3,600 hectares and now are at record levels*, but we know there is much more to do and will continue work with partners at pace to increase the nation’s tree cover and boost the forestry sector – creating new jobs, supporting innovative new technologies and training the next generation of foresters.
*It is not clear what record level Ms Harrison is referring to, but Forestry Journal has asked Defra for clarity.
SCOTLAND
Scotland’s Annual Tree Planting Rates
Scotland’s annual planting rates slumped to their lowest levels in five years.
Rates in thousands of hectares
Scotland’s performance was a significant factor in the UK’s overall planting rate falling.
While it still accounted for 60 per cent of all woodland creation across the UK, its performance has been called “unacceptable” by the country’s Forestry Secretary.
Mairi Gougeon, who will chair an emergency forestry summit in the wake of the new statistics, said: “Scotland has the most ambitious woodland creation targets in the UK and despite the challenges of Brexit, Covid and vicious winter storms, landowners have created around 51,000 hectares of new woodland in the past five years – around 102 million trees.
“This is a tremendous achievement and I know so many organisations and Scottish Forestry have worked flat out to make this happen.
“It is clear that although Scotland is performing way better than the rest of the UK, our planting rates are not meeting our ambitious targets.
“Action is needed and both the private and public sector must collectively step up and improve its output.
“We need to dramatically increase the level of woodland creation approvals and improve on the quality of applications being submitted as quite frankly the current status is not acceptable.”
WALES
Wales’ Annual Tree Planting Rates
The Welsh Government has set a target of planting 43,000 ha by 2030 – around 5,000 ha each year. While on the rise, it is still falling short.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “In order to reach our net-zero ambitions, we have an ambitious target to plant 43,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030, with the vast majority planted by communities, farmers and other landowners across Wales.
“The statistics on tree planting published today show our tree planting for the past year is twice that of the year before. This is the start of a long term programme of tree planting which will see us reach our targets.”
NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland’s Annual Tree Planting Rates, 2022/23
After making significant progress in previous years, NI’s woodland creation levels sharply fell in the 12 months prior to the end of March 2023.
A spokesperson for DAERA said: “Forest Service can confirm that 451 hectares of new woodlands were planted in 2022/23 and 540 hectares in 2021/22.
“It is encouraging to note, under the Forests for Our Future programme, an increased level of landowner interest in afforestation from the previous five year period, which averaged around 250 hectares annually.
“Forest Service and the Department are committed to further increase the annual rate of planting in line with the Climate Change Committee recommendations.”
The spokesperson added: “We have established a stakeholder group to help address reasons that lead to a number of proposed planting projects failing to meet environmental and grant scheme requirements, or successful applications not being progressed by landowners.
“The Department has also commenced work on developing new grant schemes, for 2024 and beyond, aimed at attracting increased landowner interest in establishing woodlands.”
Other notable findings in the annual statistics include:
- Broadleave planting overtook conifers, accounting for 6.63 ha compared to conifers’ 6,330 ha. This is the first time conifer rates have fallen below 7,000 ha since the 2017/18 planting season
- The majority of planting took place on private land across all four nations, with only 300 ha of woodland creation being done on public land
- Around 12,000 ha of publicly-funded woodland restocking were reported in the UK in 2022/23.
- Woodland Carbon Code projects in the UK that were validated (including those that were also verified) at 31 March 2023 were predicted to sequester a total of 8.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetime of up to 100 year.
Industry reaction
Stuart Goodall, chief executive of forestry and wood trade body Confor, said: “The 30,000-hectares target is a manifesto commitment, but we’re not making the progress required towards meeting it.
“It’s vital that we seize the day by going further and faster – to produce the timber we need in this country and avoid an ever-increasing reliance on imports. The UK currently imports 81 per cent of its wood products at a cost of more than £11 billion, according to latest figures.
“This increasing ‘timber insecurity’ is bad for the UK’s economy and bad for the environment. We can, and must, do better.”
131 Protected Oaks were Illegally Chopped Down in S.E London Park
A suspect has been arrested over the illegal felling of more than 130 protected oaks at a popular London beauty spot in what locals have dubbed a ‘tree massacre’.
Angry conservationists branded the destruction as a ‘tree massacre’ and have tied black ribbons to railings around the field.
The trees were felled last Saturday morning despite them being covered by a Tree Protection Order (TPO), which only came into force three days earlier.
The first the local residents knew of the destruction was when they heard the sound of chainsaws coming from woodland next to Cator Park, which is popular with dog walkers and bird watchers.
Witnesses claimed the workmen – who were not believed to be using any safety equipment – posted guards on the entrance gate to prevent anyone intervening and their behaviour was threatening.
Police were called and they warned the workmen to stop but the felling resumed when officers left the scene. It was only after police returned that the destruction was halted.
A man in his thirties was arrested and cutting equipment seized. Locals even blocked a low loader from trying to access the site through the public park by blocking the route with a car.
The land – which is a haven for wildlife including bats, woodpeckers and kingfishers – is privately owned and was purchased by its current owners – registered to a firm based in Singapore – for £10,000 in 2013.
But it is also designated as Metropolitan Open Land by Bromley Council, giving it the same status as ‘green belt’ land.
Conservationists said a Tree Protection Order (TPO) had been granted on the site after a number of trees were felled weeks earlier.
Michael Shilling, who lives near the scene, said: ‘It is awful – someone used the word ‘massacre’ and that is what best describes it. ‘Bulldozers were stopped from entering the site by the police after local residents raised the alarm. ‘There was a rumour that someone wanted to turn it into some kind of sports field, but the area is very popular with local people walking their dogs, and is also popular with birdwatchers too.’
A spokesman for Bromley Council said: ‘We are aware of this very sad incident, which can only be described as environmental destruction, where protected trees have been destroyed. ‘This was a thriving young woodland that was valued by many locally and we are now investigating what has happened here.
This is a serious matter, with anyone who is found guilty of committing an offence which contravenes Section 210 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 being fined up to £20,000 at a Magistrates Court or an unlimited fine at Crown Court.’ The spokesman added: ‘We are grateful to local residents who have already come forward to help with that investigation, which is at its early stages.’
Many of the 131 trees felled were around 20 to 25 years old. It is a haven for wildlife including woodpeckers, owls, kingfishers, egrets, slow worms and stag beetles. The local community are now investigating ways to better protect the site.
Conservation charity CPRE London has contacted Bromley Council, the Forestry Commission and Environment Agency to establish what laws and regulations have been broken.
Anna Taylor, the charity’s director, said: ‘This is a devastating attack on our environment, biodiversity and frankly, the community. ‘It is a much-loved area, and is normally a very tranquil space, set back from the road, where people go to spend a bit of time away from it all. ‘Tragically, the TPO didn’t deter the crew from felling these protected trees. It will take decades to restore.’ She added: ‘Occasionally, developers try to get Metropolitan Open Land released from its protective status.
‘This is only allowed in exceptional circumstances and with permission from the Council and Mayor of London. ‘It is extraordinarily unlikely this site would have ever been de-designated given its natural richness and lack of road access. ‘This eco-atrocity will also now harden the view of the authorities against any such approach.’
Earlier this year a council leader in Plymouth quit after ordering the felling of 110 healthy trees under cover of darkness. Richard Bingley, who signed an executive order for Plymouth City Council to press ahead with the felling, had been due to face a vote of no confidence.
https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/131-protected-trees-felled-in-devastating-attack-on-bromley-park/
Kids Plant Trees
We’re a not-for-profit organisation working to give more children in South Yorkshire and beyond the opportunity to get outdoors and interact with nature, such as by planting a tree – or a few!
At the start of 2020 we, a small group of (tired!) mums, set out to do something practical with our families, to help tackle the climate and biodiversity crises by helping nature on our doorstep.
We knew we’d hit on something when our first tree planting event was attended by over 120 people of all ages – from toddlers to grandparents! Covid stopped us in our tracks for a while but as soon as we could, we got back out there planting trees with various groups across Sheffield and the surrounding area. We started working with schools to improve their outside spaces to benefit nature and the wellbeing of pupils (and staff too).
We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far and very excited about our plans for the years ahead, now we’re established as a social enterprise.
Our Green School Programme
What is the Green School programme?
A programme of events that gives primary schools a chance to improve their field or playground for the wellbeing of pupils, staff and wildlife. With lots of learning, creativity and fun along the way! It includes:
*. Our energising ‘Be a Tree’ assembly
*. Ideas and design sessions in class
*. Outdoor nature exploration sessions
*. Tree planting and other practical outdoor experiences
*. Support with fundraising for projects, if needed
*. Creation or development of a nature friendly area
*. Follow up visits to help schools look after their green space
Why are we doing it?
We want to give more children aged under 11 easy access to nature by working with schools that meet one or more of our selection criteria (see below). We also want to give kids a say on the outdoor spaces where they play or spend time. We want to empower them by giving them the skills and knowledge to create and look after their new space.
How does it work?
Our experts deliver special assemblies to inspire pupils to think more imaginatively about their interactions with nature. We lead workshops where the children and staff can share their ideas for what they’d like to see in a new green space at their school. We then help to bring their amazing ideas to life.
Who’s eligible?
To be eligible for our free Green School programme, a school must be located in South Yorkshire and meet one or more of the following selection criteria:
*. Located in a high area of deprivation according to Index of Multiple Deprivation
*. School grounds consisting of a concrete playground, with little to no green space
*. Close proximity to busy roads
*. Higher than average number of children on Pupil Premium, with special educational needs (SEN) or English as Additional Language
How do we measure impact?
We gather qualitative and quantitative research from pupils and staff at schools at the start of the programme and again towards the end of the programme. We do this in an imaginative way, with fun feedback sheets and carrying out impact events in the spaces we help them create.
How much does it cost the school?
Our basic Green School programme costs £1,800. However, we aim to provide our services free of charge to eligible schools up to the point of creation of the new space, regardless of whether the school is Local Authority or part of an Academy Trust. Where no available budget is available from the school to deliver the project, we will provide fundraising support to raise the target amount required. Each project cost will vary depending on the scope and design of the space available.
What if a school isn’t eligible for the free programme?
We are open to working with any school in Sheffield or the surrounding area, if the school is able to cover the cost of the basic programme (£1,800) plus any additional elements required and is able to raise funds for project delivery if not already available from school budget.
We work with businesses and organisations, including community groups and local authorities, to bring children and families together to create or improve their local green space, to enhance their lives and give nature a helping hand. Whether we create a wild play area or plant a community orchard, we do it with and for the people who use the space.
To date, we’ve planted over 6000 trees and improved 5 public spaces for the benefit of nature and people. We aim to provide ongoing opportunities for children and their families to spend time outside, build a connection with nature, and do something practical to help wildlife on their doorstep. In 2022, we launched our Green Community package for businesses with land they want to improve for nature and the local community, such as those in the construction and land development sector.
Our Green Community Package
What is the Green Community package?
A package of services and events that gives businesses and other organisations a chance to improve their community’s green space for the wellbeing of people who use it and local wildlife. It normally includes:
*. A site visit to discuss the project
*. Consultation event to give members of the community a say
*. Proposal and designs for the space, based on previous consultation
*. Project delivery events with community involvement, e.g. tree planting days
*. Follow up visits to help the community look after their green space
*. Impact measurement for corporate social responsibility (CSR)
When you buy our Green Community package, you enable us to provide our Green School programme for free at a school who really needs our help.
Why are we doing it?
We want to give more children and families easy access to nature by helping communities to create or improve green space on their doorstep. We want to give kids a say on the outdoor spaces where they play or spend time. We also want to empower them by giving them the skills and knowledge to create and look after their green space.
How does it work?
Our experts deliver consultation events to give children (and their grown-ups) a chance to express what they want and need from their local green space, and how it can benefit wildlife. We then help to bring their amazing ideas to life.
Who’s it for?
This service is primarily aimed at businesses that are responsible for a particular community – such as home builders and land regeneration companies. However, we also welcome enquiries from community groups, local authorities and other organisations.
How do we measure impact?
We gather qualitative and quantitative research from people in the community at the start of the project and again once the community has had time to get to know and use their new or improved green space. We do this in an imaginative way, with fun feedback methods and carrying out impact events in the spaces we help them create.
How much does it cost?
Our basic Green Community package starts at £4,000, up to the point of creation/development of the green space. Each project cost will vary depending on the scope and design of the space available. For community groups and other not-for-profit organisations, we can support you to find funding to cover the cost of the package and project delivery.
If you would like to get involved or just want to find out more, please email us at admin@kidsplanttrees.org
The Sacredness of Bees
Bees are ‘the wings of the mineral kingdom’, the voices of the plants, the midwives of fruits and berries. In biodynamic thinking, the minerals are always on the move, working to heal the planet and to produce abundant life. Weeds are their helpers, moving in to torn up areas to bring in the minerals the area needs to restore itself to full fertility. Bees essentially move the minerals into their new landscapes by pollinating the best of the best plants, and ensuring that they will continue to seed and thrive. In the work of the plants—generated by the gifts of the bees—Earth is restored one mineral at a time. When plants/weeds are no longer needed in an area and begin to become less productive as the minerals change and shift beneath them, the bees don’t bother to pollinate these weakening plants, ensuring that they will die out to be replaced by other plants that can now better serve in that particular niche ~ Susan Knilans.
They work tirelessly to ensure that the cycles of life on this planet continue; their reward is that of being close to the humming mysteries of creation. These creatures live within a universe of frequencies and sensitivities that connect them deep into the ground, all around the planet, and even to the other planets and stars of our solar system. They listen with their very souls, and hear the messages that the life-force sends to all beings ~ sonkri04
The Sumerian stele above is one of many believed by alternative history writers to depict figures of alien origin. However, more measured interpretations believe that this scene, and others like it, depict the worship of the Mother Goddess, manifest as a Queen Bee or Bee Goddess; a figure who is frequently adorned by her followers – the Bee Priestesses. This should not be viewed as unusual, for honey was regarded by Sumerian physicians as a unique and vital medicinal drug. In fact, it has been suggested that the Sumerians invented Apitherapy, or the medical use of Honey Bee products such as honey, pollen, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom. And least we forget, it was the Bee that led ancient man to the plants whose hallucinogens transported consciousness into the spirit world of the gods.
The Bee featured prominently in another ancient culture – the Dogon, a tribe from the West African region of Mali whose Nommo ancestors and Sirian mythology were made famous by Robert Temple in his book, The Sirius Mystery. The Dogon belief system is ancient, and until approximately 140 AD, its zodiac featured the Bee as the symbol of the constellation presently occupied by Libra. The Bee’s position in the Dogon Zodiac is significant to esoteric thought leaders such as Cabalists, who recognize the Bee’s role in establishing balance and harmony in the zodiac – and in life ~ Andrew Gough.
Good Vibe Friday
Tree Weaver 