The first signs of February spring…. Ukraine, Kharkiv by Alexandr Fandikov
Aspen Trees in Flagstaff, Arizona by jpchoa15
Autumn Memories ~ Codsall, South Staffordshire, UK by Ian Haycox
Lattrop, The Netherlands by Mirjam de Vos
The story of this tree is remarkable. The house , a former bakery, dates from 1783. Around 1900, the owner asked permission to expand the property with a pigsty. This was refused because a large oak tree had to fall for it. They decided to build while preserving the tree. The roof tiles were laid around the trunk to create space for a few pigs. It is barn now.
Embedded Oak in St.-Etienne-des-Champ, in Auvergne, France by Jerem Racines
Deep Joy. Enjoying the storm from inside a Coastal Redwood basal hollow formed by fire and fungi. Humboldt California by Fred Blackburn.
Flower from the African BAOBAB TREE by David Attenborough.
Monument Valley by Luis Sanchex Espinal.
Morning light, Redwood National Forest, California, USA by Jake R. Petersen.
Pinion in the Corona, Corona Arch, Grand County, Utah, USA by Jake R. Petersen.
Brookings Oregon ~ After a huge forest fire, this tree was still standing in the Smoke by Rise Fulton.
Very old Kapok tree in Peurto Rico! My husband is standing near the middle of it. The locals said that it is blooming which is very unusual. They say at night the fruit bats come by the hundreds to feast on the blossoms! I took that picture today, 26/2/2024 by Zula Clark.
On the beautiful island of Oahu by Tracy Gunter.
Look at this beautiful tree. Mount Diablo State Park. California 🌳🌿🌲 by Juan Carlos Villanueva Osorio.
Sweden by Marlene Vestberg.
I found an old photo, it’s from 1999 when you still had to take the film somewhere and have it printed. This one is special and scanned okay, we were hiking thru the “Cook Forest” in a bad storm, lost and everything was going wrong, then suddenly the sun popped thru the trees and at this moment we knew everything was going to be okay! (Western Pennsylvania) Every picture tells a story don’t you think? By Joe King.
Trees a long the parkway, South Jordan, Utah, USA by Jake R. Petersen.
Path to another enchanted forest … Yvonand – Switzerland – 04.02.2024 Canon R5 / RF 15-35 2.8 by Nikola Petanjko
A 500 year old Moreton Bay Fig Tree. One of the few remaining on Biripi Country Australia #rotsphotography.
BAIE JAMES QUEBEC 🍁 CANADA, visit to nephew, Jimy who works in the mines, absolutely freezing, beautiful. Aurora Borealis and Trees by Woody Burnett.
Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree 🌳Big Island, Hawaii, by @wade.morales.images.
FALLEN 700+ YEAR OAK TREE AT SILVERTON (26.01.24) On the 25th January this mighty 700+ year old oak tree fell in the recreational ground, Silverton, Devon, England. There was no wind at the time, but it just decided to go on this full moon day. Luckily no one was injured. The only damage was to a garden in a neighbouring property. The tree has provided generations of pleasure, from climbing it to relaxing under it on a hot day. It is a sad loss to the community, but hopefully some of the wood can be used in the village for various projects. A new oak tree could be planted near to where this one fell for future generations to enjoy by Warren Weatherman Radmore.
First Light hits the Scottish Highlands by Lukas Watschinger.
Komorebi Redwood National and State Parks by Mitch Crispe.
Tolkien was based near Cannock Chase during WWI where he served as a signals officer. It is believed a number of features in the area influenced characters and places in his novel, including the gnarled tree pictured above, along with influences for the orcs and The Ring.
It is thought that this ancient tree – an oak planted during the reign of Henry Vlll – inspired the legendary character Treebeard in JRR Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings. Tolkien lived nearby and would walk these woods sparking his imagination to write his stories.
Treebeard was a giant tree that could walk and talk in Tolkien’s novel. Such a tree was considered an Ent, and there were other Ents in Lord Of The Rings too. The tree is natural and has not been adapted which makes it even more amazing ~ Ian Haycox
“Like Sherlock Holmes, in the absence of any other evidence, it is certainly very strong. The tree has been there for quite a while.
“Most of the oaks were planted by Henry Vlll to build up the British Navy. It certainly has an interesting shape. They were planted across Cannock Chase during the Tudor times, it is more than 400 years old.”
Tolkien was stationed at Rugeley and Brocton Military Camps on Cannock Chase from November 1915 to June 1916, living nearby in the village of Great Haywood where a blue plaque is dedicated to him. When Tolkien was based there, he wrote The Fall Of Gondolin on the back of a sheet of military marching music.
The book is a deep history of Middle Earth and is set before the time of the Lord Of The Rings. His draft for The Fall Of Gondolin is considered the first traceable story, written down, of his Middle Earth series. The book was only published as a standalone piece in 2018, curated and edited by his son Christopher.
There are other theories about how the area, and his experiences while living there, influenced Tolkien’s writing. One is derived from a band of New Zealand soldiers who were based on Cannock Chase from the Auckland Regiment. It is thought the pronunciation of the regiment influenced the name of the ‘orcs’ in the Lord Of The Rings.
In a letter from Tolkien to close friend, Auden, he writes: “Their part (i.e. Ents) in the story is due, I think, to my bitter disappointment and disgust from schooldays with the shabby use made in Shakespeare of the coming of ‘Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill.
I longed to devise a setting in which the trees might really march to war.”
Tolkien’s reaction to Shakespeare was definitely a strong influence in Ent creation – or “sub creation” ~ Dan Cruver
Here is his description of looking into the eyes of an Ent:
One felt as if there was an enormous well behind them, filled up with ages of memory and long slow steady thinking; but their surface was sparkling with the present…I don’t know, but it felt as if something that grew in the ground—asleep, you might say…between deep earth and sky, had suddenly waked up and was considering you with the same slow care that it had given to its own inside affairs for endless years.
He once described the magical world he had imagined as “my own internal Tree.” He must have been describing his own feelings when he wrote about Frodo touching a mallorn tree in Lothlórien: “He felt a delight in wood and the touch of it, neither as forester nor as carpenter: it was the delight of the living tree itself.”
Trees in Middle-earth
Tolkien loved trees, especially this black pine in the Oxford Botanic Garden, and was often photographed with them. His grandson Michael took the last known photograph of him with this tree, which he named Laocoön.
Both for Tolkien personally, and in his Middle-earth writings, caring about trees really mattered. Indeed, the Tolkien scholar Matthew Dickerson wrote “It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of trees in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien.”
Tolkien stated that primaeval human understanding was communion with other living things, including trees.
Commentators have written that trees gave Tolkien a way of expressing his eco-criticism, opposed to damaging industrialisation.
In a 1955 letter to his publisher, Tolkien wrote “I am (obviously) much in love with plants and above all trees, and always have been; and I find human mistreatment of them as hard to bear as some find ill-treatment of animals”
Tolkien’s poem “Sing all ye joyful!” at the end of The Hobbit has in its last verse a mention of six kinds of tree ~
Lullaby! Lullaby! Alder and Willow! Sigh no more Pine, till the wind of the morn! Fall Moon! Dark be the land! Hush! Hush! Oak, Ash, and Thorn!
Woodland experts have objected to Stella McCartney’s plans to build a £5million modern mansion on a remote Highland plot, saying it would have an ‘adverse effect’ on existing trees.
Ms McCartney and her husband Alasdhair Willis bought the plot of land on the rugged coastline which was on the market for £450,000
McCartney, 52, and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, sparked criticism over the proposals for a secluded hideaway at Commando Rock in Glenuig, in the Scottish Highlands.
The site was used for commando training during the second world war, and was also an inspiration for the Victorian artist Jemima Blackburn who regularly painted the local flora and fauna. It was her art that inspired the illustrations of Beatrix Potter.
Dozens of objections have been lodged with Highland Council over the application in the name of the fashion designer’s husband.
Scotland is a haven for coastal otters and an estimated 8,000 of the adorable animals to be found frolicking in its waterways.
“The presence of otters, pine martens and, some neighbours say, wild cats in the area, is just one of the many things that makes it special,” remarked Ranald Macpherson of Glenuig.
“Spotting one of these little animals is one of the reasons I come summer after summer,” said Lady Marie-Sophie Law de Lauriston of Fulham.
Mrs Karen White said that Willis’ application was out of keeping with the area, and would require ‘the removal of mature pine trees’ and would disturb the habitat of otters and that what is proposed would have ‘a needless impact on the sensitive ecology and landscape’.
In her letters to Highland Council Mrs White says she was writing as the previous owner of the site, detailing that when she had obtained planning permission in the past, it was ‘carefully considered’ with ‘minimal impact on flora and fauna’. It has ancient oak woodland as well as significant landscape trees.
She had obtained planning permission for a permanent family home in 1999, which was ‘extremely sensitive given the nature of the site and great care was taken to make the house unobtrusive and appropriate for the stunning environment and setting’.
‘This is not the case with the current proposal. The building footprint has been moved further forward towards the sea. The footprint has been enlarged significantly by adding two new wings, one of which impinges on the ancient oak woodland and the other encroaches on the cliff edge and hence requires the removal of mature pine trees.
The beauty spot, around 30 miles west of Fort William, is on the Moidart peninsula.
The justification given by the architect for shifting the site make no sense but mean there is a far greater impact on the flora and fauna. There is no need on such a large site to impact so significantly on this precious flora and fauna.
‘Secondly in siting the 1999 building the planner at the time, (Ken Johnston) and I spent significant time on site finding the optimum placement where it would not be obtrusive in the landscape.
‘By siting the building as close to Commando Rock as possible we ensured that it can not be seen from Roshven Bay or from the A861 between Glenuig and Roshven.
‘The suggestion by the architect that the current building would be visible on the skyline is very surprising as it is carefully nestled among a number of ridgelines.
‘By moving the entire set of buildings forward into the open they will become much more apparent.
‘The fact that the pine trees can be clearly seen from the A861 means that their removal will have a significant effect on the local landscape and probably means that the proposed bedroom wing will be visible from the A861 too. This seems unnecessary.
Thirdly when he bought the property in 1855, Professor Blackburn embarked on an ambitious programme of landscaping and tree planting and the pines were part of this.
‘By removing the Pines planted by Professor Blackburn the development would have an impact on the remaining cultural history of Roshven and the sense of place.
‘Fourthly the otters. Otters do not appear on demand. Just because the architect visited and did not encounter otters or a set does not mean that they are not there! On numerous occasions over the last 50 years I have seen single otters, pairs of otters and families on the rocks and there is no doubt that they would be disturbed should this building be allowed to proceed.
One resident, who did not want to be named said: ‘It’s believed in the area that the build will cost around £5million. Stella McCartney, who makes a big thing about being green, plans to build a house that’s steel and concrete.
Photo by Brown & Brown
Everybody in the area was expecting something eco, maybe with a turf roof, for example, so everyone was quite surprised that’s not what has been proposed.’
Jonathan Seccombe, from Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, said it was an “insult” and his wife, Petronella, described it as an “eyesore”.“It would set a bad precedent, that anyone with enough money could buy up unspoilt and extremely beautiful land, then build enormous dwellings that would likely remain unused for most of the year.”
Mrs Seccombe added: “The bay is totally unspoiled at present and the presence of this modern, unattractive, property will be a blot on the landscape, not to mention that mature trees will be removed, big glass windows installed which will cause light pollution and importantly local wildlife.
The site was described as “wilderness” by neighbour Dougal Mather, who said it was “a genuine survivor vicinity untouched by the hand of man”, and “irreplaceable once gone or altered”.
Iona Murray, of Perth, wrote: “This building must not be erected as it shows a complete disregard for the natural and historic heritage of this secluded bay.
“The plan shows a disregard for the unique ecology of this rare environment in Scotland.”
Highland Council’s forestry team had highlighted concerns over the project’s impact on trees and mature woodland.
They issued a report last year objecting on the grounds Corsican pine trees could be felled and works for a water supply would have an ‘adverse effect’ on existing trees.
A further dossier from a forestry officer has now confirmed the objection and suggested the plans be revised.
It said: ‘The six pine trees are recorded as category ‘B’ and we would usually expect applicants to endeavour to retain all category ‘A’ and ‘B’ trees where space allows.
‘The proposed removal of these trees would, as previously stated have implications for the stability of the remaining trees which will lose mutual protection and be newly exposed to winds.
‘The introduction of residential development between these trees would not be prudent.’
It concluded: ‘I therefore must maintain my objection to the application.
‘The applicant would be best to revise the layout design to completely avoid the pine trees and their Root Protection Areas and crown spread with the development footprint and reroute the water supply to avoid woodland.’
Aberdeenshire-based Architects Brown and Brown said the plan was to create an ‘unashamedly contemporary’ but complementary addition to the Lochailort area.
Brown and Brown have written to Highland Council labelling some of the comments over the size of the planned property and loss of an otter holt as inaccurate. They also said they are looking at re-introducing of a number of native Scots pine trees following complaints some could be at risk.
They said: ‘We are aware of comments from the public regarding the loss of the group of ‘Scots Pine’ present on the site, and also those of the council tree officer, who suggest the group may in fact be ‘Corsican Pine’.
‘Following receipt of this comment we have sought further arboricultural advice, which also seems to suggest this grouping of trees are of non-native Corsican Pine.
‘We are awaiting updated and additional arboricultural reports relating to these trees, which we will in turn submit to you for consideration.
‘In addition, our client is also looking at the feasibility of the re-introduction of a number of native Scots pine contingent on the ground and nutrient conditions supporting such long term planting.
‘They added: ‘It has been raised by public comment that the proposed location of the building interferes with the location of an otter holt.
‘Having visiting the site, and walked over all applicable areas of the site, we can find no evidence of any such holt, and have not been made aware of any evidence to the contrary.’
Highland Council are expected to make a decision in due course.
McCartney has strong links to Scotland, having spent much of her childhood with her parents at the farmhouse on the Mull of Kintyre which inspired Sir Paul’s famous 1977 song.
She also chose to marry Mr Willis in a star-studded ceremony in 2003 at Mount Stuart House on the Isle of Bute. Guests included Madonna, with her then husband Guy Richie, plus Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin.
Reference ~ The Daily Mail, October 2023, November 2023, January 2024.
Trees are the greatest carbon store nature has invented. As well as providing home to an incredible diversity of other organisms. There is no silver bullet to climate change but planting as many trees as we possibly can right now is a great start. Serious Tissues has partnered with organisations running tree planting projects all around the world.
WHERE ARE SERIOUS TISSUES PRODUCED?
Working with local communities, providing employment for those who need it. Currently the trees are being planted in the UK, Nepal, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia, Haiti, Colombia & Central America. The trees planted are indigenous to the regions they are planted in.
Serious Tissues are manufactured in the Midlands. By producing in the UK they’re also able to reduce the carbon footprint of the toilet paper. Their loo roll is made from 100% recycled paper and without any unnecessary chemicals (dyes, perfumes, etc.)
WHAT ARE SERIOUS TISSUES MADE FROM? ARE SERIOUS TISSUES BAMBOO?
Serious Tissues are made from 100% recycled paper – no trees are harmed in the making of this product. They use recycled paper – from newspapers, cereal boxes, etc. – instead of bamboo because the carbon footprint is smaller and they don’t have to ship the bamboo from China. They’re produced in the UK.
In Celtic tradition winter is ruled over by the Holly King, and the Oak King, or Green Man, rules over the summer. In medieval times the Holly King was represented by a boy who walked around the town accompanied by his bride Ivy Girl, teasing and laughing and taunting each other in kind of ritualised courtship. These are the last remaining strands of a tradition going back millennia to where they were once a god and goddess, remembered in the old carol, The Holly and The Ivy’ where ‘the holly wears the crown’. The Oak and Holly King are two aspects of our ancient god of the sun. Rising and falling he is forever reborn at the winter Solstice, this is an ancient and recurring motif across the world and seen in other sun gods like the Roman Mithras. In Britain, the sun god was known by many names, and can be found in King Arthurs as well as the old Celtic myths about the Mabon, or the “son”. Hounourded by the druids at the winter solstice, who reap his sacred seed the mistletoe with golden sickle, he brings life back to the land. At the darkest time, try closing your eyes, and look within. In the distance is a tiny pearl of flame. This is the sun within you. As you breathe, the solstice sun grows in power, reaching out its rays, it touches your heart, bringing life, and renewal. May its blessings fill you with light.
A two-decade-long investigation has commenced to evaluate the potential of a vast newly planted woodland in the Yorkshire Dales to mitigate the severe impacts of climate change. The Woodland Trust is in the process of planting hundreds of thousands of trees at Snaizeholme, near Hawes, aiming to establish one of England’s largest native woodlands.
The trust wants to raise £8 million for a decades-long programme that will see a restored forest providing habitat for threatened species such as woodland birds and black grouse.
The Yorkshire Dales spot was once home to a 1,386 acre forest, but is now barren. It was identified as the wettest location in Yorkshire, the site is the focus of the study, which experts anticipate will enhance our comprehension of the flood-mitigating benefits associated with trees. Conducted by researchers from the University of York and the University of Leeds, the study employs specialiased equipment to observe the site and assess extreme weather events, the BBC reports.
The research aims to expand our knowledge of how trees can play a role in reducing the risk of flooding, sequestering and storing carbon, and offering essential habitats for the recovery of nature in the uplands of the United Kingdom, as stated by the researchers. The aim of the trust is to plant 291 hectares with saplings to create one of the largest native woodlands in England.
The first stage of the mammoth project is to be funded by the White Rose Forest through its Trees for Climate funding programme.
Dr John Crawford, conservation evidence officer for the Woodland Trust, said: “We know mature woodlands deliver a range of important benefits. They provide a home for nature, lock away carbon to fight climate change and slow the flow of water helping to reduce downstream flooding.
By slowing the flow of water on the hillsides, trees can also improve the wetland environment, giving space for otters and kingfishers to thrive, while reducing the risk of flooding for residents nearby.
There is also a plan to plant trees next to an existing ancient woodland where red squirrels live, expanding their home, while dry stone walls currently in place will be maintained to offer shelter for small mammals and lizards, the trust said.
Planted trees will be mostly native broadleaved species such as alder, silver birch, downy birch, willow, aspen, rowan, hawthorn and blackthorn, with montane species on the higher slopes.
Dr Rob Mills, from the University of York, said: “Opportunities to create and restore habitats at this scale are rare in England. Snaizeholme provides a unique opportunity to understand how carefully restoring a rich mosaic of habitats provides a range of benefits for people, nature and climate.”
Richmondshire Today reported that Al Nash, who is spearheading the project for the Woodland Trust, said that when the first of 100,000 trees are planted in phase one, it will be a significant moment for the Woodland Trust. Mr Nash said: “I love the Dales but the one thing it lacks in many areas is an abundance of trees.
“Here we will be giving nature and biodiversity a big boost and creating a vibrant mosaic of habitats and a rare opportunity to create a sizeable wildlife haven for the north of England.
Prof Dominick Spracklen, from the University of Leeds, said: “We have used a computer model to calculate that restoring the valley would reduce downstream flooding during a 1-in-50-year storm event by nearly 10%. It could be the difference between a house or a community being flooded, or not.”
Key aims of the Woodland Trust at Snaizeholme * It will become a flagship woodland creation project for the White Rose Forest, the Community Forest for North and West Yorkshire, and the Northern Forest, a partnership between the Woodland Trust and some of the Community Forests in the north of England. * The project as a whole will deliver against the YDNPA ‘Dales Woodland Strategy’ This new strategy sets an ambition to enhance the landscape by creating 6,000 ha of woodland habitat in the Yorkshire Dales National Park by 2030. That would take the area of the National Park covered by woodland from 4.3% to 7%. * There are over 250 acres of upland peatbog, crucial carbon sinks – the Trust will look to restore them working with the Yorkshire Peat Partnership. * With a staggering 21 (42km!) streams running down into Snaizeholme Beck, there is a huge amount of work needed to slow the headlong rush of flood water during heavy rains that contributes to flooding in urban areas downstream. * Long term research collaboration with the University of Leeds and the University of York – including monitoring the development of woodland and water quality on site. * Have a site free of all plastic tree protection. The Woodland Trust vowed to cease the use of any new plastic tree protection at its sites by the end of 2021.
Tree Weaver 