Spring has Sprung (and love is in the air...)

Aaah, spring….the lustrous transition between the bleakness of winter and the cheer of summer (although, we were actually quite happy with the winter just gone – a few gusty spells but generally great tree climbing conditions).

Here at Arbor Venture Training, we love spring. No, that’s an understatement; we ADORE spring. It’s by far our favourite season. Why? Because when it comes to regrowth, renewal, and rebirth, it’s the tree lover’s companion.

Cherry Blossom

So, the love that’s in the air is our fervent adoration for this marvellous season, and all it brings to our beautiful trees. It’s just so full of possibility and expectation.

Soon the clocks will be put forward, and our days will get longer. As our planet increases its tilt towards the sun, the ground warms up, frost melts, and both our animals and plant life ‘spring forth’; it’s clear to see where this season gets its name from.

Take a peek out your window and you’ll see a sprinkling of colour: the white blossoms of a plum tree, the pink of a cherry blossom…and, of course, the good old daffodils trumpeting away at the bottom of the garden.

Plum Tree Blossom

But what effect does spring have on us tree care workers? Well, for a start it’s the time of year when people take a good look at their garden, picture themselves sitting in it with a gin and tonic, and think ‘we should really get those trees tidied up’.

Work, therefore, can increase. But there’s a very important factor a tree care worker needs to consider during this time of year: nesting critters. Our beautiful birds nest and have their young in spring, and their habitat of choice is the hedge or tree you may just have been asked to prune.

It is every tree worker’s duty to protect nesting birds, to educate others about wildlife legislation, and to have a good knowledge of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. If you don’t already know that is an offense to purposefully damage a nesting bird, then you may want to take a squiz at what it’s got to say.

We don’t just love trees here at Arbor Venture Training, we love the living things that inhabit them, too.

So join us in our celebration of spring, and appreciate the new growth and spectacular colours that now lie outside your front door. But remember your obligation to protect not only trees, but all forms of natural life; you may have a customer who desperately wants their leylandii hedge cutting back, but the little greenfinch within it might have something to say about it.

Solution? Delay the work, and give our feathery friends some space.

If you have any questions about the protection of wildlife when conducting tree work, feel free to get in touch.

We’re off to prance amongst the daffodils, see you soon…

Daffodils

Keep Britain Old

So, we’ve talked about American trees, we’ve talked about Swedish trees, we’ve even talked about the Great Wall of China (however briefly…); it’s now time to turn our gaze towards our very own green and pleasant land.

And where better to start than the home of Arbor Venture Training: the New Forest.

Now, let’s get one thing straight – we don’t have 9,500 year old trees like our Scandinavian neighbours. Sorry, but that’s a pretty tall order. But you don’t need Neolithic trees to be proud of your woodland.

Despite the onslaught of Naval ship building in the 17^th and 18^th Century, which claimed more trees than we care to think of, the New Forest lays claim to some spectacular specimens.

The apple of our eye is the magnificent Knightwood Oak, which, with its impressive 7.4 metre girth, is believed to be the largest tree in the New Forest. From a tree worker’s perspective, this is a fantastic example of pollarding, which has undoubtedly kept this local celebrity looking beautiful and feeling great (sorry, we couldn’t resist a Loreal moment there). But, seriously, this tree looks pretty good for 600 years’ old.

The Knightwood Oak may have won first prize for size, but it doesn’t go home with a gold medal for its age. So, what is the oldest tree in the woods? That would be the ancient Yew at St. Nicholas’ Church in Brockenhurst…

Set within the graveyard, the 1,000 year old Yew really sets the scene for the ancient church. It is said trees were planted near churches for several reasons, including to protect the church from strong winds, provide wood for longbows, to shelter the waiting congregation, and as an emblem of mortality…in our opinion, something that lives for 1,000 isn’t a great example of death…oh well.

Take a stroll through the New Forest, and we bet you’ll spend the entire walk looking up. The canopies are magnificent, the breadth of branches striking, not to mention the abundance of wildlife hidden amongst the leaves. And if you can force your gaze lower, you’ll find some jaw-droppingly large tree trunks – we challenge you not to put your arms around them…we do.

Arbor Venture loves you, New Forest!

Yew Tree at St. Nicholas' Church

Knightwood Oak