14/06/2021
Valley Brook Calling
We managed it! 1,000 trees planted since Christmas :).
Just in time for the growing season, some friends and neighbours joined me (suitably socially distanced) in planting 1,000 broadleaf trees into a 5 acre field on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Supported by the Woodland Trust, we worked nearly every weekend from Christmas, in snow and rain, to plant the bare-rooted trees before they woke up for the Spring.
1,000 trees are more than enough to offset my own lifetime carbon footprint.
These are all broadleaf trees: 19 species including oak, beech, birch, walnut, chestnut, maple, hazel, willow, hawthorn and wild cherry. Most will be productive, yielding nuts or berries as part of a forest garden scheme, which will include bushes, climbers, vegetables and herbs. Others, such as the willows, will protect the stream and prevent soil erosion, or contribute to the micro-climate.
I plan to use the principles of agroforestry and permaculture to create a productive, organic farm without the use of chemical sprays. Avoiding sprays means that the biodiversity will be protected, although it will no doubt sacrifice some output. We shall trust nature to create a dynamic balance between insect “pests” and their predators.
The site design avoids monoculture, which should slow the spread of those pests and diseases that are specific to particular species.
They say that the best time to plant trees is 80 years ago; the second best time is now. I may never taste the home-grown walnuts, but at least future generations will enjoy the benefits, including the meandering walks and the clearings that are allowed for in the planting scheme.
This scheme was partly inspired by the amazing Greta Thunberg, and David Attenborough, of course, and also more locally by my colleagues Martin and David, and my friends from Extinction Rebellion. This planting also follows the lead of my guru, Sadhguru, who’s charity “Project Greenhands” has planted over 30 million trees in the rainforests of southern India, and who is now involved in “Cauvery Calling” with the ambition of encouraging the planting of 2.42 billion trees along the river Cauvery over the next 12 years.
If you have ideas or knowledge to help with the next steps for this scheme, or if you feel inspired to plant trees yourself, I should be delighted to hear from you.
Andrew
andrew@wattsagroforestry.co.uk
