News & Events
Photo: Bob Gibbons
Photo: Bob Gibbons
Current Events
Forest of Selwood Chairman Jill Bulter talks about the significance of ancient trees.
“Trees have the remarkable ability to pass knowledge down to succeeding generations and to survive the ravages of climate change, if only we’d let them alone, according to the German forester Peter Wohlleben. In The Power of Trees (translated by Jane Billinghurst) he explains the significance of leaving ancient forests untouched, and is scathing about the failures in forestry management and the planting of non-native trees for profit.
Jill Butler is an ancient tree specialist and a trustee of the Tree Register of the British Isle which records the nation’s ‘champion trees’ – the tallest and biggest trees of their species. But she’s also keen on getting the public involved in helping to find and care for some of the country’s oldest trees with the citizen science project, Ancient Tree Inventory, run by the Woodland Trust.
The healing powers of ancient trees is celebrated in stories throughout history, including the great Icelandic sagas. In The Norse Myths That Shape the Way We Think Carolyne Larrington, Professor of medieval European Literature explores the renewal that comes from the roots of Yggdrasill, the World Tree.”
Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001l940
We’re delighted to once again be partnering with Planted Country at Stourhead. FOS is helping organise the Save our Species talk on Saturday 10 June – What can we do to reverse the devastating effects of human activity on nature and biodiversity. What role can rewilding and regenerative farming play in averting a collapse in biodiversity which would have catastrophic effects for humanity?
Planted Country is a free-to-attend event at Stourhead, running from 9-11 June 2023.
Past Events
Lulu Urquart of Urquhart & Hunt, and director of Forest of Selwood has a garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 that showcases how beavers allow biodiversity to thrive through their astounding manipulation of the landscape.
In support of Rewilding Britain, this garden exemplifies the harmonious coexistence of people and the natural world that the concept of rewilding advances. Featuring a timber track, a wildlife viewing hide, native plant species and a series of beaver dams, the garden portrays a landscape both restored and re-imagined.
Beavers became extinct in the UK 400 years ago, and only in recent years have they been reintroduced back into parts of the country, notably in Exmoor National Park, Dartmoor National Park and east Devon. The inspiration for the garden comes from seeing the incredible abundance, diversity and beauty that comes from the presence of beavers, a mammal once lost to the British landscape and now reintroduced.
Tuesday 24 – 28th May 2022
We’re delighted to announced that on Saturday 30th April at 1.30pm Jill Butler, Forest of Selwood’s Chair will be part of a panel discussing the importance of regenerative farming in restoring nature to our landscapes at Planted Country’s event at Stourhead. Jill’s panel will be one of six ‘Save our Soil’ talks, bringing together leading thinkers in nature, design and food production. Jill will be in discussion with Derek Gow (Author of Bringing back the Beaver), Tom Carver (Westcombe Dairy) and Ben Raskin (Soil Association).
Planted Country is a free-to-attend event at Stourhead, running across the Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 30th April – Monday 2nd May 2022.
Following the success of Planted’s September launch at King’s Cross in London, Planted Country will bring together design-led businesses, brands and organisations who place nature and sustainability at their core, while working with local environmental and design experts, searching for solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis. There will be a wealth of sustainable design on display, high-calibre talks, nature-based workshops and a botannical market.
For more information please visit the Planted website:
