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A June Walk

by Alice West, June 6th 2020 Blue skies at 6am. Skip breakfast, where did I leave the car? Humming south, out of town along the Causeway, internally blessing Matthew, the ornithologist, as I pass his house. Round about, motorway bridge, sudden deep darkness in the...

Achieving minimum intervention management from a low (not quite rewilding)

High on the list of things Fritha and I have spoken about doing at Whitelands in the past few months is getting some trees in the ground, to replace the ash we are losing to ash-die-back (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus). Another thing on the ‘to do list’ that Frith asked me to do is a blog on minimum intervention management with links to my PhD for the Whiteland’s CIC blog, which is what you are reading (bear with me!).

Newsletter January 2020

Newsletter January 2020

Hello!A very happy new year to you all! We hope you have all had a restful winter, and are looking forward to the return of spring as much as we are. In between battling flooded tracks, strong winds and falling trees, we have been enjoying the first frosts as well as...

Spotlight on: Frank Spooner

Spotlight on: Frank Spooner

Whitelands works with a wide variety of people in all kinds of businesses. This diversity is what makes the project work. Frank Spooner runs Whitelands Saw Mill, and here he tells us a little more about his work...How do you work with the Whitelands Project...

The Granary Arts Collective – The Bee Fiesta

The Granary Arts Collective – The Bee Fiesta

Local band Monkeys Fist playing in the Granary on the 28th September.The Bee Fiesta on the 28th September at the Granary Arts Collective was exactly the kind of event that makes the place unique. The Granary is a bubbling, boiling, mixing pot of people, from poets,...

Spotlight on: Elsa Donovan

Spotlight on: Elsa Donovan

Whitelands works with a wide variety of people in all kinds of businesses. This diversity is what makes the project work. Elsa Donovan runs children's holiday clubs and school trips at the wood, and here she tells us a little more about her work... See Elsa's...

Arbsystem: Sharing a love of trees

Arbsystem: Sharing a love of trees

On Saturday 18th May, Gillon Laidlaw and Ross Fountain joined local families at the Whitelands Project to talk about working with trees. The group were all treated to a brief talk on woodland ecology, descriptions of life in the industry, and lastly a demonstration of...

A New Resident

A New Resident

Whitelands Species Spotlight! A guest blog by Eleanor Hampson. Polecat prints, found by our volunteer Matt Dell.There is an exciting new resident at Whitelands. Our ink traps have revealed consistent polecat footprints throughout April and we are delighted. Our...

Landscape and Livelihood

Landscape and Livelihood

My Dad was responsible for planting 30,000 trees. He would point them out as we drove across the county; along motorway verges, nearby villages, estates, hillsides. Once, I took him to help on a survey, one of my first as a young professional ecologist; I was excited...

Arbsystem comes to Whitelands

Arbsystem comes to Whitelands

On the 18th May we will be hosting an open afternoon to talk about careers in forestry and arboriculture. Gillon Laidlaw, of Arbsystem, will be giving a talk and a demonstration, for children of all ages. We are really excited to be hosting the first ever "Careers in...