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Italian forestry

Italian forestry

by Angus, 9 September, 2015, 1 comments

Italy has a long tradition of forestry management going back before Roman times, and ancient traditions very much influence Italy's woodlands today.  For example, 40% of Italian wood production is chestnut or beech which, along with oak, would have been dominant species for the Romans.  There are also lots of non-timber forest products that are important to Italians such as mushrooms, wild boar and firewood.  Indeed compared to the UK, Italy gets a large proportion of its energy from woodfuel with almost 60% of cut wood being used for domestic heating. Read more...
The management of Swiss forests.

The management of Swiss forests.

by Angus, 31 October, 2013, 3 comments

Meeting a Swiss forester this week, in the canton of Vaud, I asked if he could show me how local community forests are managed.  To my surprise, he immediately invited me to come and see an woodland area where a team of forestry workers were cutting various hardwoods.  My guide appeared quite informal but he was certainly not taking any risks as he handed me all the safety kit - a fluorescent jacket and a protective helmet attached to a visor and ear defenders. Read more...
Spanish forestry and woodland management in Spain

Spanish forestry and woodland management in Spain

by Angus, 25 July, 2013, 6 comments

Spain has a lot of forestry as it is a surprisingly large country, being about twice the size of Britain and only about 10% smaller than France. The tree cover is about 30% so about twice as dense as Britain's, which means the Spanish have about four times as much forestry as we do. But it is very different in both composition and in how it is managed. For a start, 80% is owned privately and where it is state owned it is almost always owned by the local community. Read more...
Penny Bun Mushroom foraging

Penny Bun Mushroom foraging

by Ste Carey, 22 November, 2012, 3 comments

Before we go foraging for mushrooms - Care is needed when picking mushrooms, mushrooms can come in different shapes and sizes and are only easy to identify once mature. A small immature mushroom also known as a button mushroom will have different characteristics to one that is mature. A button mushroom may not grow a stem until later in its life and may be different in colour. Having said this, don’t leave it too late to pick them.  Maggots have a tendency to eat and live within over-mature mushrooms;  these mushrooms should be considered inedible. Read more...
Lath Wood

Lath Wood

by Robert S, 12 February, 2012, 2 comments

My wife and I decided on the purchase of a small wood a few years ago.  We were able to research financial, legal and physical practicalities on-line and www.woodlands.co.uk was the most useful site in our search for a suitable wood. We visited nine or ten woods  across the South of England, from Devon in the West to Kent in the East.  We were looking for a wood between 3 and 6 acres up to a  spend of about £40K. Some people spend as much on a car, whilst for us non-drivers - a wood is a much better, permanent investment, especially when financial products are looking risky. But we weren’t just looking for somewhere to bank money but a place of natural beauty and quietude to enjoy and preserve.   Our wood had to be accessible from London by public transport but still a rural gem away from built habitation.  We were ideally looking for a bluebell wood with a good mix of tree cover -- not a conifer plantation. Read more...
Fungi, mycorrhizae, truffles

Fungi, mycorrhizae, truffles

by Chris, 25 February, 2011, 6 comments

The Fungi are a very diverse group of organisms, ranging from the true fungi (Mycota), which includes the mushrooms and toadstools, and the Oomycota (which includes the potato blight fungus).  Unlike green plants, fungi do not have any chlorophyll so cannot make sugars and other compounds by photosynthesis. They get their sugars / carbohydrates through being saprobes (saprophytes), parasites, or sometimes symbionts. Read more...
Fungi Fanatics

Fungi Fanatics

by daniel, 4 September, 2009, 4 comments

Summer may well be coming to an end, but as the nights draw in, the temperatures drop, the long rains set in and the leaves start to fall, the woodlands take on a new lease of life. As any of the legions of fungi fanatics will tell you, a forage around the forests in Autumn can be as exhilarating as a safari across the Serengeti. Read more...
The National Trust, mushrooms and toadstools

The National Trust, mushrooms and toadstools

by Chris, 9 November, 2007, 21 comments

Mushrooms and toadstools are common at this time of year.  They are the visible evidence of fungi; the fruiting (spore-producing) bodies of fungi growing in the soil, leaf litter, or bark of trees. Nature’s ‘recycling depot’, bacteria and fungi are essential to the decomposition of plant and animal remains. Many local natural history societies organise fungal forays at this time of year, as do a number of the National Trust properties. Read more...

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