4 out of 5 stars
The publisher provided a copy of this, free of charge, in return for an honest review.
There is a strange irony in that the UK is the least forested country in Europe, and yet we have some of the oldest trees and some of the most ancient of woodlands. How we have ended up in this unique situation is the subject of this book by Watkins, as he considers the practical, cultural, social and artistic reasons behind this.
His first chapter is concerned with the origins of forests and woodlands, and he begins with the human traits of wanting to categorise and name everything. This is not just naming a tree, Dave, for example, but the scientific rationale behind naming the genus and species. Like all things, it began fairly simply, but over the years as scientific knowledge has increased and new techniques have been developed, the genus has changed a number of times for some species.
Watkins explores what makes a woodland ancient and the science that looks at species density with respect to how long the given area has been in existence. The understanding of the complex species interactions means that we now have a much clearer definition of what ancient woodlands are and the keystone species that we need to see to gauge their age.
Moving from woodlands and woodland pasture that are a sustainable resource, to trees that are purely grown as a cash crop has led to wholesale change in the way that woodlands are managed and run. The economic spectres of profit and efficiency loom large over the sector, and this generally means that these are run as monocultures. Unwanted plants are obliterated and kept away with pesticides. Come the time to harvest the wood, machine harvesting is brutal and can make what was once a pleasant area look like the site of a battlefield.
Non-native trees are often planted as they offer certain qualities which the owners are looking for. This has two disadvantages: native creatures that need native woodlands can barely exist, plus they bring a range of their own diseases and problems. The example that Watkins gives concerns eucalyptus plantings in Portugal where the conditions have caused wildfires and several deaths.
He goes on to discuss the Sitka spruce that have been planted extensively in the UK. These absorb a lot of carbon when they are growing, but after harvesting, they are processed into paper and other consumables. This means that the captured carbon is not used in buildings or other places where it could be stored.
It was on a walk around Badbury Rings that I first learnt about woodland pasture. This is a mix of trees and open ground, in this instance meadowland, and animals could be grazed on there. The trees were often pollarded as it meant that the new shoots wouldn’t get eaten when the tree resprouted. Most farms have abandoned this type of field system now for the sake of efficiency and moving machinery around trees isn’t easy. Sadly, we get the worst of all worlds.
Watkins explores the effect that four specific animals can have on woodlands and forests: deer, boar, beavers and pigs. These principles are why places like Knepp are working well, these large herbivores are changing the dynamic of the way that the landscape operates and functions as an ecosystem. I didn’t realise that there were over 5000 pigs in the New Forest for pannage (a wonderful word) in times past.
Forests and woods and specific trees can suffer from all manner of diseases and other issues. We have had Dutch Elm disease in the past, and are currently seeing Ash dieback affect numerous trees. The global timber market has ensured that pathogens that we would never have seen have been imported here and are having a fairly detrimental effect on our trees and woodlands.
The rapidly changing climate with disrupted weather patterns is leading to more intense storms and long periods of drought, causing the rise of wildfires. Sadly, these are most common in southern Europe, though they are starting to rise in frequency here too.
The wanton and pointless destruction when the Sycamore Gap tree was felled caused an immense amount of anguish and outrage when it happened. The two men responsible for it were convicted and imprisoned, but I think that they should have been made to plant 1000 trees each instead.
I have seen video of the way that modern forestry machinery can fell, strip, cut to the desired length and stack logs. It is as impressive as it is brutal. Wakins spends time with Gladstone and his unnatural obsession with cutting trees down. He then goes on to explore women’s limited, but thankfully expanding, roles in modern forestry and woodland management.
For those who have the luxury of leisure, they have the time and the money to appreciate forests for their aesthetic qualities. He ventures into the health benefits of being in a woodland, in particular Piney Copse that was bought by E.M. Forster and was subsequently donated to the National Trust
Palm trees have always (in my opinion) added a level of tropical exoticness to places, no more so than on the Ligurian coastline. I see a lot of palm trees in gardens in my part of Dorset in gardens of houses of a certain age; must have been the thing to plant in its time.
Most people have heard of sacred groves, and this is because trees are often revered. This is not just a European concept; this reverence for trees can be found all over the world. At Knowlton, near me, there are two yew trees that sit alongside the henge and ruined church, which I feel have some special qualities. Watkins concentrates on the Cedars of Lebanon in this chapter, which for some people are particularly significant.
I thought that this was an interesting book by Watkins. It didn’t quite go in the direction that I thought it ‘wood’ instead, he meanders and wanders down a different set of paths as he searches for stories about trees, copses, woodlands and forests. If trees are your thing and you want to read another perspective on how humanity has interacted with them over time, then I’d recommend reading this book.
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