Haresfield majestic beeches

I have raved before in this blog about the wonderful beeches up near Haresfield Beacon - well a £17,000 grant to the National Trust means there will be a three-year wood pasture restoration project at Haresfield.

Photo: One of those great trees

The work will ensure the long-term survival of several important areas on the flanks of Shortwood at Haresfield, which is a spectacular spur of the Cotswold escarpment. The project includes thinning dense ash trees to prolong the lives of the majestic 200-year-old beech trees at the spot.

It will also allow the next generation of beech to come through at Shortwood, which is apparently visited by 100,000 people a year. The National Trust's Haresfield Estate is 174 hectares of beech woodland and open grassland.

National Trust warden Michelle Oliver is quoted in the local press saying: "Our concern is that there is a real danger of the older trees slowly dying off without suitable trees developing to take their place. A failure to create space for future veteran trees, with their unique niches and deadwood habitats, would mean a loss of specialist invertebrates, a gradual loss of biological interest, and eventually the disappearance of this important habitat as a whole."

I have been in touch with Michelle Oliver about more publicity for the project locally as some might wish to get involved - I am hoping she will put something in The Runner, WaRbler and Four Wards newsletters soon.