Trees Journal Issue 81

Trees

A journal from the International Tree Foundation

ISSUE 81 — 2024/2025

Contents 4

Introduction – from ITF's CEO, James Whitehead

5

Good news – snapshots from the ITF community and the world of trees

8

ITF loves – a roundup of recommendations from the ITF team

10

Recipe – Bake Off winner Frances Quinn's apple cupcakes

12

Brewing change – journalist Lucy Denyer explores the journey of coffee

16

The power of collaboration – ITF’s UK tree planting project with the Blue Cross

17

Traditional orchards – writer Dr John Jackson asks if orchards have a future in the UK

21

Your tree calendar – what to do and when in your garden

24

Poetry competition – Seasons of the Trees by Gabriel Slamka

25

Hubble, bubble, soil & trouble – an excerpt from Oaklore by author Jules Acton

28

Tree heroes – the story of one of ITF's many superheroes

30

Old growth in the new world – Artist Mitch Epstein on photographing America’s oldest trees

33

Crossword – test your knowledge on the theme of trees

34

My favourite tree – ITF staff and supporters share the trees they love

International Tree Foundation works with local communities to plant trees and restore forests in places where, together, we can make the fastest, most lasting impact for communities and the future of our planet. © International Tree Foundation 2024 Internationaltreefoundation.org Charity number 1106269 The Old Music Hall, 106-108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JE

Introduction At the International Tree Foundation, we have enjoyed encouraging successes in 2024, with over one million in East Africa, 80,000 trees planted in the UK, and a wealth of environmental and societal benefits, as featured in this year’s journal.

In May we were bolstered by the news that His Majesty The King had chosen to retain his patronage of ITF, following a thorough review of over 1,000 organisations. Our 46-year-long association with the former Prince of Wales reflects the quality of our work on the ground, and its benefits to local communities, many of whom are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis.

This 81st edition of Trees celebrates the wonder of nature and the power of community. It highlights the interconnectedness of environment and society, from thriving landscapes to improved health, wellbeing, education, and food and water security.

ITF walks hand in hand with local communities, we engage with academics to ensure strong scientific methods and we collaborate with governments to secure long-term sustainability. We are using new technologies to improve our success and are constantly assessing our approach to achieve lasting change for the communities that need it most.

We know there is more to do and are humbled by the generosity of those who, like us, celebrate the power and wonder of trees.

INTRODUCTION

James Whitehead CEO, International Tree Foundation

4 / Trees

Good

news

Discover the latest tree news and stories from the ITF community plus the impact your generous donations are making for people and planet.

Royal Patronage for ITF In May 2024, His Majesty The King announced that he will retain the Patronage of ITF, following a thorough review of over 1,000 organisations to mark the first anniversary of Their Majesties’ Coronation.

Visit internationaltreefoundation.org to read more good news.

ITF celebrates bumper year of tree planting This reporting year, ITF is on track to plant nearly 2 million trees. The East Africa programme has surpassed its target of planting one million trees in 2024, while the UK programme has planted 80,000 trees.

Sycamore Gap tree lives on

GOOD NEWS

The National Trust and Northumberland National Park announced encouraging signs of new life growing from the base of the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree. Ten months since the crime, eight tiny new shoots are growing with between one and six small leaves. Each one is being closely monitored and protected. Meanwhile, seedlings propagated from gathered seeds in the aftermath of the tree’s felling continue to flourish at the National Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre, and hopefully will be ready for planting in the next 12-24 months.

This continues a 46-yearlong association with the former Prince of Wales, who became the charity’s Royal Patron in March 1978. That year, as Prince of Wales, he wrote the foreword to a biography of ITF founder Richard St. Barbe Baker, praising him for practicing “permaculture and agroecology... before those terms existed.” He went on to write that “had we heeded the warnings of St. Barbe Baker and other visionaries, we might have avoided a good deal of the environmental crises we face today.”

Trees / 5

Colombia

GOOD NEWS

Deforestation fell by 36 per cent in a year, marking a new record low. The drop is especially good news for the Amazon rainforest, one third of which is in Colombia, where mass cattle ranching, drug crops and illegal mining and logging are rife. This downward trend comes after years of campaigning

by Indigenous activists, who depend on the Amazon for their homes and livelihoods.

New trees offer hope for schoolchildren

Large-scale nature recovery on Skye

Schoolchildren in Western Uganda’s Kasese region have been given their own fruit trees to plant, name and protect. 100 mango, avocado and jackfruit trees have been planted as part of a wider project run by community group Front for Climate Change and funded by ITF, in which schools, churches and private land will be transformed by 6,000 new trees.

The schoolchildren are learning about the positive impacts of their trees on a region suffering the consequences of rampant deforestation.

On Skye, ITF partner Uigshader is planting a final 10,000 of 30,000 native trees as part of a living wood, designed to encourage food foraging and crafts while engaging local people in the life of the forest. Meanwhile, on the other side the Skye Peninsula, another ITF partner, Sleat Community Development Trust, is restoring the oak forest which once grew across much of the island, turning it back into a diverse forest habitat to support a broader regeneration process and create a more resilient ecosystem.

6 / Trees

Uganda A new initiative to develop and distribute reusable sanitary pads is boosting school attendance in many parts of rural Uganda, where lack of access to period products has impeded education for many young girls.

Single mothers, widows, and vulnerable girls in affected Ugandan communities are being trained by experts in reusable sanitary padmaking. The project has been spearheaded by women from the Alpha Women Empowerment Initiative (AWEI) and ITF. And it has won a Green Innovation Award for reducing waste and promoting sustainable practices.

A federal judge has ordered a deforestation suspension in the northern parts of Argentina’s Chaco province, South America’s second-largest forest after the Amazon rainforest. The order comes amid a corruption investigation involving seven defendants including businesspeople, local officials and legislators who stand accused of facilitating and profiting from the “indiscriminate felling of trees,” provoking “irreversible damage to the environment and future generations”. The suspension will last until the situation is re-evaluated, while new clearing permits have also been put on hold.

Kenya Enterprising farmers from ITF’s partner RIDEP (Rural Initiatives Development Programme) have devised and installed a drip irrigation system using discarded plastic water bottles.

The inspired and economical approach supports over 3,000 agroforestry tree seedlings planted on farms in Tharaka Nithi county, an arid region that is vulnerable to drought.

The ‘Forest for Cornwall’ hits one million trees in five years A community planting programme, dubbed the Forest for Cornwall, has hit its target of planting 1,000 hectares of ‘forest’, which includes woodland, hedgerows and individual trees. The Cornwall Council initiative has galvanised businesses, farmers, community groups and schools to plant and protect trees to enrich Cornwall’s countryside and its communities.

GOOD NEWS

The project's impact in the two schools involved has been profound.

School dropout rates have fallen from 17% to 7%, and absenteeism has reduced from 29% to 11%. Girls' hygiene has significantly improved, while the boost in confidence allows them to better focus on their studies.

Argentina

Trees / 7

READ The Lost Rainforests of Britain Guy Shrubsole

ITF loves

This Sunday Times Science Book of the Year chronicles our forgotten temperate rainforests and offers inspiring interventions to help restore them.

A Trillion Trees: How We Can Reforest Our World

Recommendations from our office

Fred Pearce Pearce takes readers on a journey through the world's forests – revealing what they do for us, what we're doing to them, and how we can help nature repair the damage.

Twelve Trees And What They Tell Us About Our Past, Present and Future

Ecosia A search engine with a difference. Ecosia use 100% of their profits for climate action, with the majority going into tree-planting projects around the world.

ITF LOVES

Daniel Lewis This compelling, beautiful book offers a historical and cultural account of twelve tree species including redwood, olive and baobab.

Warnings and hope for the future are offered in equal measure.

8 / Trees

Hope for soap Switching from liquid soap to an old fashioned bar of soap saves water, plastic, carbon and energy. Plus they are usually cheaper.

Too Good To Go This charity redistributes pre-loved books from families that have grown out of them, getting them into the hands of the children that need them most.

On a mission to reduce food waste, this app allows you to order surplus food from local stores, cafes and restaurants. Since 2016 they’ve helped save over 350 million meals from the bin.

LISTEN

Wool pots Boasting many sustainable credentials, these lovely-looking pots reduce the mountain of unwanted wool, are naturally biodegradable, use up to 30% less water than a plastic pot and break down into a delicious plant food.

The Infinite Monkey Cage The Wonder of Trees Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by guests Dame Judi Dench, Tony Kirkham and Tristan Gooley to leaf through the latest tree science, shedding light on the wonder of trees.

CATAN New Energies This brand-new board game is rooted in classic CATAN mechanics with a green twist.

Players must decide whether to invest in clean energy resources or opt for cheaper fossil fuels, potentially causing disastrous effects for all.

Tube Squeezer Keys

SOJO

Actor David Oakes takes listeners on a cheeky arboreal romp through Britain’s “56ish native trees” in bite-size episodes.

Tailoring, alterations and repairs for your clothes, collected and delivered to your door. This service has breathed new life into lots of best-loved items of clothing.

Vinted Extends the lifecycle of clothes and diverts them from landfill – Vinted, an app to buy and sell used clothes, can also be a nice little earner. Teenagers we know are making rude profits.

Nature Table A comedy 'show and tell' series celebrating the natural world and all its eccentricities. Join host Sue Perkins and the country's best scientists as they delight in the weird and wonderful.

ITF LOVES

These 'keys’ help you reduce waste by squeezing every last drop from your tubes before recycling them, from toothpaste and hand cream to tomato purée – a satisfying and efficient money saver.

Trees A Crowd podcast

Trees / 9

Frances Quinn's apple crumble and custard cupcakes Winner of the Great British Bake Off and author of Quinntessential Baking, Frances Quinn shares her recipe for a classic British dessert with a modern twist. These little cupcakes are sure to be a showstopper

Ingredients FOR THE CUSTARD CREAM ICING 100g icing sugar 3 tbsp custard powder 1 tbsp vanilla extract 600ml/1pt double cream

RECIPE

FOR THE CUPCAKES 3 small apples, peeled, cored and diced approx 300g 3 tbsp custard powder 150g slightly salted butter, softened 150g golden caster sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 150g self-raising flour FOR THE BISCUITS & CRUMBLE TOPPING 75g golden caster sugar 100g slightly salted butter, chilled 150g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon A few squares of white chocolate

10 / Trees

Method 1. The icing will need to chill in the fridge overnight, so make it the day before you want to serve the cakes. Sift the icing sugar and custard powder into a large bowl, add the vanilla extract and 4 tbsp of the cream, then whisk until smooth.

2. Tip all but 2 tsp of the remaining cream into a medium saucepan and heat gently until small bubbles start to appear around the edges of the pan – the cream should be hot, but not boiling. Gradually pour this into the bowl with the custard powder mix, whisking all the time. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat.

Cook gently for 4-6 mins, stirring all the time, until the mixture has thickened and the custard powder has dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface directly with cling film. Leave to cool, then chill overnight.

3. The next day, heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas.

4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases. Toss the apples and custard powder together in a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, using an electric whisk, until light and fluffy.

Slowly add the eggs and vanilla extract, whisking well after each addition. Fold in the flour, then stir through the custard powdercoated apples. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 18-20 mins until lightly golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool on wire racks.

thickness of a £1 coin. Using an appleshaped and a leafshaped cutter, or a sharp knife, cut out 12 apple shapes and leaves. Lift the shapes with a palette knife and transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment. Bake for 8-10 mins until lightly golden. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

8. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water, or pop in the microwave for 5-10 second bursts. Dab each leaf biscuit with a little of the melted chocolate and fix it to an apple biscuit. Leave to set.

9. Whip the chilled custard cream icing to soft peaks, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Pipe some icing onto each cupcake, then smooth the surface using a small metal spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle over some crumble, then insert an apple biscuit into the top. 

5. Blitz all the ingredients for the crumble together in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Tip half the mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden.

6. Continue to pulse the remaining half of the crumble topping mixture until it comes together to form a dough, adding 1-2 tsp of the reserved double cream to bind, if needed.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins, or until firm.

7. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the

Win a fruit tree for your garden Sign up to our newsletter and you’ll be entered into our monthly prize draw, with a chance of winning a free tree for your garden! Visit internationaltreefoundation.org/giveaway.

Trees / 11

Brewing change

FROM THE SLOPES OF UGANDA TO A BARN IN NORTH YORKSHIRE, JOURNALIST LUCY DENYER EXPLORES THE JOURNEY OF COFFEE

IT’S MID-JULY AND OUTSIDE, IT’S pouring with rain. Inside, however, the atmosphere is a mixture of cosy – a comforting smell of slightly burnt toast – and science-lab serious. On a table in front of me are six ceramic cups. Neatly lined up next to them are small cards with tasting notes. In the centre, a mug containing a handful of specialist spoons. Inside the cups: coffee.

BREWING CHANGE

I am at Rounton Coffee Roasters, deep in the North Yorkshire countryside, about to undergo a “cupping” session, an activity carried out weekly by the Rounton staff to assess their produce for quality and taste.

Jamiel El-Sharif, Rounton’s Head of Coffee, reverently pours just-boiled water onto the six cups and we wait as the aromas start to emerge and the grounds bubble to the surface. All of the coffee being tasted today is freshly roasted, which means few bubbles emerge, as the CO2 hasn’t yet had a chance to escape. Once the coffee has spent some time infusing, we scoop and turn the coffee in its cup using the special

12 / Trees

bowl-shaped cupping spoons, then inhale.

The next step is to skim off the scum.

Finally we taste: a quick inhalation of coffee drawn in over the tongue. The flavours are as varied as they might be in wine: there are ‘natural’ coffees with a funky, earthy, almost farmyard-like smell and flavour, a Yellow Bourbon coffee from Colombia that has notes of red apple and marshmallow and, my favourite, a Granary Blend coffee with familiar suggestions of chocolate, hazelnut and caramel, that contains beans that come from Brazil, El Salvador and Uganda. And the Ugandan beans in this coffee have not only travelled some 4,000 miles to get here, they are part of an initiative that is transforming lives and livelihoods in "Finally we taste: this part of a quick inhalation East Africa.

A WORLD OBSESSED Coffee is one of the most

of coffee drawn in over the tongue.

The flavours are as varied as they might be in wine"

widely consumed beverages in the world.

Globally, we drink 126 million 60kg bags of it a year; a report produced earlier this year by market researcher Circana found that total coffee servings had a 5 per cent year-on-year increase. Every month seems to bring increasingly inventive ways to drink it: as a pour-over, in a cafetière, brewed in a stovetop pot, drawn through an Aeropress, produced from a pod or spooned from a jar as freeze-dried granules.

Cold coffee is the trend du jour: Circana’s research found that in China – which has seen the highest growth rate in coffee consumption – cold coffee makes up a third of total coffee consumption.

But we probably rarely think about the journey of bean to cup. Or even what happens before that, when the coffee “cherries” are plucked from the trees where they are grown and start their transformation into that dark, aromatic beverage we all love so much. I'm here to find out more about that journey.

remains the 8th biggest coffee producer in the world, and is the largest coffee exporter in East Africa and the second largest producer (Ethiopia produces more coffee, but also consumes more).

In the early 1900s, colonial settlers introduced speciality arabica beans (which now account for 20 per cent of Uganda’s coffee production), and for years, farmers scratched out a living by growing small amounts of coffee around what they produced for their own families, and selling it, cash in hand, for around 10p per kilo.

The coffee, although the crop was good, was of a fairly poor quality once it came to sale time, having been dried and stored "And the Ugandan beans badly, so the return was in this coffee have not low. But Ugandans don’t traditionally drink coffee, only travelled some 4,000 so nobody knew miles to get here, they are any better.

part of an initiative that is transforming lives and livelihoods in this part of East Africa"

BOOSTING QUALITY

In 2015, Jonny Rowland moved to Uganda and, with a team of three people, set up a business in Kisinga, a coffee station at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains.

BREWING CHANGE

Coffee has been grown in this part of Uganda forever. The robusta plant, which produces the less refined, heartier beans you’ll largely find in mass-market blends or instant coffee, is native to Ugandan soils, and remains a source of livelihood for millions of smallholder farmers. Uganda

“I could see the lowhanging fruit – the lack of the basics being done,” explains Jonny, who had a degree in agriculture from Reading University, but had “always had a bit of a bug for Africa”, his parents having lived in Uganda in the late 1980s. “The farmers were trapped in a cycle of very poor quality practices leading to poor quality outputs.” So he started Agri Evolve, with the aim of improving the livelihoods of smallholder coffee farmers through improved agribusiness – paying a fair market price for the unprocessed arabica coffee ‘cherries’ (the coffee berry is red like a cherry, hence the nickname) and then processing them properly, to then sell the dried green beans on to roasteries back in the UK.

Trees / 13

Today, Agri Evolve employs a permanent team of 90 and seasonal staff of another 200; annual turnover is about USD 12m,

the roasting drum. A bed of 20 burners fires up; when the drum has come to temperature – around 255-260°C for a batch of Agri Evolve’s Katanda washed beans – the coffee will be let into the roaster and turned constantly for about 11 minutes.

Inside, the beans will expand, crack and pop open like popcorn before being dropped out and cooled as rapidly as possible in the cooling tray attached to the side of the roaster.

“Rounton was one of the very first

" The coffee community is amazing. I’ve never had the door shut in my face – even after cold-calling”

Rounton Coffee's roastery in Yorkshire

with a factory and assets worth another $2m. The team buys between 6,000 and 8,000 tonnes of coffee a year, coffee from between 15,000 and 20,000 farmers, with the bulk of trade done with 12,000 Rainforest Alliance-certified farmers and a further 1,500 certified organic farmers.

Some 3,000 tonnes are then exported to coffee roasters around the world.

BREWING CHANGE

HOOVERING POPCORN

Despite the rain, the roasting barn at Rounton is a hive of activity. In one corner are two enormous tubs of what look like browny-green peanuts with a strong almost weed-like smell. These are the raw ‘green’ coffee beans that Rounton buys from suppliers around the world – including Agri Evolve: last year, Rounton bought about eight tonnes of the company’s coffee.

A switch is flipped, and what looks like a big vacuum cleaner hose powers up, sucking beans into a huge hopper positioned over

14 / Trees

roasteries I went to,” recalls Martin Rowland, Jonny’s father, who is also based in Yorkshire and, by his own admission when his son first sent him some coffee to try and sell five years ago, knew very little about it.

“It was very different to a Nescafé with two sugars, which is how I used to drink my coffee,” he laughs.

When Rowland senior first started his coffee-selling journey, Ugandan coffee did not have a very good reputation: it was known primarily as a robusta-producing market. Nothing daunted, he set off with the two tonnes of coffee he was sent – around 34 bags – and set about selling them. Now, he says, “I have customers from Aberfeldy in Perthshire down to Totnes in south Devon."

“The coffee community is amazing.

Everybody is so friendly and supportive – I often cold-call on people and have never had the door shut in my face. Sometimes I ask for a few minutes of somebody’s time and an hour later, the conversation’s still going.”

But then, it’s hard not to be seduced by the story of this small company that is changing lives in Uganda, and producing

great coffee to boot. As well as dealing with coffee farmers, Agri Evolve works with the International Tree Foundation (ITF) to supply trees for farmers to plant – over 200,000 in the last few years – and also pays youth teams to build simple, energyefficient stoves for farmers which reduce the amount of firewood used, meaning fewer trees are cut down.

Good trees are, in fact, an essential part of the coffee-growing process. Not only do they maintain and optimise soil health, enriching soil with additional nutrients to the extent that crop production has been known in some instances to have increased by 200 per cent, but coffee, particularly the arabica variety, requires shade to grow well.

There are other benefits too: the Albizia, Musizi and bak trees used in the Agri Evolve and ITF partnership not only minimise the rate of water evaporation but their leaves, when decomposed, work as manure in the plantation; bamboo grass is also being planted as part of the partnership as they absorb water and hold firm the river banks they are planted near, preventing the fertile soils from being washed away. More generally, climate change-induced flooding

EQUALITY TRANSFORMS COFFEE FARMING Yozofina sits among the coffee shrubs she grows with her husband John.

“In the past, I used to have misunderstandings with my husband due to coffee issues. We could plant and manage coffee together but at a time of selling the coffee, my husband would sell the coffee alone."

In Uganda, women often do the labour of farming and harvesting coffee, but when it comes to the proceeds, they get no say.

But ITF is working with local partners, AWEI, to help transform landscapes and lives.

“Me and my husband happened to be among the couples who were trained by Alpha Women’s Empowerment Initiative. We were taught about working together and equal sharing of the benefits.

“Then, after the training we came home and started implementing what we learned on working together and equal benefits sharing.

We started working together in our coffee garden, harvesting, drying, and selling our coffee together.

We can now plan for our money together.

and landslides in the Rwenzori mountains are mitigated by more trees.

When they sell their coffee, they plan to use the money to pay their children's school fees, giving them a brighter future.

BREWING CHANGE

Back in Rounton’s tasting area, I swill, then sip, my Granary Blend coffee, with beans that have come all the way from Uganda’s Rwenzori mountains. It is delicious. I leave with several bags of coffee to take home.

Just one more step on the journey from bean to cup. 

“I now feel harmony in my family.”

Yozofina’s family are developing as coffee growers, enjoying sharing the work and the proceeds.

Trees / 15

REPORT

ITF’s project with Blue Cross highlights the power of collaboration AT AN ANIMAL REHOMING SITE, ONE of Oxfordshire’s largest community tree planting projects entered its final phase in March 2024, bringing together over 350 local volunteers to plant around 10,000 native trees at the Blue Cross in West Oxfordshire.

Planting a native Saxon hedgerow The project, spearheaded by Lucy at the Blue Cross Staveley, ITF’s UK Programme Development Lead, has boosted tree cover in one of for new homes at our centre, as well as the UK’s most tree-depleted counties, improving the environment here at Burford.” stabilising soil and increasing carbon True to ITF’s mission to transform capture on a site that is on the edge of a landscapes and lives through community‘Nature Recovery Zone’. led tree planting, this project has brought Furthermore, the newly planted local communities together. Individual hedgerows and copses will increase the volunteers have teamed up with Burford variety of habitats that enable a range of Primary School, Muslim Women’s wildlife to thrive, providing nature corridors Association, Gig-Arts, Blue Cross Horse and connectivity across the Blue Cross site.

Team, business groups and project donors, Crucially, all the native hedging and tree all of whom have species planted are received pre-planting suitable for the horses training to ensure the at the Blue Cross site, "Stepping outside and success of carefully selected doing something to help the long-term this important tree to provide shade, environment really makes planting project. protection from wind, The volunteers also reduce noise and you realise how great this is reported mental and disturbance. for your mental health" physical wellbeing Commenting on benefits thanks to the project, Vicki spending time outside Alford, Horse Centre Project volunteer in nature, connecting Manager at Blue with people and Cross in Burford, making a positive difference to their says, “We are very grateful to ITF for their local environment. contribution. As well as shelter and shade, "I felt a sense of calm and mental clarity. the hedges and trees encourage natural Taking a day off work to volunteer in nature behaviours and enrichment for our horses, not only boosted our teamworking skills but such as scratching on trunks and weaving also reminded me of the patience and care around the trees. The new planting also required to nurture growth, both in nature provides more interesting green spaces and within ourselves."  for our team to walk dogs who are looking

16 / Trees

Traditional orchards Do they have a future in the UK? By author and forestry expert Dr John Jackson

ORCHARDS Trees / 17

ORCHARDS

THERE ARE CURRENTLY AROUND perry. These booming family farm orchards 24,600 ha of traditional orchard in the UK, provided fruit to eat, cook or store as well as with the average size less than a hectare. juice and alcohol.

The traditional orchard has been part Scrumpy became a part and a perk of the and parcel of the British farm labourer’s wage and was landscape for centuries healthier than drinking the The traditional and has a complex history. often-contaminated water orchard has been DNA evidence supports supply. Orchards became part and parcel of the theory that of the almost centres for songs, recipes, the British landscape cider and festive gatherings.

3,000 apple varieties found in British orchards, all are the for centuries and has The ‘wassail’ is one such a complex history example that persists to this un-hybridised descendants of day in a few places to ward off the wild sweet apple Malus evil spirits and encourage a pumila from Central and good crop the next season.

Inner Asia, not the native European crab apple By 1870, commercial hard fruit growing was Malus sylvestris. in the ascendancy to feed the emerging urban The Romans are credited with importing markets using the growing rail network. both the sweet apple and the pear Pyrus Since about 1950, fewer and fewer communis to these shores. Legend tells us traditional orchards have been established and they were competent in the skills of grafting, the national stock of standard fruit trees is now developing new varieties and probably heavily skewed towards an older generation of cider making. trees of 50 years plus.

Traditional orchard management then seems to have declined, but the associated skills and wisdom may have survived into the late BIODIVERSITY medieval period, within monasteries in their The ecological value of traditional orchards orchards or ‘pomaria’. had long been underestimated and they During the 17th century, fruit-growing have only recently come to be appreciated expertise centred around aristocratic as biodiverse oases within a largely intensive nurserymen like Ralph Austen and John agricultural landscape. They can be home to Tradescant, and the author John Evelyn, who specialised communities such as lichens, fungi were influenced particularly by French fruitand wood-dwelling beetles, which need a growing heritage. continuity of habitat over time. A network of These wealthy travelling plantsmen collected these sites is critical in sustaining populations, fruit varieties and established ideally across large tracts. orchards in the country Fruit trees age much faster Around 60 per estates and aristocratic stately than most long-lived native cent of traditional homes of England, reflected orchards has gone trees in the countryside, so to this day in the number of they quickly show the ‘veteran’ nationally since National Trust properties features associated with 1950; in some boasting historic orchards. counties, like Devon, over-mature trees. The large By 1700, orchards were it's up to 90 per cent amounts of standing dead a dominant landscape wood in the form of ‘stag’s feature in many counties. heads’, whole limbs and rotting Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire heartwood are specific micro-habitats home to and Somerset already had a well-established suites of very specialised organisms that have tradition of orcharding to make cider and become rare elsewhere. These old fruit trees

18 / Trees

spread out in permanent grassland offer a range of niches not dissimilar to those in wood pastures.

The sward communities that flourish in the permanent grassland under the fruit trees can be rich and varied, with vegetation associated with semi-natural ‘unimproved’ meadows.

Traditional orchards are a stronghold for the hemi-parasite mistletoe (Viscum album) and that may be cut and sold in the run-up to Christmas. The annual sales at Tenbury Wells in late November have been held for three centuries and attract buyers from across the land.

The abundance and variety of insects and fruit in a traditional orchard supports diverse mammal and bird populations, harbouring specialist disappearing ones like the lesser spotted woodpecker, bullfinch and pied flycatcher.

Traditional orchards were awarded a BAP (Biodiversity Action Plan) ‘priority’ habitat status by Natural England (now English Nature) in August 2007, under the UK Biodiversity Partnership.

ORCHARDS

growers, traditional orchards have long been economically unsustainable, since large trees require a lot of labour to prune and harvest from and are less productive per hectare than bush ones.

Small, traditional orchards are often in or near villages and towns too, and this has left them highly vulnerable to development.

Charities and NGOs have played a major role in mobilising a traditional orchard conservation movement to address these threats. Common Ground was an early pioneer, establishing the Apple Day celebration in 1990, which has steadily accumulated interest and is now a nationwide event. Currently there are pro-orchard groups representing most of Britain, with the common aim of promoting traditional orchard heritage and knowledge. There are many community projects in the UK too that involve groups of local volunteers in the restoration, preservation or creation of orchards.

Despite this, traditional orchards are still severely under-protected by the law and conflicts between developers, farmers and A community orchard, funded by ITF THE CONSERVATION conservationists regularly occur. Protection measures MOVEMENT Traditional orchards may look scruffy for threatened sites involve the establishment of and unloved compared to the manicured Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) through local contemporary ones, but they can be both council tree officers, combined with building a productive and a haven for wildlife. case around the ecological, genetic, historical Over the past 50 years, the acreage of and social importance of the site. traditional orchards has been steadily National fruit collections such as Brogmore dwindling. in Kent are crucial to ensure rare varieties of By area, around 60 per cent has gone fruit persist, but traditional orchards are a nationally since 1950; in some counties, such as vital dispersed gene reserve too. Many of the Devon, losses of up to 90 per cent have varieties are old and have been lost elsewhere; been noted. they are living DNA banks and not all in one The single biggest cause is intense agriculture place should misfortune strike. grubbing old orchards. For commercial

Trees / 19

STEWARDSHIP

A scattering of traditional orchards of ‘standard’ trees survive and some are relatively young, especially those planted for cider production. But often many of the trees are ageing and past their prime, so need a bit of TLC from tree experts, be it management for cropping or for conservation or both.

Traditional orchards Sensitive formative, may look scruffy and maintenance and restorative unloved compared pruning may be essential to the manicured – much as they are for contemporary ones, other old types of ancient but they can be both or veteran trees. Rampant productive and a mistletoe may require haven for wildlife cutting back. But a lot will depend on what the management objectives are for each individual owner and orchard.

If conservation is a top priority, how to care for the ground vegetation is vital too – to graze or not and with what livestock, mow for hay or whatever.

Traditional orchards are eligible for funding under the Countryside Stewardship scheme to offset costs for managing, restoring or creating traditional orchards. Grants from local councils, government-sponsored programmes and other schemes may be available as well, notably for community orchards.

ORCHARDS

LOOKING AHEAD

The surviving traditional orchards that have stood the test of time over many centuries should be conserved for the future. Their importance has now been recognised, although more legal protection would not come amiss.

Besides their biodiversity worth, they are as much cultural and heritage sites as many more obvious ones in the UK. As such, their value to society is hard to put monetary figures on.

In the words of the song by Joni Mitchell: “Give me spots on my apples. But leave me the birds and the bees. Please."

With thanks to Forestry Journal, where this article first appeared. 

20 / Trees

Your tree calendar

A month-by-month guide to planting and caring for fruit and garden trees Whether you’ve just planted your tree or are hoping for your first bountiful harvest, the different seasons bring different jobs.

Picking, pruning, planting – it’s packed with pleasures. “Looking after trees should be a regular and enjoyable process,” says Sam Pearce, ITF’s UK & Ireland Programmes Manager. “Fruit trees will need a bit more care in the medium term, as you’ll be wanting to keep them the right size and shape for optimum fruit production and harvesting.”

These are general pointers, but each tree will differ slightly, so check the label and ask advice for your specific tree, especially for fruit trees.

Trees are planted in the winter months as that’s when they are dormant or resting, meaning they can be planted without too much damage or shock.

And the tree can settle in with plenty of rain and establish a root system before growing again in spring.

“With our changing climate our weather is becoming less predictable, so if you can, try to get your trees planted before Christmas to give them maximum time to adjust before the spring,” says Sam.

HOW TO

As our weather patterns change, so too does the care advice. If your location is experiencing unseasonable temperature or rain, you’ll need to skip forwards or hold back. So getting to know your tree and what you expect from it, is key.

Trees / 21

Month-by-month November • •

Plant your tree Collect fallen leaves for leaf mould – an excellent ingredient for mulch

If you can, plant before Christmas

March •

•

December •

Prune dormant fruit trees. Aim for a balanced structure and cut off diseased or damaged branches. Try to give the tree an open centre, where air and light can come through, reducing mould. Pruning can be a fine art so do refer to fruit tree manuals for guidance

• •

January • • •

Protect young trees with a wind barrier Check stakes after storms; cut back damaged branches Feed established fruit trees with an organic fertiliser like bone, fish or seaweed meal

February

HOW TO

•

22 / Trees

Check hard frosts haven’t lifted new trees – firm them back down • Cut off lower branches if they’re blocking the light for grass and bulbs

Weed around the base of the tree – the weeds are competing with your tree for water and nutrients

April

April to September: Water weekly, if your trees are under 3 years old. Up to once a day during hot spells.

Prune frostdamaged shoots back to a healthy bud or 'stem junction’ Remove small fruit so trees can focus on building their roots and branches Watch out for signs of pests or disease – leaves should be healthy, uniform and green – unless your tree is usually yellow or gold

May •

•

Keep watering, especially on

sandy soil Prune any tree with a stone fruit – again refer to manuals for pruning advice

June •

•

Prepare for the ‘June drop’ – trees

naturally lose lots of immature fruit in June Thin out the fruit, so that what remains on the tree can get more warmth, light and air

July •

• •

Tear off any small growths at the roots. Trees are spending energy on maintaining these suckers. Tear, don’t cut, as cutting encourages them to grow back Check ties and stakes aren’t damaging the trunk Harvest cherries or other ripe fruits

August •

•

Weed round the base of trees if

it’s dry Prune fruit trees after harvest, especially those trained against a wall

All year round Mulching

It’s always good to mulch! Organic mulch adds nutrients, suppresses weeds and locks in moisture.

Simply lay organic matter around the base of the tree, not touching the trunk – it can be made of bark chippings, grass cuttings, compost, manure, or whatever you can find.

Weeding

A task for all seasons. Weed and cut grass short near young trees to stop competition for water and nutrients.

September •

Pluck ripe apples, pulling them off the tree with a gentle twist

October •

Rake up fallen leaves – they’re a feast for slugs • Check the details of your fruit tree.

Some fruits might want harvesting early, while some will be just perfect in October

HOW TO Trees / 23

Poetry competition ITF launched a national Poet-Tree competition in March 2024, inviting 5 to 11 year-olds to write a poem inspired by trees and nature. We were overwhelmed with entries, which made the task of selecting a winner very difficult for head judge, the spoken word poet and filmmaker Tomfoolery. After much deliberation, he chose Seasons of the Trees by Gabriel Slamka, aged 6 at the time of writing.

Seasons of the Trees

by Gabriel Slamka

The happy birds chirrup in the thin green leaves for worms take shelter because of big breeze.

Bees buzz around for nectar so sweet and for flowers it is a huge tickly treat.

The golden leaves sway around in the air and the birds migrate to the far away there.

POEM

The trees are sleeping covered in furry snow please put the bird food out for the very hungry crow.

24 / Trees

Hubble, bubble, soil & trouble Adventures in a world of extraordinary trees An excerpt from Oaklore By author and Woodland Trust Ambassador, Jules Acton

OAKLORE

BACK IN SHERWOOD FOREST AFTER ONE spreading out and around the roots towards of our many visits to The Medusa Tree, important nutrients and water, slowly my husband Toby and I sit on a creeping through the soil beneath bench, Pepe at our side, and our bench. In terms of reach they think about the things going are immense, but we still don’t on beneath our feet; this know the full extent of that whole world we hardly, if reach. ever, get to see, or rarely Botanist Ray think about. We now know Woods compares the that hyphae, the long, underground networks branching, threadlike of fungi to the networks parts of fungi are snaking of pipes and cables that about beneath our feet, support a busy city, in seeking out food. "In a Wood Wise magazine. gramme of soil – less "As with man-made than a teaspoon – you electricity and water can get 400–600 metres infrastructure, fungi are the of them," Andy told me. underground conduits that That is an awful lot of fungi. link and support woodland While an oak’s roots have been life." His memorable imagery Author Jules Acton found 30 or more metres from the highlights why we should be kind trunk – way beyond the leafy canopy to soil. Imagine if someone drove overhead – mycorrhizal fungi will extend that a plough through the plumbing system or reach even further into the soil around them, the electricity cables outside your home or

Trees / 25

OAKLORE

"These ancient woodlands and their soils and wildlife have co-evolved for thousands of years, creating diverse, distinctive, and valuable ecosystems that cannot be recreated"

Jules Acton at The Medusa Tree in Sherwood Forest

26 / Trees

trampled them to the point of damage. You’d be hopping mad about the damage to your support systems, yet this is what we often do to trees.

Our little underground friends are looking after us in their own way. This in part explains why ancient woodland, particularly, is so important and why, now it is so rare – covering only 2.5% of the UK – we should never destroy or damage it. It is not just about the trees. It is also about the fungi, and the wider system within the soil, all the things underground living in an intricate, delicate, balance.

These ancient woodlands and their soils and wildlife have co-evolved for thousands of years, creating diverse, distinctive and valuable ecosystems that cannot be recreated. And other soil? If it is somewhere else, not in our precious ancient woodland, does that matter? Well yes, it does to your street tree, your hedgerow tree. Imagine the damage their roots, their fungal systems face on a day-to-day basis. Soil needs pores, pockets of air, to function healthily yet so often the ground above the roots of a tree is trampled by people and vehicles. Think of the poor hedgerow next to a field that gets ploughed to the very edges.

On the other hand, if you have a balanced ecosystem, you also have stable carbon that stays in the ground for thousands of years.

Look after our trees and forests and we have a natural carbon storage system, which we all know is vital as we work frenetically to avoid climate disaster.

THE EXTRAORDINARY OAK TREE Britain has more really big ancient oak trees than the whole of the rest of Europe combined.

Oaks can live for 900 years, possibly even longer. It is said that an oak takes 300 years to grow, 300 years to live and 300 years to die.

Oak trees support more than 2,300 other species - birds, mammals, fungi, invertebrates, bryophytes and lichens - to exist.

And those are just the species we have counted. More than 300 of these can’t live without oak trees.

With thanks to Greystone Books for this adapted extract from Oaklore: Adventures in a World of Extraordinary Trees by Jules Acton. 

Oak trees are considered ancient at 400 years or more.

A long-lived oak can produce millions of acorns over its lifetime, but it can take more than 40 years for an oak tree to make its first acorn.

A 400-year-old oak would have been a sapling around the time the Mayflower left Southampton for America in 1620.

Imagine the history a 900-year-old has lived through.

OAKLORE

The Bowthorpe Oak in Lincolnshire is one of the oldest trees in the UK. It has a girth of around 42 feet (about 13 metres).

We don’t know exactly how old it is but some estimates even say more than 1,000 years. It is immortalised in John Clare’s poem, Burthorp Oak.

There are more than 49,000 ancient, veteran and notable oak trees, half of which are found outside of woodlands.

Trees / 27

Tree heroes Dorothy

Naitore Dorothy Naitore, a passionate environmentalist from Meru, Kenya, is leading efforts to restore degraded forests and promote sustainable living

TREE HEROES

DOROTHY NAITORE HAILS from the lush, vibrant region of Meru, located in the Upper Imenti Forest, Mount Kenya.

This area, known for its rich biodiversity and traditional significance, is home to the second-highest peak in Africa and serves as a natural migratory route for elephants, with the Lower Imenti Forest acting as a seasonal elephant maternity ward.

Dorothy, a proud mother of four, has dedicated her life to preserving and restoring these precious ecosystems, working tirelessly to ensure a sustainable future for her

28 / Trees

community and beyond.

Family is at the heart of Dorothy's journey. She understands the importance of nurturing the next generation and instilling in them a deep respect for nature. Her commitment to environmental conservation began in earnest when she started working with the International Tree Foundation in 2021. As the Secretary and ITF project contact person of Meru Forest Environmental Forest Conservation & Protection group (MEFECAP), Dorothy has played a crucial role in fostering community

Dorothy visits a tree nursery

cohesion and environmental stewardship in Meru.

In her capacity with ITF, Dorothy has been a driving force behind numerous conservation initiatives.

She has been instrumental in restoring 200 hectares of degraded forest land in partnership with MEFECAP, Kenya Forest Service, and Kenya Wildlife Service.

Under her leadership, 500 energy-saving stoves have been installed, significantly reducing the community's reliance on the traditional three-stones cooking stove, which are less sustainable, use large loads of firewood and produce heavy smoke causing respiratory issues.

Dorothy's passion for tree planting and nursery work is evident in her daily activities, where she leads by example

Dorothy believes that growing trees is akin to raising the next generation.

She emphasizes the vital role Dorothy's favorite tree is women play in conservation, the Meru oak, a unique and challenging the outdated traditional tree native to her notion that only men can region. She appreciates the plant trees. Through her Meru oak not only for its work, she demonstrates that ecological benefits, such women are equally capable of tackling The Kithoka tree nursery climate change now produces over 70,000 and fostering environmental indigenous tree seedlings resilience. and inspires others to join the cause.

annually, contributing to reforestation and creating jobs for women and youth

as providing a habitat for bees and aiding pollination, but also for its utility in agroforestry and timber production.

Dorothy's achievements are a testament to her hard work and dedication. She championed the establishment of the Kithoka tree nursery, which now produces over 70,000 indigenous tree

seedlings annually, all of which contribute to local reforestation efforts. This nursery, supported by ITF, not only restores degraded land but also creates employment opportunities for women and youth. Dorothy finds immense joy in seeing the positive impact of her efforts, knowing that the trees she helps plant today will benefit her community for generations to come.

In recognition of her tireless efforts and significant contributions, Dorothy Naitore truly embodies the spirit of a tree hero. Her story is an inspiration to many, demonstrating the profound difference that dedicated individuals can make in the fight to preserve our planet’s precious ecosystems. 

Become a tree hero Deforestation threatens us all. And it's happening at an alarming rate. But for tree-dependent communities in East Africa, the situation is catastrophic.

Temperatures are rising. Fertile land is vanishing. Natural disasters like floods and droughts are worsening. And the wellbeing, food and water security of thousands of communities are at risk.

But it's not too late. We can harness the power of trees to grow a better future. Trees are food-growers, shade-givers, crop-helpers and income-earners. They are droughtstoppers, flood-fighters, air-cleaners and planet-coolers.

At ITF, we’re training small community-based organisations to plant trees where they make the fastest, most lasting difference. Trees that will restore their local landscape and prevent future catastrophes, while also providing food and income for vital things like healthcare and education.

TREE HEROES

Donate today and help more women like Dorothy restore their local landscape and transform their lives through the power of trees. Visit internationaltreefoundation.org/donate.

Trees / 29

Old growth in the new world

PHOTOGRAPHY

Acclaimed US artist Mitch Epstein on his quest to photograph America’s oldest living trees, as told to International Tree Foundation’s trustee, Stephen Barber

“THESE TREES ARE SO ARTFUL, so expressive, there’s no consistency to their form… am I being anthropomorphic?”

Pioneering photographer Mitch Epstein is talking about California’s bristlecone pines, among the world’s most ancient living things.

From a core sample, one such tree was found to have over 4,800 annual growth rings.

“It’s an enchanted landscape,” he says, “it’s unsettling, the way these trees have endured, 10,000 feet up in thin oxygen and extreme weather — adverse conditions, at least for us.”

On the surface, it’s a departure for Mitch, but his new project has emerged organically from previous work, which has always been predicated on the intersection of human society and nature. In his series American Power, which won the Prix Pictet, a global award for photography and sustainability, in 2010, “trees were a leitmotif, although I didn’t realise it at the time”.

This led on to his New York Arbor project, in which he documented the idiosyncratic trees of New York. “There are so many immigrant species, it’s almost a metaphor for the city itself.” He began to wonder what the American landscape was like before colonisation — before 95 per cent of old growth forest had been cut down.

One day, in the early months of Covid in 2020, he took a tour with Bob Leveritt, an old growth forest expert. They trekked through the remnants of forests in the Berkshire hills of Massachussetts, where Mitch grew up. He

30 / Trees

now had the subject for his next project. “I realised I had to go west,” he says, “because that’s where the really ancient trees are.”

For the next four years, he criss-crossed the States, returning to the land of the bristlecone pines and the sequoias, “because it beckoned”. Before long, though, “whenever I left New York for a shoot, my mind was less on the pictures than on the inexplicable bliss I knew I’d find in the woods.”

In California, Mitch visited both the coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) and the giant redwoods (Sequoiadendron giganteum).

We are so familiar with images of huge sequoia trees, he says, that “we’re inured to their grandeur. When you see them in person you’re humbled.”

Not long ago, old growth forests were considered of little economic value.

Compared with new plantations, trees were too old and misshapen to yield commercially useful timber. But old forests and their ancient trees are havens of biodiversity, acting as huge stores of carbon, while playing host to thousands of species of insects, bugs, lichens and other epiphytes.

For Mitch, these venerable specimens suggest a meditation on his own mortality.

“Yet this project is not primarily about us,” he says. “It’s about wilderness whose value is not ours to define… These photographs are my way of […] inspiring the conservation of wildlands for their own sake.”

Mitch Epstein’s new book, Old Growth, will be published by Steidl in 2025. 

PHOTOGRAPHY

Patriarch Grove, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, California 2021

Trees / 31

PHOTOGRAPHY

Coastal Redwood, Grove of Titans, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California 2021

32 / Trees

Crossword

Test your knowledge on the theme of trees 2

3

4 5 1

6

7 8 9 10

11

12

13

14 15

17

16

18

19 20

21

22

Across

2 Quercus robur (7, 3) 4 Shiver tree; old wives tongue (5) 5 Confuses monkeys (7, 4) 7 Mountain ash (5) 9 Horse chestnut (6) 10 Canadian emblem (3, 5) 12 Macbeth's prophesied moving forest (6, 4) 14 Gin botanical (7) 15 1970s epidemic (5, 3) 18 Silver, downy (5) 20 Woof (4)

Visit internationaltreefoundation.org/crossword to check your answers and enter our competition.

CROSSWORD

Housman's Loveliest of trees (6) Famed giant sequoia (7, 7) Pocahontas' matriarchal ancestral guide (11, 6) 8 Capital city, flying vehicle, (6, 5) 11 Ornamental, potted, small (6) 13 Common or Irish; Fortingall (3) 16 "Save the Bethnal Green --- !" (8) 17 Tree garden (9) 19 Locks of an unmarried women (10) 21 Lebanon's Tree (5) 22 Linden tree (4) 1 3 6

Down

Trees / 33

My favourite

tree

Edwin Mwiti

ITF's GIS Officer

My favourite tree is the white sapote.

MY TREE

I first encountered this tree when I was a kid, visiting my uncle at the foot of Mount Kenya, on the edge of the forest. This tree grew huge at the entrance of his front yard and bore huge mouth-watering fruits that brought everyone together around the tree. Perhaps, that was the same magic which pulled us together during the Christmas seasons.

I carried some tree seeds with me and planted them in my home.

I am happy the tree is now big and bearing fruits. I love this tree because schoolchildren come to my home often to have a taste of the fruit. In the process they keep my mom company, so she is no longer lonely now that my siblings and I have all grown and left home for work.

34 / Trees

Robert MacCall ITF supporter

Of my favourite trees, three are gone. First; the elm outside my childhood bedroom window died of Dutch Elm disease. It was a favourite perch of wood pigeons whose cooing was one of my earliest memories. Second; a hollow oak – home to a barn owl, felled during the destruction of local hedgerows. Third, a hollow ash at the corner of a lane, which as a child I could climb into, felled when the land was sold and garden ‘improvements' made. I mention these because trees need our protection and care or we lose them.

One remains. An ancient oak at Fritham in the New Forest, 400 or more years old, where the road passes the pub and enters the forest.

I now live in Hamburg which is a very tree-friendly city; more so, I am sorry to say, than any English city I have lived in. City trees are valued (wrapped in protective planking when nearby building takes place) and planting and replanting takes place actively and regularly, making it a city of trees.

Donate today and help communities restore their local landscape and transform their lives through the power of trees. Visit internationaltreefoundation.org/donate.