#veteran trees

[rherlotshadow]

Oak

[rowanleaves]

[bumblebeeappletree]

We meet professional arborist and furniture maker Duncan Young, to learn about his passion for veteran trees and the unique timber they produce. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe

Duncan is passionate about trees, in every iteration. He splits his professional time between caring for living trees as an arborist, and his practice making timber furniture, much of it from timber that he himself has cut.

“I was a rock climber which is how I fell into arboriculture, and then I just had access to all of this timber. I saw so much being chipped into mulch, but at the same time, I was learning quickly about the flora and fauna related to these trees. The incredible habitat value but also the timber, I could see how valuable they really were”.

Duncan started salvaging some timber, carving the odd spoon. But has now taken his making to a new level, buying a portable Mill, studying design and now furniture making at the renowned SA craft institution, The Jam Factory. “I guess over time I am trying to amalgamate my careers; I work in the human effort, the dirt and dust of managing trees, but also exploring what I see as the juxtaposition between our constructed world and nature. Capitalism values scarcity but the environment values abundance – that is what I am interested in”.

As an arborist, Duncan is a specialist, caring for what he calls ‘Veteran trees’, those that are so commonly misunderstood or even lost. “Primarily my focus as a furniture maker is on native timbers and trying to highlight their inherent beauty and value. Oak is seen as more valuable than eucalypt, a big focus of my work is to change that perception”.

Duncan’s respect for trees is inspiring, participating in every part of the process of valuing them. Firstly, working to retain veteran trees, to inform and educate people of their irreplaceable value but then also honouring the useful, beautiful, and unique timber they produce.

Featured Plants:

RIVER RED GUM - Eucalyptus camaldulensis

IRONBARK - Eucalyptus tricarpa

BLAKELY’S RED GUM - Eucalyptus blakelyi

Filmed on Kaurna & Peramangk Country | Adelaide, SA

[woodlandtrust]

Is the selling off of MoD bases bad news for ancient woodland?

When you think of major landowners in the UK, the Forestry Commission, National Trust and the Crown Estates are likely to spring to mind. Between them they look after tens of thousands of woods, well over a billion trees and more than three million acres of our soil. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is also right up there, controlling 2% of the UK’s land. This is all set for a major shakeup though.

In November 2016, the MoD published A Better Defence Estate, committing to reducing costs and in turn its landholdings by 30% by 2040. In total 91 of its sites are to be sold off, earmarked to help it meet its government target of delivering land for 55,000 new houses.

How could ancient woodland be affected?

[rherlotshadow]

Oak

[rherlotshadow]

The Seymour Oak: veteran oak in Savernake Forest in its summer garb: cloak of leaves, skirts of ferns, a robe of moss.

[rherlotshadow]

Seymour Oak: veteran oak in Savernake Forest

[rherlotshadow]

The Spiral Oak, Savernake Forest