The OneOak project was launched publicly yesterday with the felling of the 160 year old oak tree.
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Nick Baimbridge (tree feller) and Tudor Stone (tree surgeon)
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hot chocolate kept guests warm
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Peter Toaig and Garry Olson
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chanting “cut it down” and excitement show on children’s faces
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a child enjoys the day despite the rain and snow
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Paul Orsi – Head Forester at Blenheim
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Tree surgeon, Tudor Stone, removing the last branch
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the felling of the OneOak tree begins
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the freshly felled OneOak tree
More than 400 people braved the snow and sleet to walk into the wood on the Blenheim Estate. Two hundred and fifty primary school children displayed work that they had been doing under the project for other guests to see. Hot chocolate, brewed on an open fire, warmed cold fingers. Demonstrators showed guests how oak is cleaved to make roofing shingles, how charcoal is made, and how green wood is turned. The first product from the tree, firewood logs, was made by a local firewood merchant. Researchers from Forest Research decended on the felled tree to start weighing every branch and twig.
These and many more were just some of the highlights of the day. The felling of the OneOak tree was dramatic and touched every one watching in different ways.
We owe a huge thank you to everyone who supported us on the day, and to those who will continue to work with us in the project. Please come back here soon to see photos and video taken at the event today, to find out the results of the research, and to see how many beautiful things we can make from the OneOak tree.
Read more on our project website: www.OneOak.info
Country Life, 20 January 2010, p.33.
The public launch event of our OneOak project was featured on local and regional BBC coverage today. BBC Radio Oxford broadcast an interview with Sylva Chief Executive Gabriel Hemery during their breakfast show, as did BBC South TV. During the evening, a live interview was broadcast on Radio Oxford, and a short feature on regional evening TV news.
We have been working closely with the Silvanus Trust in South West England to develop a regional myForest Service. The concept is that regional NGO partners will administer myForest locally and support woodland owners.
We hope to take this forward with other regional partners across Britain during 2010.
The felling of the majestic oak tree on the Blenheim Estate, under our OneOne project, is now just one week away.
Many artists have been working for some time on the project, to capture the beauty and character of the tree and surrounding woodland.
To read more visit our dedicated blog to the OneOak project: http://www.sylva.org.uk/oneoak/blog/
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Artist Rebecca Hind at work
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Oak Moon by Rebecca Hind
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OneOak in snow by Sam Scott-Hunter
Today, SYLVA gathered together ten leading forestry experts at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford. This was the final step in completing an EU research programme undertaken as part of our think-tank work.
The research programme is entitled Prospects for the market supply of wood and other forest products from areas with fragmented woodland ownership structures. The research programme is being led by the Confederation of European Forest Owners and involves several European countries.
SYLVA was contracted by ConFor to deliver a study of the English forestry sector as part of this study. The ten experts who attended today’s focus group represented many parts of the forestry sector including major NGOs, large estate managers, private owners of small woodlands, and academics. As part of this work SYLVA’s Director of Forestry, Alistair Yeomans, has already completed an extensive review of literature and interviewed many experts in the industry.
The final written report will be completed this week. We hope to make it available on our website some time in the future at www.ForestryHorizons.eu
Gabriel Hemery reports with Jo Clark on field trials established in 2003 to test five walnut hybrid varieties. Planted within an innovative silvicultutral mixture, five years on, some have shown outstanding growth. The relatively fast growth of this hardwood-producing tree may prove to be a valuable component in some new plantation woodlands, particularly short rotation forestry systems.
More details of the paper can be seen in our Forestry Horizons resources database.
