Tree Amble

John Phillips manages the long horn cattle in Epping Forest - John's episode is third in our series of 4 podcasts about Epping Forest. This amazing 6000 acre ancient woodland and site of special scientific interest is literally cheek by jowl with the city of London - the woodland sits mainly between the London boroughs of Chingford and Epping - an area of woodland that rises not far from the city and travels north and east out to the M25. Its management history goes back 1000's of years of cattle grazing and tree management through pollarding and coppicing of trees. Its conservation status is fascinating too as it was the first major win for conservation in the UK through the forest's acquisition and safeguarding by the City of London by act in 1878. Today the forest receives 10,000,000 visits a year. Our 4 episodes consider history and people, pollard management, cattle grazing and the future extension of the forest northwards.

Tom Boughton's episode kicks off our series of 4 podcasts about Epping Forest. This amazing 6000 acre ancient woodland and site of special scientific interest is literally cheek by jowl with the city of London - the woodland sits mainly between the London boroughs of Chingford and Epping - an area of woodland that rises not far from the city and travels north and east out to the M25. Its management history goes back 1000's of years of cattle grazing and tree management through pollarding and coppicing of trees. Its conservation status is fascinating too as it was the first major win for conservation in the UK through the forest's acquisition and safeguarding by the City of London by act in 1878. Today the forest receives 10,000,000 visits a year. Our 4 episodes consider history and people, pollard management, cattle grazing and the future extension of the forest northwards.

We meet coppice worker Lee Bassett on a Cumbrian farm talking about his work to bring farm woodlands back into economic use and value to farms. Given the increase in planting on farms we need to value wood on our farms either using it directly or for sale. Lee is especially interested in bringing sweet chestnut into use in Cumbria, and on this farm discusses how it might be planted, managed and used.

Andy and Kathy Swinscoe have developed, from very small beginnings, a cheese retail business that now employs over 20 people in the heart of Yorkshire. The business has been located just outside Settle since 2017 and has grown to include the Cheese Shop, cheese production facility, museum and restaurant. Andy has spent a life in and around cheese both as a retailer and as maker in the UK and in France - his knowledge about cheese is astounding. We went to interview Andy because of the effect his business is having on a small but beautiful resurgence of quality artisan farm cheeses in Yorkshire and the wider UK. Can we bring back jobs and culture, through farm house production, to our uplands which are suffering the loss of young people and jobs?

The second agroforestry show is coming to Woodoaks Farm, Maple Cross in Hertfordshire on 10th and 11th of September. Here at tree Amble we really support the bringing back together of trees and farming - particularly with all the benefits for animal welfare, productivity and nature that can be gained from well planned agroforestry systems. So, we went to chat with site manager Steve Dutch at Woodoaks and also met with Rose Lewis (Steve's boss!) to talk about how Woodoaks farm came to the SA and there thinking around soils and agroforestry.

As a younger man Peter got involved with remediating derelict land in Scotland's central belt. His work eventually exposed him to using trees to aid restoration and before long he discovered that aspen was used all over Europe for restoration but not at home. Research and grant aid later finds him collecting and growing aspen clones for planting on remediation sites and then a journey into trees.....