January 2021
Jubilee Wood – Nutfield Parish Council and Nutfield Tree Wardens
The pandemic has certainly wrecked plans for the planting of the new Jubilee Wood. The young trees have arrived, and are currently heeled in garden soil but they do have to be planted this year, no later than the end of March, so help is needed.
Restrictions mean that a community tree planting event which was to be organised by the Parish Council and the Tree Wardens, is out of the question. However, one person only arriving on site to plant and one other person there to show where to plant, is possible under the current regulations. Planting is good exercise after all.
Preparations beforehand will be everything. The little trees – they are small year old whips - will be put into bags of 20 containing five different tree species, and the bags brought to the site. Planting areas, each enough for 20 young trees, will also be marked out in advance by the Tree Wardens. Each bag will come with the right number of guards, stakes and ties. One of the Tree Wardens will be on site to show the next block to be planted. Volunteers will be contacted beforehand with online “how to plant” information, and written instructions will be available too. No previous tree planting experience is needed. The Tree Warden and the volunteer planter will keep at least 2m apart at all times.
We would like single volunteers to come forward: one
person only from a family. You will be
able to choose, or be asked to come, at a specific time and leave at a specific
time. You will be about an hour and a half on site. You will have to bring your own tools – a
garden spade and fork, secateurs, and if you have them, a mallet or similar for
driving in tree stakes, and a wheel
barrow might be useful. The ground is wet, heavy clay so strong boots and gloves
will be essential; and you will have to provide your own refreshments. Sanitiser sprays and wipes will be on site
should they be needed.
The date when this is to happen is the weekend of the 6th and 7th March. If the weather is really poor, then planting might be moved to the following weekend but that would be a last resort.
If you want to volunteer, please could you email Liz Ramsay (Tree Warden): lizramsay@aol.com, or Nicky Chiswick: parishclerk@nutfieldpc.com
Sadly for this year, we are going to have to say that no children can come to the tree planting. This is not the community tree planting event the Parish Council and the Tree Wardens wanted. But all things will end - the pandemic included. Jubilee Wood is an ongoing project, and next year, let’s hope, children, families, couples, everyone can be welcomed together to plant more of the new Jubilee Wood.
There is another special tree that will also have to be planted this year. The Nutfield Tree Wardens and Nutfield Parish Council have been awarded a special elm tree to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the national Tree Warden Network. It is also being delivered this winter but, as it is in a pot, there is less urgency to get it into the ground. The elm is Ulmus ‘New Horizon’, and is totally resistant to Dutch Elm disease, which over the past fifty years has killed mature elm trees throughout the country. There are no large elms now left in Surrey - only hedgerow ones. This elm will grow to a mature tree in time, and will be a key feature near the entrance to the new Jubilee Wood.
Planting weekend: 6th and 7th March.
If you wish to volunteer, please
contact
Liz Ramsay (Tree Warden) : lizramsay@aol.com
Nicky Chiswick (Parish Clerk) : parishclerk@nutfieldpc.com
To supplement the appearance, Nutfield Tree Wardens have received a Grant from Surrey County Council to place bespoke benches in the newly planted area. It is hoped that all users of the fields will enjoy the new trees and can rest for a while on the new benches.
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