The woodland
in 1997 I planted 350 trees on my land. The Woodland Trust supplied native broadleaf trees which included Oak, Ash, Field Maple, Hornbeam, Hawthorn, Hazel, Apple, Cherry and Rowan and I added White Poplar. The only evergreen was the holly.
'To investigate ways of collaborating with other beings we share this planet with is a central task for artists today. '
I have been interacting and evolving with the trees, my perspective is changing as I explore how we can have a less extractive relationship with plants. We now know a lot more about trees behaviour and the way they communicate within the 'wood wide web' and I write about this.
The saplings are 3 years old, they were tiny twigs inside the protective sleeves and I rejoiced when they finally appeared above the sleeves which had protected them from being nibbled by deer. If the bark gets nibbled all the way round they will be ‘ring barked' and die.
10 years ago, on advice from an arboriculturist, I had to thin the trees as they were overcrowded. It was very sad to see them felled but we made habitats with the piled up logs and branches. As the straight lines were disrupted it started to feel a bit like a real woodland.
Now they have matured and the trunks are thickening. Some I can only just get my arms around. But some have struggled to reach the crowded canopy for light and the time has come to do some more thinning out...
But this time I decided to give the trees a chance to be in service in a different way as I continue my quest to connect people to plants. They became pillars in my lockdown project - building a compost toilet.
The Tree Ogham
Read more about my ongoing project The Tree Ogham where I deepen my connection with the trees in the woodland.