14th July 2022
Nettlecombe- ATF Devon Field Visit
ATF Devon visit to Nettlecombe
On Saturday 11th June the Devon branch of the ATF were hosted by the Field Studies Council at the Leonard Wills Field Centre at Nettlecombe. This is actually just over the border into West Somerset but those who made the journey were incredibly glad they did as we had a day of spectacular trees and glorious weather in a stunning setting. The grounds of the estate are made up of heritage parkland, ancient woodland containing many veteran oak trees as well as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its lichen communities. The veteran tree community was mostly comprised of oak but with a scattering of beech, sweet chestnut, sycamore and some planted exotics used in the landscaping, the estate has planted a small arboretum with some very interesting specimens now of a good age and size, but sadly we ran out of time and didn’t get to explore this area.
The day started with an introduction by Anelma Roberts, Senior Tutor for the FSC who gave us a brief history of the estate, of particular interest was the longstanding deer park which dates back centuries having possibly been created when the original oak woodland that dominated was heavily felled to contribute timber to the fleet that defeated the Armada in 1588.
(credit Julian Hight)
We were fortunate to have a selection of knowledge participants in the group and enjoyed wide ranging conversation, we were very happy to welcome Chris Knapman, former Chair of the Devon ATF, join us for the day to share his wisdom. Also thanks to author Julian Hight who bought his camera and had the presence of mind to take some photos which is more than I managed in the presence of these remarkable trees.
From among the wealth of trees we found on the day the more notable ones included:
- a huge surprisingly healthy oak that could potentially be a cluster of separate trees that have fused into a single goliath tree,
- an oak that had long ago lost most of its trunk and now had a single branch which served to cantilever the whole tree keeping it upright for hopefully many more years
(credit Cheryl Duerden)
- a cedar that was obviously introduced as part of the landscaping of previous generations but now a veteran, this sparked a conversation about how we value non-native trees in a changing climate
- The same cedar had several rowan saplings piggy-backing on the tree and growing in the decay pockets on the stem – the conversation grew quite animated about whether they should be removed in order to protect the cedar
(credit Cheryl Deurden)
- an insignificant looking hawthorn that was probably one of the oldest trees we saw on the day!
The discussions covered the protection from over-grazing that the trees were receiving having been fenced off from the sheep that helped maintain the wildflower meadows and we were really pleased to see that the staff were not unnecessarily tidy and felt able to leave fallen deadwood to decay in the shade of the trees. We also saw from a distance the new trees that the estate staff have planted to create a future generation of open grown field trees that will hopefully one day become veterans and continue the amazing legacy of this valley.
We also found plenty of the nettles for which the combe was named.
Many thanks to everyone who attended and ATF Devon for organising this visit.
Images supplied by kind permission of Julian Hight or Cheryl Duerden
Chris knapman says:
Posted August 24, 2022 at 9:18 am
A real pleasure on a beautiful day, to meet old friends under the trees once again. Also, to meet new tree people and to share knowledge. The trees weren’t bad either!