November 2012

Inside this issue Introduction from Jo Pappenheim News & photos from:

~ Wild Crew ~ Ambassadors ~ Education ~ Sunday Working Group ~ Spooky Fun & Broomsticks ~ Recreation News ~ Events

As the evenings draw in and we think of cosy fires and warming bowls of soup, it is even more important to get out in the daylight and fresh air to maintain our energy levels. The time you spend in the beautiful Pinetum helping to maintain the tree collection, will be benefiting you as much as it will benefit the trees. If you haven’t volunteered yet but have been thinking about joining one of our groups, then why not come along to a Wednesday Wild Crew Session or our next Sunday working group? We are always keen to welcome new recruits. Just send us an email or phone to let us know when you would like to join us. jopappenheim@btconnect.com or call 01580 879842 Jo Pappenheim

Something to Say?

If you have any news, photos, or just have something to say, please email the Editor at burtonje@gmail.com in

time for the next issue. Deadline for December –

27th November

Sunday Friends Working Group

We had a beautiful day and a great turnout for the Sunday crew on 14th October. After lots of hard work cutting, dragging and burning, the team cleared the bank by the side of Marshals Lake. Now there is a majestic view of section 2 from the lake towards the hill for all to enjoy.

Top marks for the roasting bonfire and new volunteer mugs which add a touch of class to the well -deserved tea breaks! Next month the team will be meeting on Sunday 11th November at the area office car park on Park Lane at 10am, all new recruits really welcome. Words & Photos: Jo Pappenheim

Ambassadors Our superb team of Ambassadors have been meeting and greeting visitors since April last year. Visitors and staff have been very appreciative of the welcome and helpful advice the volunteer team can provide. Some of our weekday Ambassadors will be taking time out from the role over winter ready to join us for the new spring/summer season. Weekend Ambassadors will keep on working over the Winter period as and when the weather allows, but our trustee tent will be put away to keep safe until a new location is found for it in March next year. We still have weekend slots available for Ambassadors who may be able to spare a couple of hours a month. Please let me know if you could volunteer for this occasional commitment, it could be great excuse to get outdoors and enjoy the crisp fresh air. Why not volunteer with a friend and take a walk around the Pinetum too? All Friends and Forestry Commission staff would like to extend a very big Thank You to our volunteer Ambassadors for making this new role such a success. Words: Jo Pappenheim

Education It has been quite a busy month for this Education Volunteer. There were schools’ visits on 1st, 22nd and 24th when I was there, and I had to plead a funeral on the 8th when I should have been helping. The teacher at the school that was expected on 25th realised that he had made all their arrangements to come to Bedgebury the day before, 24th. It all goes to show how versatile David can be, finding someone else to stand in for me at short notice on the 8th and Cath was able to alert Debbie (who was to lead the school) and me on the Monday that we were needed on the Wednesday instead of the Thursday. Superman though he is, David’s extraordinary powers do not extend to when he is on holiday. The Ed Teams had two longish waits in the rain for schools delayed en route and resorted to sitting in my car until we saw a coach arriving. It brought up my desire to build a small shelter for us to the NW of the main car park. This is a recurring theme that I witter on about whenever we have a wet or very cold wait – and anyone lets me. Getting the children from the coach park area to the safety of the gated road requires the Lolly-Pop person skills that we all enjoy. We haven’t lost anyone yet. It never ceases to amaze me that a group of about thirty children can start from there to walk to the classroom and that by the time the teacher has reached it, the stragglers are fifty metres behind with the Education Volunteers sweeping up the rear. There were a couple of small groups of just under twenty pupils, this last week. The school on Monday had opted for “team building”. They were an adult down, so I was volunteered to take a place on the land-skis. Despite deafness making me unable to hear the group’s leader’s instructions, she brought our team home as winner of both races. I certainly enjoyed the fun, though they probably felt I held them back by not lifting the correct foot as they shouted the order. Despite awful weather at the start of Wednesday, we did manage to go out into the Pinetum to play some educational games and have a guided walk. That school was accompanied by their “class dog”, a rescue greyhound whom pupils took in turns to take on her lead. She was very placid and apparently comforts any of the Year 6 class that become upset. There are often a few dogs over in the Park Lane offices maybe the Ed Team could do with one of their own to soothe confused and troubled minds when trying to co-ordinate visits and Ed. Vols. That’s just a thought, like the shelter. Keith Stewart, Education Volunteer

Wild Crew

During October the Wild Crew have been working hard weeding and mulching the beds in the car park and Dwarf Conifer area by the cafe to keep them attractive for the visitors, and finding the occasional toad and robin for company!

Waders were the order of the day for when we braved the water logged area next to Marshals Lake helping to finish the clearing of Willow and Rhododendrons. The team worked really hard in very wet and boggy conditions and even managed to start a small bonfire! Words: Jo Pappenheim

Recreation News for October

Visitor Services

We are currently going through the recruitment process for the two new Visitor Services staff.

Visitor Numbers

After a very poor spring and early summer, August and September were very good months for visitor numbers and up 11% and 27% respectively on the budget. Let's hope for a dry October half term to round off a good autumn.

Landscape Plans

We are currently working with an external contractor to draw up a landscape plan for the Visitor Centre area. We are reviewing the work that has been done and what we would like to achieve over the next 5 years. We hope to have the final plans agreed by the end of the year.

Play Development Plans

We are also putting plans in place to write a 5 year Play Development plan for Bedgebury. Play is one of the most important popular attractions at Bedgebury. We need to maintaining what we have and also develop the offer. We are currently consulting with a number of schools and hope the plans will be finalised by March 2013

Mountain Bike Trails

The new end section “The Cake Run” of the 13km trail has been very well used over the summer and has been highly praised by riders. It is a great example of partnership working between the FC and BFCC (Bedgebury Forest Cycle Club). Upgrade and repairs to other parts of the trail have also been carried out and we are now working with the BFCC to plan for 2013.

Buildings Inspections

During November we will be carrying out our annual buildings inspections, including an update to the fire risk assessment. All identified repairs are then added to the contractors works programme for 2013.

Random Report forms

Please can anyone who finds a fault or breakage or anything else of concern to contact MarkClixby or Dan Jennings. This will help us to sort it out quickly and keep the site safe and well maintained

Customer Care Awards

The visitor centre staff, friends and volunteers have been nominated for the Kent & Sussex business awards in the Customer Care category. The two judges visited Bedgebury on the 18th October and we are now on the shortlist. The winner is announced on 22nd November.

Words: Mark Clixby

Pinetum walk 21st September

The September walk was led by Julian Dormady, the Pinetum’s supervisor and his subject was the health and safety of trees. The Pinetum is divided in to 3 zones for inspections, No.1 is the road & path edges most used by the public and is done once a year. No.2 are frequently visited areas, done every other year and No.3, the least visited areas, every 5 years.

Julian had prepared 3 cross sections of damaged trees to show us the effects of fungal attack – white rot on the outside and brown rot which destroys the heart wood. Fungal fruiting bodies can be a good indicator of a trees health; this is why we ask the public not to take them away. For example the edible Cauliflower fungus Sparassis crispa & Dyers maze gill Phaeolus schweinitzii both common on conifers, are root rotters. Other fungi can have a symbiotic relation with the host tree and are beneficial to their health. A by-law was created by an act of parliament to prevent the picking of

fungi in the pinetum. Another tree disorder we talked about was the effect of compaction of the earth around tree roots. A good example of this can be seen in the two Sweet Chestnuts behind the visitor centre. The one behind the boiler room, where the soil is well trodden is in poor health compared to the one further back which is putting on new growth. The ‘ Old Man of Kent’ is also suffering, but the Giant Redwoods are being helped by having footfall raised from their roots by the boardwalk. Trees affected by compaction can also be helped by reducing their crowns by 10%.

The oak tree at the start of the board walk has a weeping cavity on the trunk where a branch has fallen off and the hole started to callous over but rot has set in. This may not be good for passing public but is good news for wild life. A colony of bees has made this their home for a number of years. When a tree sheds a limb and becomes lopsided it will throw out new branches on the opposite side to counter balance itself. Autumn is a good season for detecting sick trees as the foliage can change colour earlier than a healthy neighbour of the same species. This can be due to disease, deer damage, drought or maybe root rock. An indicator of root rock is a band of fresh soil around the base of the

tree. Resin bubbles and twisted bark growth are other signs of tree movement. Ivy can make a tree less wind resistant and makes a tree more difficult to inspect but is good habitat for wildlife. Julian said that ideally no work should be carried out on trees as exposing cut surfaces can lead to

infection and fungal attack but this has to be balanced against public safety and the general health of the tree. If you see blue paint sprayed on a tree this is the ‘death spot’. The tree team have marked it to be felled. Other trees, whilst obviously dead, are left in place as they are not causing any safety problems, the site is not needed for replanting and leaves the tree team time to concentrate on more valuable work. Some dead trees are trimmed and left as ‘monoliths’ and others have had bat roosts cut into them; these are made by cutting a wedge out of the trunk, turning the wedge upside down and replacing it so as to leave a gap for the bats. A dead abies was being used as a winter roost by a colony of male pipistrelle bats, the tree was left in place until the bats had flown.

Broken branches under a tree are an obvious sign of a problem and the inspection has to determine why the limb was shed e.g. stress factors, wind damage or disease. Forestry Commission Research is constantly monitoring tree disorders and informs us about the symptoms, distribution and treatments whether it be felling, spraying or not yet know. The latest problem is Ash dieback disease likely to be caused by Chalara fraxinea . It has not yet been found in the natural environment in Britain but a consignment of infected trees sent from the Netherlands to a nursery in South East England was intercepted and destroyed. If anyone with a knowledge of the flora, fauna or history of the Pinetum would like to lead one of these monthly walks please contact me, Helen at helen.coggin@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or Jo Pappenheim. The walks are open to all volunteers and staff. The purpose is to increase our knowledge of the pinetum for visitor information. Words & Photos: Helen Coggin

Events Midwinter Fair Thursday 22nd November - Saturday 24th November at the walled garden. You will find everything you need for the perfect Christmas. Bedgebury will also have a stall selling natural festive gifts including rustic wreaths, bags of cones and stocking fillers for children. Gift membership packs will also be available. Tickets available www.wealdentimes.co.uk, or call 0800 294 9011 Christmas Gift membership Stuck for a unique Christmas gift? Why not give an annual gift membership to Bedgebury. Membership for a family is only £56 which includes unlimited visits, Free Discovery Pass discount card and free entry for one named member to other botanical gardens, including Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place. Gift memberships can be purchased at the Bedgebury information office, either over the phone or in person.

Spooky Fun and

Broomsticks On Halloween visitors were invited to make their own spooky ghosts and spiders and decorate cakes. Children of all ages thoroughly enjoyed the Pumpkin trail through the Pinetum and raced back to claim their prize once they had discovered the magic word –“Broomsticks”. In the afternoon they were treated to magical story telling by our favourite story telling Witch. Special thanks must go to Ben Dearsley who produced the imaginative Pumpkin trail, our hardworking team of Pumpkin carvers and Jacquie, Sarah and the Visitor Services team for helping to organise the trail and handout prizes. The craft

activities gained great feedback from visitors. Very well done and thanks to Liz, Isobel, Eleanor, Nancy and Helen who made the morning such a success. Also a big Thank You to Dot for being our truly wonderful story telling witch.

Words & photos: Jo Pappenheim