Tree report: 33,745 and counting
After planting 200 trees where our rubbish is buried, volunteers assemble for the Carymoor camera: (left to right) Richard Raynsford, Alan Fear, Debbie Fear, Bob Senior, Ian Rands, Nathan Pritchard, Terry Carmen, Anne Carmen, Hilde Senior, Janet Morland.
Who donated this year?
- Jan Morland: Monterey pine, 10ft plane
- D.C. Gardner: oaks and walnuts
- Gwen Jepps: 2 yews
- Ashton Otton: petisfora
- Clifton Brownes: walnuts
- Randses: hazel, sycamores and ashes
- Our faithful anonymous donor: 10 oaks, 10 ashes, 5 field maples.
These trees, plus some others from Chew Valley Trees, were planted down at the Butler carnival site along Common Moor Drove.
And who planted them?
This year, on several occasions, we have had the best turnout of volunteers ever: John Brunsdon, Terry and Anne Carmen, Horst and Shirley Elsebach, Janet Morland, Alan and Debbie Fear, Adrian Pearse, Keith Matthews, Richard Raynsford, Joe Keers, Andrew Bond, Tara Weightman and his brother, Derek Hankins, Stuart Marsh, Bob and Hilde Senior, Ian and Carol Tucker, Nathan Pritchard and your correspondent.
We helped at Carymoor by planting 200 of their trees on the landfill site where our waste is buried.
Apples
Many landowners in Somerset are grubbing out their cider-apple orchards, but we are seeking to replace this loss by planting varieties for eating and juicing. Somerset must keep its orchards. How would the tourism attract the trippers to the area without blossom in the spring and fruit in summer and autumn?
Over the past five or six years we have planted 1,025 fruit trees: all in straight lines to look like traditional orchards, but by types in clusters to simplify the harvesting. A small percentage of plums, pears, damsons, quince, cherries etc are permitted.
This last winter we put in 55 in Bushy Coombe, 7 in Cinnamon Lane, 30 at Chalice Well, and we are negotiating for a further 60 in Bulwarks Lane and Wick Hill for next winter.
To all who have helped in these works — thank you.
Grants: apple trees
To mark 300 years of Glastonbury’s charter, your committee saw fit to offer a grant (over and above the £10 per tree given by County Hall) of a further £10 per tree.
We felt that apple trees along Bulwarks Lane, in Bushy Coombe, along Cinnamon Lane and at the Chalice Well would enhance the environs of our town.
These plantings brought our total for this year to 445 and the grand total since the Conservation Society started planting trees 30 years ago to 33,745.