Fallen tree blown down by Storm Arwen. Image by: Graham Holyoak.
A legend has fallen
Staff working on the Kielderhead Wildwood project are calling on nature lovers to help it plant more trees harvested from a very special tree in the Scaup Burn area of Kielder.
At the end of 2021, staff and volunteers were very upset when one of the oldest northerly Scots pine trees was destroyed by the gale force winds of Storm Arwen. This collection of trees is believed to be the only truly native Scots pine in England.
The 110-year-old tree was one of only seven Williams Cleugh Scots Pine trees left. It was found totally uprooted and lying on its side.
The six remaining Williams Cleugh trees on the Williams Cleugh itself and at Carry Burn managed to escape Storm Arwen unscathed.
However, the legacy of the fallen tree is set to live for future generations to marvel at as the project team has joined forces with tree seed collection specialists Forestart Nursery in Shropshire, who will graft the young shoots from the branches of the trees that are still standing, as well as from the fallen tree, onto a batch of Scots pine saplings for planting at a later date.
Restoration work does not come cheap so the project team is calling on anybody with any spare cash to help the team fund the operation.
Due to the specialist skills needed, the total cost of the process is around £12 per tree. It is going to be a very costly operation but needs carrying out to create the next generation of such an iconic tree.
Forestry England staff climbing the Canny Burn pine to collect the scions for grafting. Image by: Graham Holyoak.
Speaking about the project, Natasha Hemsley says: “We were all so upset that the tree has fallen. The whole reason for the project was to prevent the loss of the pines and conserve the DNA from the last population of such an iconic tree. But, by grafting and re-planting, the legacy of the pines is set to live on, so please help us if you can.” Anybody wishing to offer their support should visit www.nwt.org.uk/donate and select Kielderhead Wildwood.
The five year Kielderhead Wildwood project is managed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Forestry England and has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players via a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The project team is working towards establishing a low density, native upland woodland on 100 hectares of open heather moorland along Scaup Burn at Kielderhead.