Two thousand whips – tree-mendous!

Dear Editor,

ONE of the pleasures of being the Leader of Harlow Council is being given the chance to visit some of the more secret, behind the scenes spaces, where so much of the work that makes Harlow such a special place to live, goes on.

Earlier this week, I had such an opportunity when I visited with the staff and volunteers of Parndon Wood. Despite the torrential rain, I was given an up-close tour of the site and an explanation of the work they do.

Our Landscape and Biodiversity Officer showed me areas of new tree planting and explained that staff and volunteers had planted about two thousand trees in wooded areas and hedgerows around Harlow last year. The trees were “whips”, only a year or two old, and a metre or so high, and so it will be years before they truly make a visual impact, but their significance in being a part of a green legacy that this generation can gift to the children of this town is immeasurable.

I also had a glimpse of the tree nursery, an area where young native species, either donated by the public or collected by volunteers from areas adjacent to the wood where they had self-seeded, were kept.

The final part of the tour, where the practice of coppicing was explained, was particularly interesting. This is the centuries old arboriculture method of forest maintenance where under-story trees are cut down on a cycle, opening the canopy and promoting new growth, a practice that encourages bio-diversity and maintains the long term health of the forest.

Parndon Wood has already won many national awards including the prestigious Green Flag award and my visit confirmed exactly why that is the case. There are exciting plans for the future too.

In an age where environmental awareness is at last coming to the fore, Parndon Wood and its team of staff and volunteers provide a shining example of what can and should be done. If you haven’t been already, I’d recommend a visit.

Regards

Mark Ingall
Leader of Harlow Council