Autumn News 2025
- Trees for Dorset
- Oct 1
- 4 min read
Dear Trees for Dorset Member,
Welcome to October's update from your community tree group.
Firstly, a huge thank you to Rachel, Tony, Jane and Sheila who helped out at the hugely successful Morval garden opening on 7th September.
The garden in Studland was open for the National Gardens Scheme and Trees for Dorset did the catering to raise funds. Business was brisk all day and after a lot of hard work from the TfD volunteers we raised nearly £700.
Former Trustee Tony Warne had visitors enthralled with his knowledge of trees whilst the ladies and Simon spread cream and jam on the delicious scones and served tea, to refresh the garden visitors!
It was one of the busiest openings of a National Garden Scheme event and we have been invited back again next year to do it all again.
A Great days Tree Potting at TFD Nursery.
Back in August, ten volunteers helped pot 200 Black Poplar cuttings which had been taken back in March.
We are indebted to Niki Harper and the Wimborne Trees group for supplying the original cuttings material. These plants will be used to establish mother plants at Holme so we can produce our own cuttings in future.
This winter planting season is the first time we will have enough plants so we can start planting them back into the landscape. How exciting!
Events this Autumn
Volunteer days with Trees for Dorset are friendly events where we can get together to deliver tree benefits and make friends. We would love you to attend one of these events where you will get a warm welcome and be shown what to do.
Saturday 1st November Coppicing with Toby (Details Below) 9:30 am to 1 pm.
Sunday 16th November Nursery Day 10am to 1pm at Holme for Gardens TfD Nursery Seed sowing and taking chardwood cuttings.
Tuesday 25th November Annual General Meeting at Winfrith Village Hall
Saturday 6th December Coppicing with Toby (Details Below)9:30 am to 1 pm
Saturday 3rd January Coppicing with Toby 9:30 am to 1 pm
Sunday 18th January Nursery Day 10am to 1pm. Planting out Black Poplar mother plants. Harvesting seedlings and lining out in nursery.
Saturday 7th February Coppicing with Toby 9:30 am to 1 pm
Thursday 12th February - Members Annual Meal with special guest speaker. Details to follow. 7pm to 9:30pm
Sunday 15th February Nursery Day 10am to 1pm. Lining out hardwood cuttings
Saturday 7th March Coppicing with Toby 9:30 am to 1 pm
Sunday 18th March Nursery Day 10am to 1pm. Black Poplar cuttings and lining out seedlings from pots. Mulching.
Planting Dates
You will notice a big absence of tree planting events. We have 3 or 4 sites lined up for this winter and Toby is just sorting the final details. As soon as we have the dates we will publicise them for you spade carrying tree planters!
Coppicing Events
The first coppicing event of this season is Saturday November 1st with Toby Branston leading the group at 8 Acre Coppice Bovington.
Coppicing is an ancient rural craft that yielded many useful wood products with the added benefit that
trees and shrubs in the wood over time are rejuvinated keeping a balance of different aged wood in the plantation. This in turn leads to a greater diversity of wildlife living in the wood.
As there is less woodland management these days biodiversity in woods is reducing. Active management of Eight Acre Coppice helps maintain a healthy eco-system.
For more information and videos click on the link below to see the benefits of coppicing.
Why not Join Toby on Saturday November 1st between 9:30 am to 1pm
Further coppicing events will take place on the first Saturday of the month.
6th December
January 3rd,
February 7th and
March 15th
Coppicing Event Details
8 Acre Copse
Cologne Road
Bovington
BH20 6NR
Follow the coppicing signs from the road, wood access opposite No. 34 Cologne Road.
Please bring work gloves and suitable clothing.
Hot drinks and biscuits provided.
Contact Toby on 07950 725166 for info and booking
How many Acorns
on a single oak tree?
As you know this has been a bumper year for acorns in what is called a Mast Year where all the oak trees crop heavily and together.
Our Vice Chair Rachel Palmer has been collecting and counting all the acorns that have fallen from the tree in her garden as seen in the picture.
Just for fun have a guess at how many acorns she has collected from this particular tree?
*Answer at the bottom of this blog
Thank you so much to those of you like John Lockwood, who have collected and donated acorns for germinating in our tree nursery.
Although the acorns have virtually all fallen now, there is still time for you to collect some too. We would like you to go to the biggest oldest tree in your area and collect between 100 and 150 acorns. This should only take about 15 minutes.
Once you have done this please email me
so we can arrange to get them to me or for me to collect from you.
Please join in one or more of our events, we would love to see you
Best wishes
Simon Goldsack!"
PS Rachel's tree yielded 23,000 acorns on her side of the fence and she estimates another 7000 in the neighbours garden. This weighed 12 stone from just one tree, WOW!
There are estimated to be 170 million oak trees in the UK. If just one quarter of them produced as heavily as Rachel's tree that means in the UK alone this year 1,063,000,000,000 acorns have been produced. That is 3.4 million tons of acorns!!!
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