Our land: for ever, for everyone

In a new report the National Trust explain how managing our land can help address many of the serious challenges facing the UK. The report highlights 7 major 'functions' of land

• space for development
• production (food timber, renewable energy)
• water cycling
• carbon storage
• biodiversity
• landscape and cultural history
• recreation and inspiration

The report also contains various case studies from around the country (including the Lizard, Holnicote and Lytes Cary from this Region).

The report concludes with 6 major recommendations to government

• reconnect people and land
• think big, act locally
• develop environmental markets
• continue agricultural policy reform
• invest in research and advice to land managers
• encourage carbon-friendly management

You can download a copy of the report here

Our longest serving volunteer.

We have many volunteers here in the Teign valley, some come and go but some remain for many years. For volunteers, service medals are available for 5, 10 , 15 years etc. to recognise all their hard work. If asked, most here would say that Gerald is our longest serving volunteer, having done over 8 years with us. But there is another whose length of service is equal, and taken as a proportion of his life, much longer (8 times longer in fact). I refer to Dougal, Geralds' faithful (and hard of hearing) spaniel.

Dougal was a fixture long before I started here, it was well established that once put in the landrover after a job, he would autograph every seat with his muddy paws before settling for the drivers position.

Being (selectively?) hard of hearing he would often wander off on his own and have to be fetched back, meanwhile the wood would resound to calls of Dougal! Dooougal! DOUGAL! Perhaps he felt our legs and voices needed more exercise.

When it came to machinery, Dougal was blissfully unaware of any danger to himself, and he would regularly have to be physically carried from under the tracks or tyres of heavy machinery, the same was true of his road sense.

When tree felling, a double check had to be made to ensure that Dougal was secure or otherwise occupied, as he liked to wander under the tree at the last minute before it fell. I did once consider fitting him for a Hi Vis jacket to make him easier to see.

His favourite hobby when I first knew him was to stick his nose as far down a likely hole as he could, and drink in any smells with short, sharp sniffs. Such activity would keep him enterained for hours.

His bravery was legendary, he would bark at any other dogs, large or small which he did not like the look of, though he preferred to do this from a safe distance or from the Landrover. I remember him particularly standing up to two Rottweilers three times his size... who were securely contained behind a wooden gate.

He particularly enjoyed tea break when he might be allowed to sample whatever biscuits may have been placed in the tin, and lunch times when his dog biscuits emerged from Geralds' lunchbox.

Over the last year or so he preferred to sit in the Landrover rather than wander about on site, for which I think Gerald was secretly slightly grateful (and considerably less hoarse).

So it is that our story comes to an end, for Dougal, after a suspected stroke, was put to sleep. He will be much missed here, and work here in the Teign valley will seem emptier (and quieter) for his passing.

Arboreal black death hits larch

Phytophthora ramorum a modern day black death is sweeping through the larch trees of the south west bringing death and destruction. Sounds serious does it not. Well it is.

Technically, Phytophthora is a destructive parasitic fungi causing brown rot in plants.
Phytophthora are a large group of pathogens that cause diseases in plants, including many species of tree. The Greek-derived name literally means 'plant destroyer' from phyto (plant) and phthora (destroyer). The symptoms of infection include a black canker and black bleeds.

Linked to the 'Sudden Oak Death' from America the disease was mainly found in rhododendrons and rarely in trees in this country. In 2009 it was found that Larch was particularly susceptible and was a sporulating host. This means the fungi not only kills the tree but breeds and produces millions of spores. These are then spread in the wind particularly during damp conditions.

Infected larch has now been found throughout the south west, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The main problem that the National Trust has is that when the larch tree sporulates because of the volume of spores produced it can infect surrounding trees of other species such as beech, oak, and Douglas fir that would normally be resistant.

Faced with this problem and the need to protect our valuable ancient woodland which our larch is growing in. I decided to be proactive and bring forward our planned fellings and remove all the larch from our woodlands. Luckily none of it is infected yet but we know that it will be soon if nothing is done.

So the felling has almost finished on the Castle Drogo estate in the Teign valley, on the Parke estate at Bovey Tracey and will soon start in Hembury woods near Buckfast.

I am aware that the work will create a mess in the short term, change the nature of some of our woods and mean that some paths will need to be closed or diverted for safety reasons while the work is going on. However 'its and ill wind....' and its brings forward our aim to transform conifer plantations to broadleaved woodland.

But consider in a few years there may be no Larch adding their gentle yellow to the autumn show and their bright green to spring.

Consider also the Horse chestnut bleeding canker which is killing conker trees around the country, often trees weakened by the Chestnut leaf miner. This insect eats the flesh from the inside the leaves turning conker trees autumn brown in the summer all over central England. First identified in Wimbledon in 2002 and rapidly coming our way.

Then there is Acute Oak Decline a bacterial disease killing oak in some parts of the country involving one species of bacterium previously unknown to science.

I apologise for a blog of doom and gloom but these are difficult times for our trees get out there and appreciate them in all their glory.

For more information of the symptoms of Phytophthora go to:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/forestry.nsf/byunique/infd-5vfmzu

The return of Tree planting

Our Tree planting season here in the Teign Valley began with a group from Exeter college who spent the day planting with us in the chill winds of Dartmoor. After a few hours and a stirling effort from all, they retired to the Cafe at Castle Drogo to enjoy Hot chocolate.

Regular blog visitors will remember our tree planting exploits of last year, planting thousands of broadleaf trees to replace felled conifers. This year will be no different as we have many hectares to plant up which were previously occupied by Larch. More on this soon when more groups join us to plant trees.

Fungi at Hembury Woods SSSI/SAC

Penny bun or Cep (Boletus edulis) and Brown birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum)

Right...the dull legislation bit has been done in the last Foraging blog. The purpose of this one is to adress some of the issues surrounding collecting fungi for the cooking pot.

Does overpicking damage fungi? With a culture as obsessed with fungi as the Italians are they seem to have no problems, and the analogy that picking a fungal fruitbody is akin to picking an apple is correct, the mycelium underground is left intact.

What about the ability of fungi to reproduce being reduced by the fruitbody being picked before it can spore? Possibly... but some of each species are bound to escape detection and spore successfully.
As i hopefully hinted at in the last blog, common sense is the key. As a warden, if someone walks past me in Hembury Woods SSSI (where, legally speaking, they have no common law rights to pick fungi) with a handful of chanterelles i will say nothing. If they walk past me with a shopping trolleyfull i will have words. Again..common sense. As i said in the last blog, protecting habitats protects the constituent wildlife. The increasing loss of habitat is a far greater threat than foragers.

Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)

All i will add is that if all the fungi on a site are picked by those who want to eat them where does that leave those people (myself included) who like to see them and photograph them rather than pick them(as evidenced by the attached pictures) , who like to see them as a part of the constituent whole when we go for a walk, who like to observe which tree the fungi has a mycorrhizal association with, to see them in their natural setting? Therefore...please leave some for people such as myself , please leave some to spore, please leave some for the invertebrates to feast upon, and please don't trample other vegetation in your foraging. If some poisonous Sickeners (Russula emetica) are trampled in your desire to get to some edible chanterelles is this acceptable?

Take the guidebook to the fungi rather than the fungi to the guidebook. If you identify a poisonous species only after it has been removed from the ground, and then discard it, how is this justified against identifying it in situ without disturbing it. If we accept that most people pick fungi for food, and that very few people would call themselves experts, how many fungi are discarded through uncertainty? I am more thrilled to find a deadly species than an edible one but then they do say i can be a bit odd. Just some food for thought rather than food for free.

Larch bolete (Suillus grevillei) and Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Foraging, the law, and common sense

Foraging has become massively popular these days with more and more people looking for 'Food For Free'. One aspect that is barely covered is legislation, that is, what are your rights, and what are the rights of the landowner. This is going to potentially be a very boring blog but it is in response to various instances of being told by members of the public that they 'know their rights' when it is quite apparent they do not. Common sense on the wardens part is also helpful in not taking the law too literally.

• 
  If you are on private land for whatever reason, without explicit or implicit permission from the owner then you are trespassing. This is not a crime, but a civil wrong, so you cannot be prosecuted. You can be sued though. Where implicit permission is given- eg; National Trust land –you are ok.


• 
  The fundamental law governing foraging is the common law right to collect the ‘four ‘f’s – fruit, flowers, fungi and foliage’. This applies with two provisos (1) that the material picked is for personal use, not commercial gain, and (2) that it is growing wild.
  This principle is enshrined in the 1968 Theft Act.
  ‘A person who picks mushrooms growing wild on any land, or who picks
  flowers, fruit or foliage from a plant growing wild on any land, does not
  (although not in possession of the land) steal what he picks, unless he does it
  for reward, or for sale or other commercial purpose’
  What this is saying is that even if someone is trespassing they are not stealing.
  There are of course exceptions. On some land this right has been withdrawn with a byelaw forbidding the collection of any plant, fungus or animal eg; National Trust land, which has a byelaw stating that 'No unauthorised person shall dig up or remove, cut, fell, pluck or injure any flowers, plants, fungi, moss, ferns, shrubs, trees or other vegetation growing on Trust Property ...'.


• 
  Land made accessible under the Countryside and Rights Of Way (CROW) Act of 2000 confers no rights to collect wild food. The act states that a person is not entitled to be on the land if he ‘…..intentionally removes, damages or destroys any plant, shrub, tree or root or any part of a plant, shrub, tree or root.’ There is very little you can do on CROW land other than walk across it.


• 
  Conservation law is covered by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act which states that ‘….if any person ….not being an authorised person, intentionally uproots any wild plant…he shall be guilty of an offence.’ This seems to say that as long as you do not uproot any thing you can cut, hack and maim to your hearts content. Not very helpful. Certain plants mentioned in the 1981 act are on the ‘schedule 8’ list and it is illegal to damage them in any way.


• 
  Some of the best foraging sites are SSSI’s, and there are a couple of problems for the forager under the terms of the 1981 act which establishes these sites. When a site is registered as an SSSI, a list is drawn up of species which made it interesting in the first place and it is illegal to damage any of these organisms. Also published with the declaration of the site is a list of ‘operations likely to damage’ the SSSI. These activities are not necessarily banned, but consultation with, and permission from, Natural England is required. Within the list is a catch all along the lines of ‘removal of or damage to any plant, fungus or animal’.
  
  
  Adapted from The River Cottage Handbook (No.7) Hedgerows – John Wright (2010)

From the above it is apparent that on National Trust land our byelaws prohibit foraging, and that if you are on National Trust land that is an SSSI there are further restrictions. It is at this point as wardens that hopefully common sense comes into play. No one is going to get territorial over blackberries or nettles, but if someone is picking a plant that is noted in the designation of a SSSI then yes, a polite word may be needed. Throughout, common sense is important, both for the forager and for the warden. If you are foraging and are trampling rare plants to get to your 'free food' then perhaps you need to question your activities. If you are a warden stopping people from picking anything, then other than 24 hour patrols and security fencing you need to calm down.

Ultimately, the biggest threats to our wildlife, be it edible, poisonous, protected, on eight legs, with wings, or with fur, is loss of habitat. If the habitat is viable then everything else generally finds its equilibrium.

It is at this point that maybe i suggest there is no 'Food For Free', there is always some committed organisation caring for the habitat, so for guilt free foraging perhaps it is time to do your bit as well as your foraging, and join the organisation that looks after your favourite foraging spot, be it the National Trust, the Wildlife Trusts, the Woodland Trust or the RSPB.

If only this were Burrator!

Not strictly Dartmoor but I found it amazing so thought I would share it with you.

European Ibex on the Cingino Dam in Italy. Ibex are wild mountain goats (!) and eat mosses and lichens along with gaining salt from the dam wall.

Family Orienteering at Parke

Saturday 16 October, 11am-3pm: Follow clues and see if you can not get lost in the woods. Adult £4, child £2 (children must be accompanied by adults). Meet in main car park, grid ref SX 805 786. Booking essential (weekdays only) on 01626 834748.

Go Wild in the Teign Valley

Once again we are running a taster day for our Wild Tribe group for kids.

The next day will be on Sunday the 10th October at 10am at Fingle Bridge near Drewsteignton(for directions see our previous blog on the subject). The theme for the day will be Tracking, we plan to run a couple of mini guided walks at 10am and 1pm to show people how to use signs, tracks and trails to determine what lives in the woods and what it is doing.....

Boots and Beer Festival

The Old Inn and the National Trust in Widecombe-in-the-Moor are hosting a Boots and Beer Festival on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 October. As well as a range of walking and cycling opportunities plus local beer and cider on tap there are a whole host of other activities going on throughout the weekend.

At the Old Inn, in the heart of the picturesque Dartmoor village, there will be a range of real ales and local ciders, an outside bar and a barbeque including locally produced sausages, and a magician (Sunday only). There will also be offers on food and drink throughout the weekend.

Devon based band ‘Cat in the Hat’ will be playing live on Saturday evening at the Old Inn from 6pm onwards; featuring a mixture of blues and rock numbers from artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Paul Simon. The band is fronted by the legendary Bill Birks.

Over at the Church House, there will be a range of local cheese and apple suppliers selling their goods, including Quickes cheeses from Newton St. Cyres with traditional cheddar, young double Gloucester and a goats cheese; Fine Country Lifestyle with a smoked cheese and apple juice from their orchard and the Devon Juicer from South Hams with apple juice from their orchard. National Trust apple juice from Parke near Bovey Tracey and apple pies from the café at Castle Drogo will also be available to buy in the National Trust shop. Newton Abbott based company, Lazy Jacks, will be selling outdoor clothing on the upper floor of the Church House.

Kate Merry, National Trust Orchard specialist will be available of Saturday to answer queries and questions and to provide information about orchards in general.

There will also be Morris dancing on both days in the square and around the village.

Walking, orienteering and cycling routes starting and ending in the square between the Old Inn and Church House provide another great activity. The four mile walking route takes in Wind Tor and the seven mile walk visits the ancient settlement of Grimspound. Guided cycle rides (please bring your bike and cycle equipment with you) will start in the square each day at 10.30am.

Martin McConn, manager of the Old Inn says, ‘This promises to be a fantastic event with lots going on throughout the weekend including music, magic and delicious local food, beer and cider. Local Bed and Breakfasts are also coming on board with special deals for the weekend.’

Veteran Car Club of Great Britain - Finch Foundry

The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain chose Finch Foundry as a venue during their tour of Dartmoor last weekend. 24 of the oldest cars still on the road were on display and had travelled from all over the country.

Castle Drogo awarded ‘best visitor attraction in Devon’

England’s last castle was awarded a Gold medal at the prestigious Visit Devon Tourism Awards that took place last night (Thursday 30 Sept) at the Thurlestone Hotel.

In the category of ‘Best Visitor Attraction’, Castle Drogo was awarded the top award in recognition of the popular visitor attraction being of an excellent standard throughout.

Castle Drogo faced tough competition with over 60 other top businesses in across the county being put forward for nominations in these annual awards.

Judges praised the team at Castle Drogo for their absolute commitment to staff training and constant investment in standards.

Winners from the awards are automatically fast-tracked into the matching category in the South West awards.

Devon is one of England’s leading tourism destinations, with a diverse and top quality tourism industry that includes many former winners of national awards. The Devon Tourism Awards celebrates the achievements of tourism businesses and individuals that represent the best of the county.

Castle Drogo has become a year round visitor attraction and last year saw 128,000 visitors an increase of 25,000 on the previous year.

Catherine Maddern, Castle Drogo Visitor Services Manager said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to receive the top award. I was honoured to receive this award on behalf of all the team at Castle Drogo in recognition of the amount of hard work staff and volunteers put in to make it the top visitor attraction in Devon and one of best attractions in the South West.’

Rosie Bates, Visit Devon General Manager said: “It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to recognise Devon’s outstanding tourism businesses, we would like to congratulate all the Castle Drogo on their wonderful achievement, they truly are exemplars of what Devon has to offer to visitors from near and far. As these are the inaugural Visit Devon Tourism Awards we have been really pleased with the response from the industry to get involved and we look forward to running many more successful awards programmes in the future.