News

Bee box update for World Bee Day!

by Alice Whitaker
Have you spotted our bee boxes?

If you look up, you may notice some of these boxes in the wood. In fact, there are now two very near to our compound – see if you can spot them. We were able to install these thanks to funding from Uttlesford District Council and the skills of Philip Smart, a member of the Bishop’s Stortford Beekeepers Association.

The bee boxes are already doing a fantastic job to support honeybees in our area, which are facing the dual threats of climate change and habitat loss. The boxes are important because they provide a home to native honeybee colonies when they swarm, which they do when their colony outgrows its home.  The more we can do to support them, the better, because a healthy bee population supports biodiversity – and crop production, they do a vital job pollinating plants.  

New footage of our bee boxes in action!

May is a busy time of year for bees, and thanks to our bee expert Philip and our volunteer Steve, we have some new footage of them in action this week!

Steve took this great video of the bees using one of the boxes earlier this week – there is also lots of bird song to be heard, including chiffchaff, robin and wren, so have the sound on if you can!

And earlier this week, Phillip spotted a ‘swarm’ beneath one of the boxes – can you see them here?

Making sure the boxes are ‘just right’

Much like ourselves, bees are quite fussy when it comes to finding a new home. Seeing them this busy is great news! Philip helps to make the boxes as appealing as possible to the bees by building the boxes an ideal size, making the entrance holes small, and positioning them well above the ground facing in the optimum direction. 

He also makes the boxes ‘smell’ just right (to the bees at least!) by putting some old ‘brood comb’ in the hive, painting beeswax onto the frames, rubbing propolis – a resin-like material made by bees – all over the interior, and adding a pouch of slow-release lemon grass oil, which mimics their nasanov gland secretion. 

This careful planning helps to ensure the bees move into our boxes and are less likely to swarm where they are not so welcome.

Our thanks again to Philip for all his hard work in building and installing the boxes.

We hope you enjoy spotting the bees in the wood when you next visit!

Save the date! Spring Open Day

by Alice Whitaker

Our Spring Woodland Open Day is taking place on Saturday 20th April and our compound will be open from 10am to 3pm – everyone is welcome to come along! It is a lovely time to visit the wood because the bluebells will still be in bloom and the trees will be coming into leaf.

Entry is completely free and we will have free activities for children including orienteering. The Hertfordshire Wood Turners will be here to give a demonstration of their work – and will be bringing along some of their beautiful work to sell.

You can also chat to our volunteers to find out more about the wood, the conservation work that we do, and how to get involved if you would like to play a part in protecting the wood for future generations to enjoy.

Donations will be greatly appreciated to help support our work in protecting and enhancing the wood, please bring cash if you are able to do so.

More details to follow but for now, save the date!

Log sales: where the money goes

by Alice Whitaker

Where does the money we make from selling firewood go?

Birchanger Wood is a charitable trust, run entirely by volunteers. No one draws a salary from the Trust. All the money we make from log sales goes back into the conservation of the wood. It enables us to protect and enhance the wood, and keep it safe for visitors.

For example, this money pays for our equipment, our vehicles, and the fuel we need to operate them.

We are registered with the Charity Commission (Charity Number 1178590) and you can read more about us, and see the details of our filed accounts, at their website here: Charity Commission.

We have sadly had to spend a lot of money recently on felling diseased ash trees, which has left a dent in our finances. Thank you to everyone who has bought logs from us – these sales make a big difference.

Please rest assured that we never fell a tree to make firewood. You can read more about when and why we fell trees here.

If you would like to be a part of protecting Birchanger Wood for future generations to enjoy, we are always looking for new volunteers. Please come along to our compound any Saturday morning at around 8.30am/9am, or contact us to find out more.

Why do we cut down trees?

by Alice Whitaker

Rest assured that we NEVER cut down a tree to make firewood. We only cut down trees to protect and enhance the biodiversity of the wood, or for the safety of visitors.

There are three main reasons we might fell a tree:

  1. As part of our coppicing plan. This is vital part of the management of the woodland to maintain and improve its biodiversity. It looks severe but is actually essential! And it can in fact prolong the life of the trees we coppice. You can read more here: https://birchangerwoodtrust.org/2023/01/26/our-new-coppicing-plan/
  2. If a tree is damaged, for example by bad weather. To make these trees safe, or prevent them damaging other healthy trees nearby, we sometimes have to fell them.
  3. If a tree is diseased. For example, many of our ash trees have sadly succumbed to ash dieback disease. This can leave them prone to dropping large limbs, so we cut down diseased trees if they are near to our main paths through the wood.

If you would like to be a part of protecting Birchanger Wood for future generations to enjoy, we are always looking for new volunteers! Please come along to our compound any Saturday morning at around 8.30am, or contact us to find out more.

Footbridge: notice of removal

by Alice Whitaker

As visitors may be aware, there is a footbridge behind Wickes / Pets At Home, crossing the ditch that runs through the wood. Please note that we will be removing this footbridge on Saturday 6th April. We apologise for any disappointment this may cause, but the bridge is deteriorating and does not meet healthy and safety requirements, and we do not want the Birchanger Wood Trust to be liable for any risk. This access path is not a right of way, and we only own the land on one side of the ditch so are not able to construct a replacement. 

Many thanks for your understanding.

LOG SALES SUSPENDED

by Alice Whitaker

We have now sold out of seasoned firewood and will not be selling logs again until next autumn/winter. Thank you to everyone who has bought logs from us! They are a vital part of our fundraising and your support helps to ensure the future of Birchanger Wood. Please check back here in autumn for up-to-date information on future sales

Log sales over Christmas 2023

by Alice Whitaker

We are OPEN on Saturday 16th December between 1pm and 3pm for log sales, £13 per barrow / £15 for a bag of kindling, cash only please.

NOTE that we are CLOSED next Saturday 23rd December and will not be selling logs that day.

Please also note that stocks are beginning to run low for our seasoned firewood, so we advise that you check back here or on our website before heading out after Christmas.

Thank you, and wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous 2024.

Stock up on logs for winter

by Alice Whitaker

Log sales resume at Birchanger Wood on Saturday 2nd September 2023 – please note that we are open in the afternoons only, 1pm-3pm, as we will be busy working in the wood in the mornings.

The price is £13 per barrow, cash only please. We will bring the barrow(s) to your car, and help you to load them into the boot if you would like.

The logs have been seasoning (drying) and are now ready to burn!

You can park at our compound – follow the track to the right hand side of the Scout Hut / water tower off Heath Row, through the gate and park up near our compound entrance. You can see a map showing where to find this entrance by clicking here.

A reminder that our wood is certified ‘Ready to Burn’ – this means that is has dried out enough to burn efficiently, which is better for the environment and better for your chimney! You can find out more about what this means at the Ready to Burn organisation’s website by clicking here.

All proceeds from the sale of logs go straight back into the conservation of this special wood, making sure that it is here for future generations to enjoy.

Thank you for your support!

A beautiful gift crafted from our own birch wood

by Alice Whitaker

As many of our visitors will know, Birchanger Wood borders Birchanger High School in Bishop’s Stortford. When Roger Newman, from the school’s Technology and Construction department, contacted us earlier this year with an idea, we were only too happy to help. 

He was looking for some birch timber to make a special gift for retiring head teacher, Dr Chris Ingate. We thought this was a great idea, and a wonderful reminder of the history of Birchanger Wood, which would have been used as a resource for building and furniture-making by generations past. We supplied the school with a large birch log that we hoped would be just right for the project.

Fast forward to summer, and Mr Newman has shared a step-by-step report with us on how the team at the school took the wood from log to a side table. He has kindly said that we can share some photos here.

Splitting the log was the first step – it takes real vision to see how this can become a table!

Normally, the wood would be ‘seasoned’ (dried out) for at least a year, but the team were short of time and had to improvise with some clever ideas to make sure it didn’t warp during or after manufacture:

They decided on a three-legged design, featuring curved legs, which involved some complicated angle calculations!  

The finished design is elegant and uses lots of different carpentry skills.

The natural beauty of the wood grain has been brought out with several coats of Danish oil.

Mr Newman noted:

“This was the point where the birch timber just sprang to life and showed us what beautiful grain structure and reflective qualities it has. We were truly amazed, and no photo has really managed to capture what it looks like in real life.”

We’re delighted that a small part of Birchanger Wood is making its way home with Dr Ingate and we are sure he will treasure it.

Woodland Open Day: September

by Alice Whitaker

SUNDAY 10th September, 10am-3pm

We enjoyed our Spring Open Day so much, we’re throwing open the doors to our compound again in September! The event, on Sunday 10th September, will have a range of activities for the whole community! It’s completely free to attend, although donations are gratefully received, and please bring cash if you are able to.

It’s a wonderful time to visit the wood, as the season begins to turn. Our team will be on hand to explain the work that goes into protecting the wood, and we’ll have items for sale to help raise funds. More details will follow soon, but for now, please save the date!

Find us at our compound just off Heath Row, next to the water tower. Everyone welcome.