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Trees 

All agree that more trees are needed throughout the world to capture and store carbon and enhance biodiversity. AAFAF members are supporting the effort to plant more native trees in the Ambleside area and maintain them after planting. On this page we describe some of our projects.

You can read longer reports on work at Birdhouse Meadows and of Three Years of Tree Planting at the links.

Rydal Beck
In February 2020 we had the opportunity to go to Rydal to learn about maintaining recently planted trees from Simon Stainer of Natural England and Peter Leeson of The Woodland Trust.

We have continued this work in plantations on both sides of the beck close to Buckstones Jump in 2021, 2022 and 2023, working with Steve Hebblethwaite from the Woodland Trust. To the west of the beck the young trees are very susceptible to both wind and deer and we have had to restake some each year but many others are thriving.
On the east side of the beck under Humphrey Crag the trees were planted with short spiral protectors and were being eaten by sheep as soon as shoots appeared over the top of the protectors. We have now replaced all of these with longer stakes and tubes. Thousands of young trees have been given a new opportunity for life in this way. 
Many trees in two lower walled plantations on the west side of the beck have grown well without intervention and are now outgrowing their plastic guards. Another task we have started in this area is to remove such guards and ensure that they are recycled properly in a specialised facility in Carlisle. At the same time we have been removing guards and stakes in good condition to be used in our other projects in Rydal and elsewhere.

Todd Crag
​In spring 2021 we identified the trees planted in cages on Todd Crag about ten years ago as in need of maintenance, including removal of bracken. After obtaining permission of the owners and tenants of the land, we carried out a survey of the species and condition of each tree in the wooden and metal mesh cages, some 150 in all (the wooden cages are readily visible on the satellite view in Google Maps). We also replaced some that had not survived with new trees provided by the Woodland Trust.
In autumn 2021 we spent three days planting more trees in this area. On the first day, with support from Steve Hebblethwaite from the Woodland Trust and members of the BOOM project (Back on our Map) from the University of Cumbria, we were able to complete planting in all of the wooden cages around the main path heading to Lily Tarn and we created four small spinneys outside the cages to provide habitats for birds, mammals and insects. On the other two days smaller groups finished planting the cages in the SSSI field above Deer How’s Wood.
In February 2023 a further 36 trees were planted above Fishgarth's Wood.
Finally in December 2023 we completed the task or ensuring that all cages are fully planted with the addition of about 60 saplings to the west of Lily Tarn. The task from now on will be to ensure that all trees continue to thrive by clearing bracken annually and filling in any gaps that appear.
At various times we have planted a mix of sessile oak, downy birch, bird cherry, aspen, dog rose, hawthorn, alder buckthorn, and crab apple.
We are now cutting down bracken around these trees as it grows each June and eventually expect to eliminate it.

Deer Hows Wood and surrounding fields
In summer 2021 we noticed that the ancient oak woodland Deer Hows Wood on the foothills of Loughrigg has been so grazed by deer and sheep that it has no understory. But looking down at our feet were hundreds of last years saplings, which each winter get eaten. We discovered that the wood is part of a larger area owned by the National Trust, and met with them and the Woodland Trust to arrange to protect the saplings.
With the permission of the National Trust and the tenant farmer so far we have protected well over 100 saplings, primarily oak, and a few hazel, rowan, and birch, with recycled plastic tubes from other plantings, and wooden stakes provided by the Woodland Trust, both in the wood and nearby in a smaller wood and fields by the river Rothay.
While planting we noticed a marsh tit, which is on the red list, as well as flycatchers, woodpeckers and buzzards. These and other species need a rich understory to thrive. 

Lunch after a successful morning's planting

Above Low Sweden Bridge
There are more than 100 cages planted with trees above Low Sweden Bridge. While many of these have thrived and are 2 - 4m tall, some have been overwhelmed with bracken and died. During the spring and early summer of 2022 we cleared dead bracken and in June had a bracken bashing session to remove fresh growth. We also catalogued the trees in each cage. In February 2023 we planted 140 new trees over two days so that each cage now has four live trees.

Aspens in Rothay Park
In December 2022 the Back on Our Map (BOOM) Team, led by the University of Cumbria and Morecambe Bay Partnership, working with the MIND in Furness group, and helped by AAFAF members planted aspen trees in Rothay Park to help to address the loss of these rare trees, grown by BOOM volunteers from local aspen tree stock across Cumbria. it also marked the start of encouraging natural regeneration of trees in Ambleside following storm Arwen by protecting them from deer.

A hedgerow around a local field
In January 2023 we had the opportunity to spend a morning with Steve Hebblethwaite of the Woodland Trust  planting over 100m of hedgerow around a field belong to an Ambleside resident. A variety of broadleaf species that will flower at different times of the year were planted, contributing to biodiversity within Ambleside. We again worked with the BOOM team and their partners, including students from the university.

Birdhouse Meadows
In March 2023 two of our members helped Rab Smith, National Trust Area Manager, to plant about 100 alder, birch and other saplings along the bare stretch of river bank in Birdhouse Meadow. To these they added about 50 willow cuttings from the pussy willow on the bank, pushing them into the ground close to the edge and into the vertical side with the aim of stabilising the bank, which has been eroded by floods.
Unfortunately a long stretch of dry weather meant that not all were successful and in November 2023 more hazels, alders and willows were planted. The bank is now densely planted with willow pegs all the way along the bare stretch. Alders and hazels were planted further from the river bank in ten groups of three, avoiding the path made by walkers. No plastic guards have been used because of the danger of them being swept into Windermere by floods; instead each sapling is supported by a stake and twine.
Thanks again to Rab Smith and Darryn James of National Trust Windermere for support and for providing the alders and hazels.

Watch the video of Peter Leeson explaining his work on planting trees in Cumbria.

Visit The Woodland Trust website to learn of their work nationally.

Registered Charity Number 1188921