Wonderful Woodlands

Woodlands are important habitats for many different animals. look inside this blog post and find out all about the wonderful forests and their inhabitants!

Where are the best places for a tree to grow?

Trees can grow almost anywhere as long as they have: a good water supply, sunlight and nutrients. There are lots of types of trees and the Ash and Oak are two of the most common types of tree in the UK

Do you see this tree in the picture? That is the Wych Elm. Its scientific name is the Ulmus glabra.

The Wych Elm trees likes to live on chalk or limestone rocks especially in upland valleys. What makes them different from other types of Elm is that they grow further North and cannot spread by forming suckers. It's favoured by woodworkers for building furniture.

There are lots of different types of tree. Let's look at a few!

Lets look at these trees first!

The English Oak

scientific name: Quercus robur

AT RISK OF DISEASE.

These amazing trees grow widespread across the UK in woodlands, parks and hedgerows. They are distinctly distinguished from Sessile Oak and are very difficult to tell apart because of its spreading rather than ascending branches, leaves with rounded bases on short stalks and acorns on longer stalks (peduncles). If the English Oak and Sessile Oak grow closely together then baby hybrid oaks can grow!

The White Willow

scientific name: Salix alba

The wonderful White Willow is known for its slender leaves and its pliable wood. This tree has white in its name because of its pale undersides of its leaves. It usually grows in wet marshy environments and beside lowland riverbanks.

The Silver Birch

scientific name : Betula pendula

The Silver Birch is easily identified as it has silver papery bark which becomes dark and deeply grooved as the tree matures. The branches have no hairs but have nodules and grow double toothed leaves. Silver Birches grow mostly in the south of England and in dry wooded areas.

Why are Trees so Important?

Trees are really important because they clean the air that we breathe by changing carbon dioxide in to oxygen. They also provide homes for lots of animals and are useful for providing wood (however we should only use wood which is sustainably sourced).

How can we Protect the Trees?

1. Reduce the amount of wood and paper we use, recycle what we do use. (See my earlier blog post on this).

2. Plant trees if you have the space to do this. If you do not then you can donate to a charity which can plant trees for you! If you already have trees in your garden, look after them!

3. If you play with sticks or leaves or use them for crafts then don't pick them from living trees. Forage for bits on the ground already!

4. Go and visit your local woods. If you are connected with nature you are more likely to look after it.

5. If you do go and visit the woods then stick to the footpaths if you can so that you do not cause any damage.

Just for fun!

Can you find the animals living in these trees/plants?

Credit to the Woodland Trust where I got a lot of my info from.