As part of a ten point plan for a green industrial revolution for the UK to become carbon-neutral a new government initiative was announced at the end of 2020 to plant more trees up and down the country. A cash boost of almost £4 million will see hundreds of thousands of new trees planted in towns and cities and near to rivers to reduce flood risk. This will help meet the government’s commitment to increase planting to 30,000 hectares per year across the UK by 2025.

A budget of £2.5 million will support schemes led by DEFRA, Natural England and the Tree Council to develop five pilot schemes to be delivered by Local Authorities. To encourage innovative, cost-effective ways to plant trees outside of woodland areas over the next two and a half years.

The Environment Agency has been awarded a further £1.4 million to fund 15 projects to plant over 850,000 trees that will aim to protect around 160 km of river, to help reduce the risk of flooding.

On the back of this government initiative BBC One’s Countryfile programme has launched its very own ‘Plant Britain’ project. Over the next two years the nation will be encouraged to plant trees, plants, fruit and vegetables, with prompts to add details of their efforts to an interactive map that can be found on the BBC website:

Ferring Conservation Group thoroughly endorses this initiative and would like to encourage the residents of Ferring to plant trees in their gardens or grass verges, if they own them. This would not only help to redress the problem of many local trees being felled in recent years but also provide good wildlife habitats.

If you are buying a tree then please try to use one of the very good local nurseries or garden centres and focus on buying a native tree, remembering to check it is a suitable height and spread for the intended site. Fruit trees are a good choice too as they provide food for a variety of wildlife; including birds, mammals and insects.

Trees play a remarkable part in cleansing the air by removing excessive CO2, making a significant contribution to fighting climate change. A mature tree will capture around 48 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere and lock it safely away. Trees can also help to absorb sound and as well as provide welcome shade during the summer months they can act as a useful wind break in an exposed garden. As they can soak up a good amount of water this can help to reduce boggy areas in a garden or grass verge. A wide variety of species can be very attractive and can make a welcome addition to the locality. Field Maples, Silver Birch, Hazel, Holly and Rowan trees are a good example of suitable native trees for a garden.

We would love to see more trees being planted in local gardens and open spaces.

For easy reference please follow the guidance below:

Happy Planting!

HOW TO PLANT A TREE

Equipment:  

Tree in a container

Bucket

Watering Can

Spade and Fork

Stake and Tie

Tree guard or spiral

Mulch (organic matter like chipped bark)

The best time to plant is between October and April taking care to plant your chosen tree in a suitable location taking into consideration the eventual height and spread.

• Dig a hole three times as wide as the pot and the same depth. Loosen the soil around the hole with a fork.
• Thoroughly soak the root ball in a bucket of water before planting.
• Loosen the root ball to encourage roots to grow into the soil.
• Place the root ball in the hole so that the point where the roots meet the trunk is level with the surface of the soil surface.
• A piece of wood can be useful to check the level.
• Refill the hole ensuring there are no air pockets around the roots. Firm the soil around the tree making sure the stem remains upright.
• Use a tree guard or spiral if your garden has wildlife visitors who may want to nibble the bark.
• Water well. Add a 5-8 cm (2-3in) layer of mulch but leave a 10cm (4in) mulch-free collar around the base of stem.
• Top-heavy trees will probably need staking. Put the stake firmly at a 45 degree angle – use a hammer to make sure it’s secure.
• Now attach a tie to your tree to support it in windy weather. Garden centres can show you how to do this when you buy it.

In recent weeks, small groups of FCG volunteers have been carrying out practical work around the village in a socially distanced fashion before the second lockdown took effect.

Firstly, the annual clear up of the Warren Pond was held, in partnership with the Parish Council who of course own the pond. Bramble, some ivy and other competing vegetation was cut back which allowed for better views of the pond, as well as generally improving the look of the area. The hired in skip was quickly filled with cuttings and it was generally agreed that a good morning’s work was completed. Recent sightings at the pond include a Little Egret and Heron, which appear to be roosting here.

The next work party concentrated on the Community Orchard at the Glebelands recreation ground, where the grass had been already cut by Arun DC. This was raked up by the volunteers to improve the chances of wild flowers flourishing there, plus there was weeding around the tree themselves and finally some planting of daffodil bulbs in the orchard surrounds. Able assistance was given on the final task by the grandchildren of two recent members who appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves, and it was lovely to see. We hope for a good fruiting year in 2021 with a decent supply of apples, pears, cherries and plums, as long as the person who helped themselves to the entire crop of plums this year doesn’t repeat it.

Finally, an impromptu clear up of the raised shingle beds area on Patterson’s Walk at the bottom of Ocean Drive was carried out by Tricia Hall and Jenny and Tito Grixti. Sadly, this has recently become a bad area for the irresponsible dumping of takeaway food containers and cups from nearby outlets, and much polystyrene was collected, as well as shingle thrown and left around the seating area, plus there was some pruning of the maritime plants to keep things tidy.

We are grateful for the continuing help of all our volunteers, and the Parish Council have also expressed their thanks for all our efforts.

David Bettiss

We sold out our stock of cards in October and we have just had a new stock from the printers.

The cards are sold by FCG in aid of the Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice and are the same views as before at £5 per pack of ten.

They are available from Tricia Hall and can be collected from 22 Clover Lane from Tuesday 10th November to Saturday 14th November between 3 and 4 pm. Please place your money or cheque in an envelope with your name and the amount on the front.

After Saturday 14th November Tricia can be contacted by phone on 01903 504081

We are extremely grateful to Ferring Nurseries who kindly donated all the plants to enable Ferring Conservation Group to brighten up the boat on the Village Green.

Ferring Guide Group usually do a splendid job in maintaining this boat but due to Covid19 restrictions they have been unable to do so.

We hope you agree that it is a welcome and cheerful addition to this area of Ferring.

We know that many of our members will miss their usual visit to Highdown Gardens this Spring so please click on the video below and enjoy a short virtual tour of these beautiful Gardens that we are so fortunate to have on our doorstep.

https://www.facebook.com/highdowngardens/videos/184065679320989/

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus situation, we have had to cancel the planned beach clean on Saturday 16 May and the next members’ meeting on Friday 29 May. We continue to keep our future meetings and activities under regular review, but will of course abide by Government regulations and advice. Any updates on our activities will be posted here as well as in our regular e mails to members.

Please see below a wonderful video of Arundel Castle Gardens with the tulips in bloom: