Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum

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Author: Mark Ballard

The arboretum is very quiet, but looking great
New homes for 211 trees!

New homes for 211 trees!

Posted in: Blog Tree management Research trips Propagation

January and February are a busy time for the team here at Westonbirt! Before the cold weather really sets in, our tree team must find new homes for hundreds of new plants.

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The end of a big black pine...

The end of a big black pine...

Posted in: Blog Tree management Botanical Propagation Landscape Staff and trustees

You may notice some temporary traffic lights outside the arboretum today and tomorrow (27 and 28 January 2016).

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Chalara confirmed at Westonbirt

Chalara confirmed at Westonbirt

Posted in: Blog Tree management Botanical Propagation

Chalara dieback of ash, commonly known as ash dieback, caused by the Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus, has been confirmed at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, this autumn.

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Stuck between rot and a hard place…

Stuck between rot and a hard place…

Posted in: Blog Tree management Propagation

Deciding when to remove old trees is one of the hardest decisions we have to take here at Westonbirt.

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A Wonderful Winter Walk... with one exception!

A Wonderful Winter Walk... with one exception!

Posted in: Blog Tree management Propagation

Today I ventured over to Silk Wood to see how some of the Tree Team were getting on with essential tree safety work, which reassuringly was being carried out to a high standard as always.

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A job well done

A job well done

Posted in: Blog Tree management Propagation

It's always sad to say goodbye to a big old tree like the oak we felled earlier this week near to the restaurant.

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Goodbye to an old friend...

Goodbye to an old friend...

Posted in: Blog Tree management Propagation

This week, work began on dismantling a large oak tree near to the Westonbirt Restaurant. Curator Mark Ballard explains why the decision to remove this much-loved tree was made.

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A busy time of year in more ways than one...

A busy time of year in more ways than one...

Posted in: Blog Propagation Autumn

Today I got to escape my office for a few hours, with the aim of finding suitable locations for some of the 300 young trees and shrubs that have been lovingly grown in our very own Propagation Unit.

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Our evolving landscape

Our evolving landscape

Posted in: Blog The Westonbirt Project

If you have ventured into Silk Wood recently you may well have noticed our Tree Team hard at work in Maple Loop, which is an area was that was once a forest research plot packed full of hybrid larch trees.

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Stormy weather...

Stormy weather...

Posted in: Blog Tree management

As I write, we continue to be at the mercy of the all too familiar wet & windy weather, it has already been a long winter.

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All in a day's work...

All in a day's work...

Posted in: Blog Tree management Staff and trustees

No two days are the same for me at Westonbirt, & I have to say that the great variety of my role is something that I do enjoy.

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An autumn walk with...

An autumn walk with...

Posted in: Blog Autumn

Well, we are at the heart of yet another exciting autumn at Westonbirt right now, and I have to say that although every year is different in some way, I am yet to be disappointed.

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An autumn walk with...

An autumn walk with...

Posted in: Blog Botanical Autumn

An Australian colleague of mine has recently moved back down under, and before he departed I asked him what he would most miss about living in the UK.

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An autumn walk with . . .

An autumn walk with . . .

Posted in: Blog Autumn

Welcome to another exciting autumn at Westonbirt, the National Arboretum.

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