Blog - More Features

JOIN US Saturday 12 May 2018 Great Oak Hall, Westonbirt Arboretum...

Silk Wood has been sustainably managed for many centuries, principally with a short rotation under-storey of hazel coppice and a long rotation over-storey of oak standards.

As the most visited garden in Wales, we were looking forward to discovering the assortment of themed gardens, lakes and interesting plant life on offer at the botanic garden.

Westonbirt's HLF funded community programme has now been running for over four years! Our community engagement officers and volunteers have done a wonderful job organising activities that connect the arboretum with a wider audience.

Great things have been happening in the Great Oak Hall this autumn with The Gloucestershire Printmakers Cooperative’s “giant print” event inspired by one of the arboretum’s beautiful oaks.

Many years ago, too far back for most of us to remember, Ted was driving a tractor through an overgrown area of Silk Wood, only to find himself teetering precariously over the edge of an abyss. From then on this old quarry was called Ted’s Fright.

Will you help us to restore Westonbirt’s wood centre?...

Westonbirt relies on our incredible team of volunteers to help maintain the arboretum and ensure our visitors enjoy their day out.

On Tuesday 7 November the Government’s Forestry Minister, Therese Coffey published a ministerial statement on the Future of the Forestry Commission. Andrew Smith tells us what this means for the Forestry Commission.

Autumn is always abundant in the arboretum, with nuts, fruit and seeds providing plentiful supplies of food for wildlife.

STIHL and Westonbirt Arboretum have been partners since 2006. In 2016 STIHL became the proud sponsors of the Treetop Walkway. They continue to support the work in the arboretum by providing the tree team with chainsaws and other essential pieces of kit.

Helen Daniels, one of our lovely administrators, celebrates 25 years with the Forestry Commission. We caught up with Helen to discuss her time here.

At Westonbirt, we are committed to protecting the many amazing trees we care for at the arboretum. But as well as our arboricultural work, we never lose sight of the need to inspire our next generation of nature lovers.

In July 2016, the arboretum took on two eager student arborists. Time has flown by, and a year on we ask Seth, one of the students, about his Westonbirt experience.

Westonbirt’s incredible tree collection has been hundreds of years in the making. Our work today is as important as ever. Please help us to update Westonbirt's propagation unit.