A Day of Stumping
Stumping about
What could be better than spending an autumn day tending to thousands of young trees within the spectacular Brecon Beacons National Park? Thursday is nursery day, where volunteers gather near Bettws, north of Abergavenny, to sow seeds; plant saplings; weed; build plant pods; create compost or generally just muck in with any work that needs doing!
Stump Up For Trees run their nursery days all year round, and it is from this sheltered meadow on the valley floor, that they are now growing -from seed- the trees ready for their projects spanning the Brecon Beacons.
That’s a lot of trees
Stump Up For Trees is a small charity with a big aim- to plant 1000,000 trees. They are already well on their way to reaching this target and have received national recognition for their work, helped largely by their outstanding publicity stunt of carving the words ‘Stump Up For Trees’ -along with the Welsh translation- into the bracken covering the side of Bryn Awr.
Many hands make light work
Wilba’s goals align with theirs. We both aim to work with farmers and landowners to increase the amount of habitat on their land, and in turn increase the amount of biodiversity in our local areas. Having seen the work that Stump Up For Trees do I was thrilled to be able to go and spend the day with them. It is amazing to witness the power of people when there is a shared goal; the staff and volunteers all work together whilst having a lovely time socialising and spending time in nature. When you gather people from different walks of life it’s amazing the shared knowledge that we can learn from each other.
Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow
So why trees? Most of us have heard the expression that trees are the lungs of our planet but aside from producing clean air there are many other benefits to increasing the number of trees in our country. Trees are essential to maintaining and increasing biodiversity, they provide food and shelter to a range of animal and plant species, they can help prevent flooding and of course, they store carbon.
For farmers, trees can also have a range of benefits. They offer shelter for livestock, meaning that sheep and cattle can be housed outdoors for longer, reducing the need for costly litter and feed when housed in sheds. The livestock then act as excellent woodland managers; clearing shrub to provide space for regeneration and controlling dominant species, thereby increasing biodiversity in the vegetation. For arable farmers, trees act as shelter belts, protecting crops from harsh weather and reducing soil loss due to erosion. Trees also help improve the soil structure- essential for producing good yields but are also highly beneficial along watercourses, as they strengthen the banks. Once established, trees on farms can generate another income source through practices such as biomass or wood-chip.
According to Forest Watch, between 2001 and 2021 the UK lost 105,000 hectares of tree cover, a staggering statistic but something organisations like Wilba and Stump Up For Trees are actively resolving.
We can see the forest for the trees.
Coming away from my day with the Stump team I felt energised, even after a day spent digging and planting. I felt energised because the positivity that surrounded the whole day was palpable. The team that day was made up of a whole range of people: conservationists, retired teachers, Sales People, Farmers, Locals and people from further afield. It shows the enthusiasm for helping nature that is coming from all areas of society. There isn’t endless amounts of talk about who’s to blame or discussions that go round and round about policies that are going to solve all our problems. Instead, there were meaningful chats- where knowledge was exchanged- followed by immediate, beneficial action.
At Wilba, we’re not just about planting trees, but that doesn’t mean we don’t absolutely love them.
