So, how do you decide in your house? Real or artificial? Do you put it to the vote or does someone have the power to make the ultimate decision? Then, if you decide on a real tree, who chooses it and do you measure up before you go (they look so much smaller in the garden centre don’t they)?
So many questions to start a blog on trees but it’s a very important decision, a bit like what you leave out for Father Christmas (apparently mince pies are on the decline - they said so on Radio 2 so it must be true). I looked up Christmas trees and Google says that Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition, as we now know it, by the 16th century when sources record devout Christians bringing decorated trees into their homes (Martin Luther is credited with adding candles).
Looking to the natural world, at this time of year it's all about planting trees while they're dormant and quite often it’s a good time to involve communities in such projects. Tree planting events are beneficial in so many ways: carbon capture for future years, wildlife habitats changing and growing, immense satisfaction at actually planting a tree with its guard and, importantly, the feeling of working with a group of people to achieve a common goal. It is fabulous when you look back and see how many trees you have planted. Have you got space in your local area to plant a tree or two? If so, why not chat to your local parish council about getting something off the ground (or, more precisely, in the ground).
For those of us associated with Monkwood nature reserve, it is definitely a tree-filled season. In late 2019, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust was presented with an opportunity to buy 59 acres of land at Green Farm, adjacent to this most important and much-loved nature reserve to the north of Worcester. This once in a generation opportunity to both extend and buffer Monkwood offered a chance to help nature thrive in this corner of our county so, as well as restoring some of the meadows adjacent to the woodland, we're going to re-wood areas of Green Farm through both tree planting and natural regeneration.