Category Archives: News

News at Blaen Bran Community Woodland, keep up to date with the latest information for general public

REMOVAL OF LARCH TREES AT BLAEN BRAN COMMUNITY WOODLAND

A significant number of Larch Trees within the woodland are affected by the disease Phytophthora Ramorum. This means that in due course, the trees will die and become unsecure, before finally falling.

Many of these trees are as much as 80 feet high and will present a significant risk to users of the woodlands.

To manage the risk, the Committee has put arrangements in place for the trees to be felled, removed and the ground mulched between July and September, with a replacement planting programme of locally sourced, indigenous broadleaf trees, to preserve the character of the woodland, taking place in November and possibly December.

A smaller number of other trees will be involved in this exercise, but all efforts will be made to minimise the impact.

This means that there will be periods of time, during this exercise, when access to the woodland will be restricted. Notices will be placed around the woodland, detailing the nature of the restrictions.

There will also be Blaen Bran volunteers on site to advise walkers of the restriction in place and of the routes still available, during this period.

We felt it was important for you to be made aware of this work at the earliest opportunity and to reassure you that all efforts will be made to minimise the level of disruption.

As more details emerge, we will provide regular updates on our website and Facebook group.

Spring Tree Planting Project

BBCW Volunteers completed the Spring tree planting project.
Two large areas of land have been cleared of damaged and diseased trees, bramble thickets and bracken. New pathways and steps have been created and over 2000 native broadleaf trees planted.
Thanks to everyone who donated trees or their time to help with the project, it is most appreciated.

BBCW TREE PLANTING EVENT

Tuesday, 29th March, BBCW Volunteers will be planting a selection of native broadleaf trees near the pond.

If you are available and would like to join us, please do.

We will be meeting at our compound at 09.00hrs, before making our way up to the planting area.

The compound can be found on your right as you approach the log circle. 🌳🌳🌳

My Tree Our Forest Update

Thank you to everyone who has publicised the ‘My Tree, Our Forest’ project to provide a tree for every household in Wales – and thanks to those who have been up to BBCW to collect their tree.

Please note that there will NOT be a tree giveaway on Saturday 19th March, so the last opportunities to collect a tree will be on Thursday 17th March, Tuesday 22nd March – and if there are any trees remaining – on Thursday 24th March.

Do ‘watch this space’ to see if we will have any trees left.

Please note also that the tree types that remain are: wild cherry, downy birch and oak

MyTreeOurForest

Entrance for Tree Collection

Entrance to Blaen Bran Community Woodland, through the gate for tree collection of MyTreeOurForest from the hub 50 M on left to the parking area.

Available from Blaen Bran Community Woodland Group (Upper Cwmbran, Cwmbran NP44 5AQ), the hub will be open for people to collect their tree every Tuesday, Thursday and some Saturdays until 31st March, from 10am-1pm. 

 MyTreeOurForest

First trees set to be collected in Wales as part of ambitious give-away to fight climate change

Blaen Bran Community Woodland is getting behind a new initiative which will give every household in Wales the chance to plant their own tree, as part of an ambitious Welsh Government project to fight climate change.

Blaen Bran Community Woodland is one of the first five regional hubs opened as part of a pilot that will see the release of the first 5,000 trees to local households.

It follows a promise made by Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters in December that every household in Wales would be offered a free tree.

Welsh Government has teamed up with Coed Cadw, the Woodland Trust in Wales to deliver the My Tree, Our Forest project.

Available from Blaen Bran Community Woodland Group (Upper Cwmbran, Cwmbran NP44 5AQ), the hub will be open for people to collect their tree every Tuesday, Thursday and some Saturdays until 31st March, from 10am-1pm. 

Every household that collects a tree will be provided with a tag that tells them how to effectively plant their tree and a link to a page on care and advice for their survival for the next few years.

Native tree species including crab apple, wild cherry, sessile oak, alder or downy birch will be provided as small tree saplings of around 20-40cm which will grow into small-medium sized trees, suitable for gardens and smaller spaces.

In autumn, and to coincide with the next tree planting season, the scheme will be extended to release more than 200,000 trees from 25 regional hubs across Wales.

Speaking ahead of the regional hubs opening, Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters said: “It is great to kick off the start of this project that will be part of our commitment to reach net zero by 2050.

“Trees are amazing – they save lives by keeping our air clean, they improve people’s physical and mental health, they are essential for tackling our nature emergency, improving biodiversity and, of course, in tackling climate change.

“It is already clear to see that this project will help people further understand and experience the many benefits that trees can provide, not only to the environment but also to health and wellbeing.

“I would like to thank all involved at Coed Cadw for partnering with us to deliver this project and I look forward to seeing it extended later in the year.”

Natalie Buttriss, Director of Coed Cadw said “This project is a great example of how ‘the will’ to do something, becomes ‘the way’ in a short space of time.

“We know from our experience of tree planting projects how much people care about the tree they are planting, and how this can inspire the whole family and their network of friends.

“It’s great to also have on board our community partner, Llais Y Goedwig, who have helped us to set up the tree hubs that will be central to this project.”

To find out more about the first phase of the project and to make sure you’re first to know about the next collection, visit gov.wales/national-forest.

Volunteers will advise on the best tree for households to collect but the species available will include Tree species per hub: crab apple, wild cherry, sessile oak, alder and downy birch.

St David’s Rc school visit

The children very much enjoyed all aspects of your well planned day and believe that they were doing something to help, something authentic in their own small way, in caring for the woodland and the planet. Days like these help our children to see the positive steps that they can take on their journey to becoming valuable members of their own communities in later life, one of the goals of the new Curriculum for Wales. 

Pupil voice – nearly half of the class were blown away by the mushroom walk around Parson’s Wood and the knowledge about each species was incredible! The talk about the various species of trees and the Woodwide Web sparked many questions on return to school.

Just over a quarter of children again loved the therapeutic activity of bracken bashing and the rest loved the planting of the willow and having a go at the weaving and the creation of their own natural art pictures.