1 May – 31 May 2015
Walk in the Woods is the The Tree Council’s festival to encourage everyone to enjoy trees and woods. Across the UK, walks, talks and other events take place in town and countryside – an invitation to go down to the woods or to a local park or just enjoy tree-lined streets. Flowers, birdsong and leaf colour make them particularly inviting.
Walk in the Woods is a great opportunity to organise an event and get new people interested in trees – especially in their local patch. A particular aim of Walk in the Woods is to attract people who rarely, if ever, visit woods – even those on their doorstep.
Interested in getting involved? All events can be found on The Tree Council’s ‘Near You Map’. To find out about some of the things that have taken place in your area, you can look at past events. If you’re interested in organising your own event, read further to get some useful tips on how to organise exciting walks and other activities. Don’t forget to list your event on The Tree Council’s website, so that other people can come and join you.
If you want to get as much local involvement as possible, you can download the free 2015 poster as many times as you like. Just fill in the details of when and where your event is taking place, or a contact number for information, and put it up on local notice boards.
In Springtime, don’t forget to record your bluebell sightings for the The National Trust’s Bluebell Watch. Simply tweet the location’s postcode and tag #bluebellwatch.
Over the last year a fungus Chalara fraxinea, which kills ash trees has been found in British woodlands. Whilst walking in the woods this spring, you may notice sign about bio-security. Although there is a very small chance of a visitor to a wood spreading the disease, the Forestry Commission has recommended that if you are visiting an infected wood, or one where you suspect the fungus may be found, please take these simple precautions:
- Do not remove any plant material (firewood, sticks, leaves or cuttings) from the woodland;
- Where possible, before leaving the woodland, clean soil, mud, leaves and other plant material from footwear, clothing, dogs, horses, the wheels and tyres of bicycles, baby buggies, carriages and other vehicles, and remove any leaves which are sticking to your car;
- Before visiting other countryside sites, parks, garden centres and nurseries, thoroughly wash footwear, wheels and tyres in soapy water;
- Follow the instructions on any signs.
