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London schools take practical action for climate and wildlife

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The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) have pledged to plant 5 million trees for people and green spaces by 2025 and our phenomenally popular I Dig Trees programme is open for you to claim free trees for climate, wildlife and communities.

At the same time, TCV is helping the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to deliver the London Schools’ Climate Kick-Start campaign giving students the chance to make a real difference during this important time of environmental action.

We asked Peter Hutchings, TCV Fundraising and Partnerships Manager, to share the story of this habitat-creating, climate-influencing challenge…

Planting trees for climate and wildlife

TCV delivered a tree planting day for 90 students of Harris Garrard Academy in South London, using UK grown saplings to create multiple wooded areas and a blossom tunnel on the school grounds.

Ahead of the planting, TCV supported The Edible Bus Stop to lead workshops with the students. Giving them an opportunity to discuss how and where the new trees would be planted, consider their purpose and make plans as to how future students would interact with them, nurturing a lifelong love for trees and nature.

Inspirational students

It was truly inspiring to hear the student’s understanding of the climate challenges we must face together, and the nature-based solutions, such as tree planting, which have a crucial role to play in tackling the climate and ecological emergency.

Not just from a scientific perspective, the students were very comfortable expressing very profoundly how important trees, green space and the natural world are key to their wellbeing and mental health. They also know we’re all part of the global environment and have a huge responsibility to uphold to protect it.

Climate Kick Start is about engaging young people to help us make London one of the greenest and cleanest global cities.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

Wildlife friendly planting

Classes from years 7, 8 and 9 planted 500 trees comprising of a mixture of Dog Rose, Field Maple, Hawthorn, Crab Apple and Wild Cherry. These trees offer great habitats for wildlife, increasing biodiversity on the school grounds and will become future carbon-busting machines!

The London Schools’ Climate Kick-Start has seen London’s secondary schools working together to tackle some of our planet’s biggest threats, like climate change and air pollution.

Parents, Teachers and Londoners should be extremely proud of the students at Harris Garrard Academy, they are an inspiring bunch and a real pleasure to work with.

The Climate Kick Start tree planting activity at Harris Garrard Academy with TCV was a huge success. The students generated quite a buzz around the school talking about actions they can take today for their community to combat climate change.

Ms. Kimberly Ferran, Science Teacher, Harris Garrard Academy

The future is bright in their hands!

Peter Hutchings, TCV Fundraising and Partnerships Manager

Keep up to date with the latest news and activities from The Conservation Volunteers by following on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive our Greenzine newsletter for more ways to get involved.

Controlling invasive species, giving native flora a chance to thrive

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The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) have pledged to plant 5 million trees for people and green spaces by 2025 and our phenomenally popular I Dig Trees programme is open for you to claim free trees for climate, wildlife and communities.

With TCV it’s not just about the planting. We offer advice regarding essential aftercare, giving young trees the best start. We also carry out projects across the UK to maintain planted trees. Our amazing volunteers carry out invasive species management, freeing up space and light to give both native trees and plants a chance to thrive. We improve access to woodlands for communities to enjoy, whilst also using them as a training offer for adults and an educational resource for children, inspiring a life-long love for nature.

Invasive species effect on biodiversity

As we work together with our fantastic partners, volunteers and thousands of community groups across the UK to reach our ambitious target, Ruth Coxon, TCV Senior Project Officer tells us about the importance of invasive species management in Reading, Berkshire…

At Highwood Nature Reserve in Woodley, conservation activities conducted by TCV involve non-native invasive species removal to improve the biodiversity and ecological functioning of the woodland.

Volunteers taking practical action to remove invasive species giving native flora a chance to thrive.

Non-native, invasive species are a real problem globally, being among the largest threats to biodiversity in the world, thought to have cost the UK a whopping £5billion since the 1970s.

Many of these species were accidentally introduced, or sometimes on purpose, without knowing their full ecological impacts. Having not evolved to cope with these alien competitors, our native flora is under threat, with some populations becoming locally extinct as a result.

Some non-native invasive species are actually listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, meaning that it is an offence to cause them to exist in the wild.

Letting in the light brings new food for insects

Shrubs being removed at Highwood, like cherry laurel and rhododendron, were thought to have been brought here by the Victorians, planted as ornamental bushes or for game cover on estates, but have since reaped havoc within our native woodlands.

These evergreen bushes may disguise themselves as good hedging material in people’s gardens and create good screen cover, but in our native woodlands, they drastically reduce biodiversity.

Their large shiny leaves are largely unpalatable to insects, leaving them green all year around which actively out-shades and out-competes the more beneficial ground flora, choking dense woodlands and reducing the chances for natural regeneration of our native tree species.

Signage informing the public of what action is being taken and how to join in and volunteer.

With limited access to light, overall plant diversity radically diminishes within laurel and rhododendron overrun woodlands, especially since rhododendron injects toxins into the soil, preventing any plant growth underneath them. Both species also actively sucker, spreading roots that quickly take over. Recent studies also suggest that rhododendron can kill certain solitary bees or honeybee species when they drink nectar from their flowers.

Giving communities access to nature

These reasons alone are enough to promote TCV in helping reverse the degradation of our woodlands, but the benefits of removing these invasives are also being noticed by passers-by!

The newly opened-up canopy, particularly surrounding the footpaths has made the public feel safer. Locals who regularly use the woodland are frequently commenting on the positive impacts to them…

You’re all doing a wonderful job, I can remember when there used to be no light here and now there is, so thank you for opening it all up again!

It’s great that it is so open, it makes it feel much safer.

Members of the public

Increasing biodiversity

We are also now noticing greater plant diversity in the areas where these invasive species have been removed, only a year after cutting them down.

Species like wood avens, wood anemone, foxglove, willowherb, and nightshade species have been recorded as well as the noticeable natural regeneration of native trees like cherry, elm, field maple, yew and rowan.

Wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa)

Thanks to the volunteers

This is all thank you to the regular Woodland Improvement Team volunteers and the various corporate groups which have had a hand in improving Highwood Nature Reserve, each person has made an immense impact on improving the site, which has been repeatedly praised by Wokingham Borough Council as site owners:

Thank you to your volunteers. What they’ve done, looks really good.

Your team have already made a great difference to the woodland.

Richard Westwood, Senior Ranger

Whilst we have made an incredible impact on curbing the non-native invasion of shrubs at Highwood, there is still more to do. We hope to make more progress removing laurel and rhododendron here over the next couple of years and improve it for both people and wildlife.

Thank you to the Rangers who have supported us with this project so far.

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea)

Keep up to date with the latest news and activities from The Conservation Volunteers by following on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive our Greenzine newsletter for more ways to get involved.

The Conservation Volunteers at COP26

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To celebrate the fantastic achievements of our volunteers, taking practical action for biodiversity and climate during the COP26 summit and beyond, we asked Tim Lewis, TCV Operations Leader, to share some insight into TCV’s role at the United Nations Climate Change Conference…

What role are The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) playing in COP26?

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) have exhibited our work connecting people and green spaces in the COP26 Green Zone and also in the Google Arts and Culture virtual green zone – demonstrating our work for the environment and communities in Glasgow and across the UK.

By reaching out to attendees during the event we can hopefully connect more people to green spaces, delivering lasting outcomes for communities and the environment.

What steps is TCV taking to mitigate the impact of climate change?

With our hugely successful I Dig Trees programme, we’re aiming to have planted 2 million trees by the end of this tree planting season (March 2022) with the help of communities across the UK – you can help us get there by signing up for your own free trees. This season’s first trees are going in the ground during COP26!

If you can’t plant trees, you can still help us a huge amount by spreading the word and sharing these posts: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

What benefits is COP26 is bringing to TCV?

COP26 is helping The Conservation Volunteers to reach more people, connecting them to their green spaces and showing them they can have an impact on the ground to help tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies. We invite them to join in, feel good! You can find out more here.

What do you think the legacy of COP26 will be for Glasgow as a city?

I think this very much depends on the outcome of the conference itself.

The UK Royal Family view COP26 as the ‘last chance saloon’ for addressing the climate crisis, it definitely feels like a hugely important point for the climate movement.

If leaders commit to an incredibly innovative new approach that changes the world for the better, then the legacy for the city of Glasgow would be immense. Glasgow would forever be remembered as the place where these changes started, and the world got serious about climate breakdown. The alternative is hard to even comprehend.

What do you think visitors to Glasgow will like most about the city and its people?

After speaking with all of our staff based in the city we feel that the lasting impression on visitors to Glasgow will come from the people they meet. Glaswegians are a friendly, welcoming, gregarious and diverse group of people who are rightly proud of their city, its history and its impact on the world. This heritage is written across the city’s many wonderful museums and cultural highlights, which might surprise many visitors.

The city is full of incredible food and waves of immigration across the 20th century mean you can eat from all over the world in Glasgow. The city is also incredibly close to some of the most beautiful parts of Scotland, Loch Lomond just half an hour from the city centre and the Inner Hebrides just a short ferry ride away. Visitors to the city will take all this in alongside fantastic shopping, business opportunities and the city’s many famous pubs, bars and music venues which are the beating heart of Glasgow and the people that live there.

How do you think local communities will benefit from COP26 being hosted in Glasgow?

Glasgow in Gaelic translates as ‘Dear Green Place’ and the city often isn’t seen in a way that reflects this. The post-industrial landscape and modern vibrancy of the city sometimes overshadow the beautiful parks and accessible spaces Glasgow has to offer.

TCV feel that hosting COP in Glasgow is helping to change this perception of the city and for people to see it as a forward-thinking, environmentally-conscious and green place to live and work – with access for everyone to those green spaces that are so important. There are more than 90 parks in Glasgow, canals, rivers, local nature reserves and city centre woodlands. All of these need protecting and COP will raise the awareness around pressures on these places.

Keep up to date with the latest news and activities from The Conservation Volunteers by following on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive our Greenzine newsletter for more ways to get involved.

I Dig Trees guest blog: By leaves we live

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NB: Please click here to redirect to our Winter Tree Identification video. 🙂

Together we continue to smash our tree planting targets for climate, wildlife and communities!

But we have only just begun. This year, with the help of thousands of community groups and volunteers, we are going further than ever before with I Dig Trees: 2 million FREE trees in the ground by the end of this tree planting season.

With this year’s planting to commence during the COP26 Climate Summit, Prof Dave Reay, Chair in Carbon Management & Education, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, tells us how the trees ordered through our free trees programme with OVO Energy are helping to meet climate goals and plans to ultimately reach ‘net zero’.

Trees underpin planetary health

The pioneering town planner, biologist, educationalist and geographer Sir Patrick Geddes coined the phrase ‘By Leaves We Live’ to encapsulate the dependence of all humankind on plants, trees and natural ecosystems around the world. In the context of Covid lockdowns, the climate emergency, and a deepening nature crisis, Geddes’ words have never been more relevant.

The lockdowns have provided an acute focus on just how vital green space and trees are to our mental and physical health, but trees underpin planetary health too. Representing huge stocks and sinks of carbon globally, the destruction and degradation forests due to land use change constitutes a major source of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions. On top of those burgeoning land use pressures, climate change itself, and the increased risks of wildfires, drought and disease, are an increasing threat to forests around the world.

Meeting the Paris climate goals will require huge and sustained efforts

In this climate emergency, and with the Paris Climate Goals at risk of slipping beyond our reach, losing yet more of the protective green canopy that is the world’s trees is the last thing we can afford. More and more nations are waking up to this threat, yet deforestation continues apace in many areas as the pressures for more food and fodder production escalate. Meeting the Paris Climate Goals will require huge and sustained efforts to safeguard existing forests. It will also need a lot of new trees too.

For the UK, like many countries, woodland expansion is a cornerstone of plans to reach ‘net zero’ – where carbon emissions from sources like fossil fuel burning are reduced to the absolute minimum, and any unavoidable emissions that remain are then balanced by increased sequestration. Woodland expansion that leads to sustained carbon uptake, along with enhancement of soil carbon stocks, can therefore play a major role in achieving net-zero. But, and it’s a big but, this is no silver bullet for climate change.

Native woodland expansion and enhanced biodiversity

The land provides for myriad human needs, from food and fibre, to housing and recreation, as well as the needs of millions of other species we share this planet with. Woodland expansion often means striking a new balance between these needs. Some may be complimentary – such as native woodland expansion and enhanced biodiversity – while others may seem at direct odds. In reality, there are always some co-benefits and some trade-offs (READ: Land Use and Agriculture: Pitfalls and Precautions on the Road to Net Zero).

Gaining a good understanding of these, right down to the local scales of most woodland creation projects, remains one of the biggest challenges to realising sustainable woodland expansion in the face of the climate emergency.

Plants for places – bringing trees back to centre stage

In our own very small way, my family and I have been grappling with this challenge over the past few years. Our farm on the west coast of Scotland has been used for sheep grazing for generations. Other than a couple of acres of fenced alder planting, and some inaccessible gulleys stuffed with rowan, oak, hazel and willow, it is land where the combined bite of sheep and Atlantic storms has made trees a peripheral part of the landscape. The task now is to bring them back to centre stage.

A crucial first step to doing this was to work closely with the wonderful sheep farmer who grazes part of his flock on our land – agreeing where and when sheep grazing would be removed, to allow him and us to plan ahead. The next, pretty exhausting, stage, was to intensively sample and analyse the soils in all our fields, providing a baseline for soil carbon to assess any future changes against, and to understand the soil depth, texture, moisture and pH to inform which trees and shrubs would do well, and where.

Zoned plans for planting were drawn up, and we began to gather together a small army of willing friends and family to help with the planting. We also started planning for colleagues and students to make use of our putative ‘carbon farm’ for climate education and research. It was all coming together. Then Covid hit.

Trees planted and growing well

Instead of getting thousands of new trees in the ground across the planting season, it was a case of using the narrow windows between lockdowns to plant what we could. Thanks to The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) – who gifted many of the trees – and the amazing efforts of my wife and youngest daughter as champion planters – hundreds of trees did get planted and these are growing well.

Most importantly we’ve been able to understand our land better, and the wider natural and social ecosystems it is part of.

Prof Dave Reay, FRSGS, SFHEA, PhD

Now, as restrictions lift and a new season approaches, we’re looking forward to realising some of our pre-Covid plans and looking back on what we have learned. Over these past 18 months we have been able to think hard about where trees should and shouldn’t go; we’ve had the opportunity to gauge establishment rates, deer browsing risks, and the work required to keep young trees free from weeds and smothering by bracken. Most importantly we’ve been able to understand our land better, and the wider natural and social ecosystems it is part of.

Teaching the next generation about the sustainable use of complex, integrated landscapes

When we do eventually bring cohorts of students to our farm, it will no longer simply be to learn about how trees can tackle climate change. Instead, the focus will be on sustainable use of the complex and integrated landscapes that trees are a part of; landscapes that can play a major role in climate action yes, but that must also deliver for biodiversity, food production, livelihoods and myriad other needs.

Whatever the initial students come to learn about, the take-home message for all will inevitably be: By Leaves We Live.

Prof Dave Reay

Website: https://edinburghcentre.org | Twitter: @keelingcurve

We’d like to say a huge thanks to Prof Dave Reay, Chair in Carbon Management & Education, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, for contributing this I Dig Trees guest blog.

The Conservation Volunteers is helping people like you to plant more trees. Claim your free trees here.

Keep up to date with the latest news and activities from The Conservation Volunteers by following on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive our Greenzine newsletter for more ways to get involved.

Find out more about the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)

The winter blues: Getting through the season with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

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What is SAD?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that often occurs at the same time each year, typically in the autumn and winter.

What does SAD feel like?

SAD, also known as seasonal depression, can have an impact on your mood, sleep, appetite, and energy levels, affecting all aspects of your life, from your relationships and social life to work, school, and your sense of self-worth.

Key symptoms of SAD can include:

  • Depression.
  • Feelings of hopelessness, sadness, guilt, anxiety and apathy.
  • Overeating and weight gain.
  • Sleep problems (having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much).
  • Having difficulties carrying out daily tasks.
  • Change of appetite, notably craving sugary and starchy foods.
  • Tension and stress.
  • Unexplained aches and pains.
  • Feeling low and unsociable.

You may feel completely different than you did in the summer months. You are not alone…

“It’s thought the winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), affects around 2 million people in the UK and more than 12 million people across northern Europe. It can affect people of any age, including children.”

NHS Inform

What causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?

According to the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA), and without getting overly technical, it is believed to be caused by a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus (a region of the brain) as a result of shorter daylight hours and lack of sunlight during the winter.

Can SAD affect people differently?

Not everyone suffers from SAD. Some people are thought to be more sensitive to light levels than others, resulting in these symptoms of winter blues.

SAD can be a severely disabling illness for some people, preventing them from functioning normally in the absence of ongoing medical treatment. Others experience a mild but debilitating condition that causes discomfort but not severe suffering. This is referred to as subsyndromal SAD or the ‘winter blues.’

What can I do to alleviate the symptoms of SAD?

1. Seek help

Firstly, it’s important to say that if your symptoms are so bad that you can’t live a normal life, you should always see your GP for support and advice.

2. Keep active

There is a wealth of evidence that Green Gyms and other nature-based programmes provide proven benefits in improving peoples’ health and wellbeing. Find out more about Green Spaces for Mental Health.

3. Get outside

Spend as much time as possible outside in natural daylight, especially at midday and on brighter days. Take regular walks during work or lunch breaks even if it’s just around the block. Also, consider joining a practical conservation team in your local area.

4. Balance your diet

A healthy diet will improve your mood, give you more energy, and stave off weight gain during the winter. Consume plenty of fresh fruit and especially vegetables to counteract your craving for carbohydrates such as pasta and potatoes. Follow these tips from the NHS to live well, eat well.

5. Let your light shine

When working, sit near windows whenever possible or even take your work outside if you can.

Some people find that light therapy can alleviate the symptoms of SAD. Special light boxes (10 x stronger than ordinary home lighting) are available online. The cost for these is £70 or more, they are not currently available on the NHS but they are showing signs of coming down in price.

For people experiencing milder symptoms, SAD alarm clocks can also be useful in overcoming seasonal depression.

6. See friends, family and fellow volunteers

Socialising is good for your mental health and helps ward off the winter blues. Make extra efforts to:

  • Keep in touch with people you care about and who care about you.
  • Accept invitations you get to social events.
  • Join in with group activities such as volunteering.

    Make your best efforts to join in, even if you only manage to for a little while.

7. Talk it through

Talking treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling and psychotherapy can help you cope with symptoms. Talk to your GP for information on what’s available locally on the NHS.

8. Consider the 5 ways to wellbeing

TCV supports the 5 ways to wellbeing (developed by the New Economics Foundation). Consider this in your approach to dealing with SAD or the winter blues.

Join in, feel good

Many of the recommendations above can be achieved by joining in with The Conservation Volunteers activities across the UK.

For further information regarding SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and the help you can get to alleviate the symptoms, please visit the NHS website.

Keep up to date with the latest news and activities from The Conservation Volunteers by following on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive our Greenzine newsletter for more ways to get involved.

Celebratory CSR challenge brings hundreds together for nature

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The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) are delighted to partner with PwC to help deliver their One Firm One Day (OFOD) annual, firm-wide, fundraising and volunteering event.

To celebrate the fantastic achievements of the PwC teams, we asked Peter Hutchings, TCV Fundraising and Partnerships Manager, to share the story of this habitat-creating, biodiversity-increasing and team-strengthening CSR volunteering challenge…

The scene

Every year TCV welcomes nearly a thousand PwC staff and graduates to spend a day volunteering at one of our sites. Over the years the teams have made bird boxes, sown wildflower meadows, created pathways and new steps in green spaces across the UK.

PwC have genuinely been a massive help to TCV in our collective goal to improve outdoor spaces for the benefit of the environment and local communities.

Connecting people and green spaces is what we do.

PwC helping TCV at Waterlow Park (pre-pandemic).

The challenge

PwC’s firm-wide One Firm One Day volunteering event presented us with a challenge given the situation with the pandemic: How do we provide a flavour of TCV activity to hundreds of staff without them travelling and coming together to contribute and see our work first hand?

“This One Firm One Day has clearly been an exceptional year this year, due to the pandemic, and I’m glad that, together, we were able to find creative new ways of connecting PwC staff with our work.

PwC have been such a great help with managing and transforming green spaces over the years.  We’re looking forward to being able to welcome them back out into the great outdoors again sometime soon.”

Darren York – Chief Executive, The Conservation Volunteers

The plan

Together with the team at PwC we came up with a bespoke plan to bring a little bit of TCV to the homes of PwC staff, with our Grow At Home and Homes for Nature challenges.

We wanted to provide an engaging and accessible opportunity for staff to learn about food growing and creating habitats for wildlife. Whether that be some herbs on a windowsill, a veg patch in an allotment or a brand-new insect hotel. We wanted to create an opportunity for everyone, no matter where they are geographically or where they are at with their green-fingered knowledge.

Putting everything into action

TCV sent out over 500 packets of herbs and vegetable seeds direct to staff across the UK with growing guides and short webinars on how to sow, grow and care for their seeds – all prepared for them to tune-in on One Firm One Day.

Huge thank you to Freya and Alex at TCV Hollybush Conservation Centre in Leeds for leading the webinars, their infectious enthusiasm provided much-needed light relief during this challenging period. Over the pandemic, they have become quite the expert presenters, taking TCV engagement online during lockdown to keep our volunteers connected – If they don’t already have one they both need Blue Peter badges!

The Homes for Nature challenge also saw PwC staff take on the challenge of creating new habitats for nature with the chance to win a prize from TCV.

Participants tuned into a lunchtime webinar with Alex and Freya, who demonstrated the different ways to make insect hotels, which are fantastic ways of creating homes for all-important pollinators that are integral to a healthy biodiverse ecosystem.

The results and an all-important thank you

We had some fantastic results! Freya and Alex donned their best sparkly attire to announce the winners who each received bespoke handmade wood crafts from TCV Hollybush Wood Squad Project.

I just want to thank the hundreds of people who took part, feedback has been great and I hope people are enjoying the fruits of their labour. It is always a pleasure to work with PwC and I hope to see these wonderful people in person soon.

Keep up to date with the latest news and activities from The Conservation Volunteers by signing up for our newsletter. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or head on over to our website for more.

I Dig Trees guest blog: Did you know, trout grow on trees?

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Together we continue to smash our tree planting targets for climate, wildlife and communities! But we have only just begun. This year we are going further than ever before with I Dig Trees: 2 million trees in the ground by the end of this tree planting season.

As the tree planting phenomenon continues, Prof Jonathan Grey of Wild Trout Trust tells us how the trees ordered through our #IDigTrees programme with OVO Energy are helping to bring habitats, food and shelter for local freshwater wildlife…

I like edges. Edges are where ecology happens…

They are dynamic, unpredictable…edgy even. As someone who has always been fascinated by the ecology of freshwaters, I have spent an inordinate amount of time with my back to the water.

I look out at the landscape, trying to understand how that influences what I find beneath the surface behind me. My view should be obscured by trees because, arguably, the ‘pristine state’ of most of our rivers and streams should be wooded right to the channel edge.

“…arguably, the ‘pristine state’ of most of our rivers and streams should be wooded right to the channel edge.”

Did you know, trout grow on trees?

Not literally of course, but directly and indirectly, trout grow from feeding on invertebrates that fed upon trees.

It could be via tiny aphids that have been sucking on a sycamore and haplessly fallen into the stream below in a sappy stupor. Or it might be more circuitously, via shrimps that have shredded and chomped upon the leaf litter tossed into the water on autumnal winds.

Energy arising from trees on land can be transferred via a plethora of ecological pathways to end up fuelling food webs underwater.

“trout grow from feeding on invertebrates that fed upon trees…”

But trees should give so much more to trout…

Our native species, the brown trout needs a mosaic of habitats to get through its life cycle: clean gravel in which to lay eggs, refuges from predators and flow for the weak swimming fry, shallow riffles of fast water as growing juvenile ‘parr’, and deeper pools as larger adults.

So, trout don’t live in trees, but trees should be contributing to that mosaic. Natural treefall into rivers diverts water flow over, under and around, thereby making faster, slower, shallower and deeper patches on the quilt of the riverbed.

Tree roots bind the bank soils together and twist into the water providing hidey-holes. Trailing branches trap flotsam creating cover and shade.

“Our native species, the brown trout needs a mosaic of habitats to get through its life cycle”

Source: Wild Trout Trust

The trout is a cold-adapted species…

Its eggs bake low-and-slow in river gravel over the winter months to hatch with the first flushes of spring and capitalise on unwary invertebrates.

Trees in the catchment should ‘slow-the-flow’, taking the sting out of winter floods that otherwise ravage our rivers and disturb the slumbering eggs.

Trees along the banks should keep our rivers cool in summer. The water temperature of shallow, narrow streams when exposed to direct sunlight can be almost 10oC warmer compared to beneath a leafy canopy, and that’s not good for trout nor anything else that needs oxygen from the surrounding water.

I’ve focussed on trout but trout are just a sentinel, a canary in a coalmine as it were. A healthy population of wild trout indicates a healthy, functional river, that should be home to their prey and their predators. And ‘should’ has crept up far too often in this post.

“…trout are just a sentinel, a canary in a coalmine as it were. A healthy population of wild trout indicates a healthy, functional river…”

That’s because far too many of our rivers are effectively bald!

If there are trees, they are generally standing tall but tired, a linear straggle of aging canopy, a fragile fringe only one-tree-deep. Succession has been nipped in the bud, quite literally, by browsing livestock.

Working part-time for the Wild Trout Trust, I meet with landowners, local communities, rivers trusts, government agencies and angling clubs to offer practical advice and guide hands-on habitat improvement projects.

In many instances, all rivers need is a good dose of trees, and I am delighted that The Conservation Volunteers recognise angling clubs as community groups and grants them access to the I Dig Trees programme.

“That’s because far too many of our rivers are effectively bald!”

The stereotypical view of a fly angler taking a fish for supper is thankfully fading…

Generally, such anglers don’t take at all but give instead; time, energy and money invested into improving habitat, restoring rivers, reporting pollution…generally working with and looking after rivers as a natural resource.

OK, I’m biased by my fetish for freshwater, but if you are going to plant trees anywhere, along rivers must bring about the biggest-bang-for-buck in terms of environmental benefits.

You can follow the development of some of my tree-planting partnership projects on Twitter.

Prof Jonathan Grey

We’d like to say a huge thanks to Prof Jonathan Grey and the Wild Trout Trust for contributing this guest blog.

The Conservation Volunteers has the ambition to plant 2 million trees with the help of community groups, corporate sponsors, and people like you. Are you in?

Keep up to date with the latest news and activities from The Conservation Volunteers by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or head on over to our website for more.

Remembering HRH Prince Philip

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It was with great sadness that we learnt of the recent passing of our patron His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness took the position as patron of The Conservation Volunteers (then the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) in 1970, as the charity became independent.

As condolences and tributes from the charities His Royal Highness was patron of and the people who knew him best, it is clear that he will be remembered for his pioneering work to bring environmental causes to the public’s attention as early as the 1950s.

As our Royal Patron, he took an active interest in our work to connect people and green spaces: presenting out first ever Green Hero Awards in 2016, visiting Dersingham Bog Nature Reserve to observe a TCV scrub clearance project in 2013; and granting a private audience to our Chief Executive and Chair in 2018.

TCV team members and volunteers who met His Royal Highness at Dersingham Bog Nature Reserve recall how lovely he was to all those at the event and how genuinely interested he was in the work the volunteers were carrying out.

The Duke of Edinburgh visits a TCV conservation project at the Dersingham Bog Nature Reserve, on the Royal Sandringham Estate, Norfolk on 30th September 2013.

His Royal Highness’ interest in the work of The Conservation Volunteers pre-dates his patronage. Back in July 1960, he paid a visit to National Trust site Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, and spoke with a group of Conservation Corps (now TCV volunteers).

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visits National Trust site Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire and speaks to Conservation Corps (now TCV) volunteers. July 1960.

Outside of the work of TCV, the Duke co-founded the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which is today the world’s largest conservation organisation. In addition to this, the Duke’s most successful legacy will be The Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Originated in 1956, the award has helped millions of young people in over 140 countries prepare for adulthood by providing them with a ‘do-it-yourself growing up kit’, as described by the Duke himself. This understanding that through vocational work and activity, young people can gain skills that will help them throughout their life is something TCV shared with His Royal Highness

After his death, our Vice President Sir David Attenborough remembered His Royal Highness as “an admirable man” who was “vigorous” in his conservation work. At The Conservation Volunteers, we will remember our patron as one of the first people to use his platform to be a vocal and influential activist for conservation and climate change around the world.

“The conservation of nature, the proper care for the human environment and a general concern for the long-term future of the whole of our planet are absolutely vital if future generations are to have a chance to enjoy their existence on this Earth.”

His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Australian Conservation Foundation, Canberra, in April 1970

Prevent ticks from becoming a pest

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Ticks can be found throughout the UK but there are certain sites and areas that carry a greater risk.

Ticks like dense vegetation, moisture and humidity, and hosts (animals). Habitats such as woodlands, grasslands and moorlands are traditionally higher risk areas, particularly where there is deer or livestock grazing.

Yet this does not mean that urban areas are safe from ticks. Urban parks and gardens are also green spaces where ticks can be found. This risk is likely to be established where there is abundant livestock for adult ticks to feed on.

What are ticks?

Ticks are tiny, spider-like creatures that live in woods and areas with long grass. Ticks do not fly and they do not jump. Instead they attach themselves to the skin of an animal or human that comes into contact with them. Once a tick bites into the skin it feeds on blood for a few days before dropping off.

Ticks and Lyme disease

Lyme disease is bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks. An early symptom of the disease is a circular red rash around a tick bite, similar to a bullseye.

Only ticks that have already bitten an infected animal can pass Lyme disease on to humans. Not all ticks are contagious but it is important to know the risks and how to prevent infection.

The rash is one of the most common symptoms of the disease, but not everyone develops it. Visit the NHS website for more information on symptoms and treatment of Lyme disease. 

Bullseye rash often associated with the early symptoms of Lyme disease. Source BBC.

How to prevent tick bites

We cannot get rid of ticks and we still want to get out in green spaces, so it is important to remember that preventing tick bites is all about education and good preparation. Here are the minimum requirements that TCV teams and volunteers adopt to reduce the risk:

  • Learn how to identify ticks, how to remove them and how to reduce the risk of bites.
  • Educate everyone you are working with so they are aware of the risks too.
  • Take extra care when working in long grass and vegetation – use clearly defined paths and take rest breaks away from long grass.
  • Wear light coloured clothing to help spot ticks.
  • Wear long trousers and long-sleeved tops.
  • Tuck trousers into socks as an extra precaution.
  • Check yourself at regular intervals and after working outside.
  • If a tick bite occurs remove it as quickly as possible – the longer the tick remains on the host, the high the risk of disease. But remember you need to do this the correct way – see next point!
  • Ensure a fine pair of tweezers or a tick removal tool is on your kit when working outside and someone in your group knows to remove the ticks successfully.
  • Avoid high risk sites where possible – especially in the spring and summer.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of preventative measures. We have out together this handy infographic to help you as well.

Infographic to prevent bites from ticks

This tick prevention toolkit from gov.uk is a good place to go next to find out more about prevention and Lyme disease.

To find out more about the work TCV does to protect our team and volunteers from the risks of working outside, head on over to our website to find out more. Or why not sign up to our monthly newsletter Greenzine to keep up to date with the latest news and advice from TCV.

Stop our green spaces becoming rubbish.

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Our local green spaces can soon be enjoyed with family and friends once again after months of separation, as lockdown restrictions begin to ease. This new level of freedom is celebrated by many across the UK, however for our environment it signals the sign of a new epidemic.

Last summer the relaxation of lockdown regulations saw a dramatic increasing in littering and fly-tipping across the UK. People spent more time outside, yet failed to recycle or clean up after themselves, leading to extreme amounts of rubbish littered in public green spaces.

While it was fantastic to see so many people appreciate nature and their local area – and we hope this momentum continues – we were saddened to read that the top four littered items in the UK were all easily recyclable, according to Planet Patrol’s 2020 ‘Extent of Litter in the UK’ report:

  1. Plastic packaging
  2. Drinks cans
  3. Plastic bottles
  4. Plastic fragments

The same report suggests that a shift to an ‘on-the-go infrastructure’ in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has meant that many of our green spaces are overwhelmed with their bin to litter ratio. This is something the report refers to as ‘poor binfrastructure’.

Our new measurement is…rubbish.

As part of our ongoing work to better understand the impact of our work, The Conservation Volunteers now measure the amount of rubbish collected during volunteering sessions.

Many of our teams and volunteers are involved in removing litter from sites and this is now something that we are doing on a significant scale across all our regions.

Last year between April and July, councils across the UK collected an average of 57 tonnes of additional waste on top of the usual amount according to Keep Britain Tidy.

When asking our teams to add what other tasks they complete aside from the environmental impacts we already measure, collecting litter was the most recorded. This ranged from an office chair through to general litter with 20 bin bags as the highest amount collected at one site. It is becoming a standard task in our volunteering sessions.

With much time being dedicated to collecting litter, it prevents our volunteers from spending time and effort into preserving our natural environment and making their local communities happier and healthier. 

How you can help.

The most important step we can all take to tackle the littering problem within the UK is simple…don’t do it!

If a bin is full, hold on to your rubbish until you find one that is not. You may not realise that the bin won’t be emptied for some time and your sandwich packet could quickly fly off to a stream or get caught in a hedgerow.

This will reduce littering, but better still is to take it home to separate out into your recycle bins. A soggy coffee cup might not feel appealing to carry around with you, but remember the huge difference your small efforts can make to the environment.

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Even better still, take the step of finding a recycle bin out of the equation by cutting down overall waste.

Why not try using reusable bottles, cups, and containers? Single-use items have been favoured during the pandemic to stop the spread of COVID-19, however with lockdown rules lifting and hygiene standards that have been adopted still in place, these can still be used in a hygienic manner.

If you want to join in the battle against litter, as well as committing to reducing and recycling, join your local TCV volunteering group. Speak to your local office to find activities that involve socially-distanced litter picks, or see if there is a TCV Community Network group near you.