Quaker Wood
Our vision is to create a community woodland to the long term benefit of the village community and the wider environment which will open opportunities for enhancing ecological diversity and will provide an area safe for local wildlife.
This project will create pathways and glades (about 20% open space overall) through woodland to encouraging leisure, recreation, health and wellbeing for the local community in a location that adjoins the village.
Blewbury Primary School is also developing plans for study and recreation on the site and every child has been involved in the planting to encourage a sense of ownership-and interest.
Our environment is under threat from climate change. The creation of this woodland helps to mitigate it by absorbing carbon dioxide.
History
A Quaker meeting house and burial ground were located here in the 17th and 18th centuries and gives the wood its name.
The wood was made possible by some extraordinary generosity. The land was donated by local resident Jane Dexter and Sustainable Blewbury received a bequest from the family of Richard Brodie who made his home in Blewbury for 35 years after leaving university. We were also supported by a grant from the Vale of White Horse Climate Action Fund. We are thankful to them all.
Realization
Nearly 800 trees were planted in autumn 2024 with around one third being planted by volunteers and Blewbury School children. Nearly 2000 hedge plants were also planted as part of a new 315m long native hedging along the western boundary.
The trees were planted as 40-60cm whips by hand, at planting centres of 2.5m in curving rows to enable mowing between the trees. The trees are protected in their early years from deer by 1.5m high tree shelters which will eventually be recycled.
The streams running alongside the east boundary of site are currently affected by overhanging vegetation creating dense shade; a benefit of the project is to thin out some of this vegetation and make safe trees along the new woodland boundary to reverse this situation. This will benefit the ecology of the chalk stream, providing more light.
Species
Trees
Alder, Aspen, Beech, Bird Cherry, Crack Willow, Crab apple, Downey Birch, Field Maple, Hornbeam, Italian Alder, Rowan, Silver Birch, Small leaved Lime, Wild Cherry, Whitebeam
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Understorey Shrubs
Buckthorn, Guilder Rose, Hazel, Holly, Purging, Spindle, Wayfaring Tree
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Hedgerow planting
Bullace, Guilder Rose, Hawthorn, Hazel, Holly, Hornbeam, Small leaved lime, Spindle, Wayfaring Tree, Wild Cherry
Access and community engagement
The community has been involved through a process of consultation over a number of years and there have been opportunities volunteers and for the school including teachers, parents and children to be involved with the planting of a portion of the site. The emerging woodland will be used as an educational resource by the school.
There will be regular opportunities for volunteers to be involved in the ongoing establishment and management of the wood within the framework of Sustainable Blewbury, to manage the weed control, subsequent thinning and potential hedge laying in the future together with keeping the streams accessible open to light.
Regular management will include keeping access paths and glades mown to maintain circular walks around the site