Work will be taking place in Arboretum and woodland over the coming weeks from the 21st October, excepting half-term week. Some paths may be closed during this time and the Woodland car Park may be closed on some days. Please follow on site safety signage.

There will be a tree surgeon working in the arboretum removing deadwood from trees along some of the main paths and also around the woodland car park for visitor’s safety. We will also be removing some trees along the A49. This is work identified through our tree inspection regime, carried out to keep the site safe for the public. There are currently a number of dead and dying specimen trees within the Arboretum that have succumbed to disease and these will also have to be removed before they fall.

This year we will also be removing a number of birch and oak from the Arboretum to open up vistas through the arboretum and make room for new planting. These are native trees which self-seeded and were allowed to grow while the specimen trees of the Arboretum were still small. As the specimen trees have matured, they now need more space to develop and flourish. It is important to ensure the Arboretum does not become over-crowded and that each tree can grow and mature.

From November, the Queenswood woodlands volunteer team will be starting this year’s coppice work. This involves cutting down a ‘coppice compartment’ which will regrow over the following years. Cutting a compartment each year on a cycle creates different types of habitat within the woodland to give the most benefit to wildlife. The resulting firewood and woodchip will be used on site and be on sale to the public. This work is continuing the long running tradition of coppice working at Queenswood which takes place in the south wood each year.