Broad Arboretum Visit

A group of us visited the Broad Arboretum mid-April as nature was already well engaged into its mesmerising spring cycle. The arboretum, a living library, takes its name from Ken Broad, Woodland Project Manager, and planting started 30 years ago to capture every tree and shrub species native to Oxfordshire and help local farmers identify trees on their lands. John Brannan, who was part of the planning and planting team when the project started in 1998, was our expert guide for the afternoon. 

Reaching the arboretum is a little journey in itself.

The car journey took us through some beautiful narrow lanes tucked away by the enchanting Wittenham clumps until we arrived at the Earth Trust where the arboretum is located. You are transported to a different world where nature, buildings and activities are conducive to relaxing and homely feelings. Schools frequently visit and all is organised so that the children experience outdoor activities by a teepee or under trees or even at the Earth Lab, a timber structure with a wildflower roof. Meandering by the Earth Trust barns then downhill, the path takes you through a new orchard before entering the arboretum. Instantly an impression of familiarity settles in as you will have already seen all the trees around you ranging from hornbeam and birch to hawthorn, all organised in groups of species with signage in front of them to enable the visitor to ascertain what they are. A map of the arboretum is available on the Earth Trust website.

The arboretum is a 1.5 mile, circular path which makes it easy to walk about in this atmosphere of apparent simplicity.

We observed and compared leaves structures, blossoms and bark and also a few berries from the previous season. Many trees are now well established but given that the planting started only 30 years ago, this is not where you will find a majestic and very venerable oak. The weather was very mild but this was also a reminder that the world is undergoing climatic changes, something that was very apparent as the crackly soil below us was already showing signs of drought and blossoms had appeared early. New trees are introduced to reflect the current tree population. The centre is also conducting research and trials into future proofing species of trees such that they are better adapted to the effects of climate change.

The terrain is purposely on a slope with those trees requiring little water being planted on a height and those that thrive on more humidity being at the bottom. Jules Bishop, an artist whose work centres on producing pigments from leaves and berries explained that in prolonged hot weather, berries become redder than usual as the sun increases the production of anthocyanins  (natural sunscreen) in them.  We observed that some caterpillars were already wiring their silks on spindle bushes but John reassured us that whilst this can cause these shrubs to lose all their leaves, they do recover. Willows had been coppiced and the felled thin branches had been left on top of the stumps to protect them from deer and give new growth a chance to establish itself. Opposite, trestles had been erected to make it easier to stack willow branches into packs. 

Ideally, we would have devoted time to the biodiversity of the site but maybe this is something that we could do for a future visit.

Future funding

Sir and Lady Wood were the brainchildren and original funders of the Earth Trust and one of the Trust’s key tasks is to ensure that their legacy continues with new funding sources being created such as a visitors cafe.

Thank you to Jules Bishop for organising this superb visit and to John Brannan for sharing his enthusiasm and expertise.