Five hundred larch trees will be felled in Nidd Gorge due to a disease that is ripping through the woodland.

The Woodland Trust, which owns Nidd Gorge, says the infectious disease is called phytophthora ramorum and is already having a devastating impact on native trees.

Government body Forestry England has given the trust permission to fell the trees before it spreads further.

It means some of the footpaths in the popular beauty spot will close this spring and summer whilst work takes place.

Paul Bunton, community engagement officer at the trust, said:

“It is devastating news for our site team and visitors that we are having to reluctantly fell these diseased trees at Nidd Gorge to protect others. Phytophthora ramorum, while of no risk to the public, is one of the biggest threats to our native tree species at the site.

“Nidd Gorge is and will remain a really popular and cherished woodland close to Harrogate and Knaresborough and we ask the public to bear with us while we carry out the work.

“Our community events are a great opportunity for people to find out more before the work starts,  especially those who visit the woodland on a regular basis.”

Read more:

• Green Shoots: Keeping Harrogate district trees healthy
• MP’s memorial tree at RAF Menwith Hill saved

Keith Wilkinson, chair of Bilton Conservation Group, described what happens to larch trees once they become infected with the disease.

“It’s not a mould or a fungus but it is between the two and it attacks the larch. The needles start dying. It takes a while to kill the tree, but once it’s got it, it’s doomed.”

The Woodland Trust is holding two drop-in sessions in Bilton where members of the public can find out more about the works and ask questions to staff.

These will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at Bilton Community Centre between 6pm and 9pm and on Nidderdale Greenway off Bilton Lane on Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

If there is one thing the people of Harrogate can actually agree on, it’s that our trees make it a healthier and better place to live.

Beech trees help soak up pollution from cars on Otley Road and the cherry blossoms provide a brilliant show at this time of year on the Stray.

David Humberstone has been a tree surgeon all his working life and owns The Tree People in Harrogate. A tree surgeon is responsible for the care and general treatment of trees to keep them healthy.

He said people are passionate about their trees here:

“What I love about my job the most is the variety. I enjoy all of it. You can be climbing up a majestic tree that’s been there for 100 years.”

Trees face many threats, from diseases like Ash Dieback to the recent storms, but often it’s people’s own tastes and preferences about how they look that can put them at risk.

Harrogate Borough Council receives around 1,400 planning applications a year from residents wanting to prune, chop or cut down trees, often in their gardens.

Mr Humberstone said part of his job is persuading people that sometimes less is more, and not intervening can help a tree live a longer and healthier life in the long run.

“Harrogate residents usually are quite passionate about gardens but too many people want a clinical garden where everything’s perfect. 

“I find nature finds a better way, man’s intervention is not always desirable. We encourage trees to be thinned, but if you over thin, wind speed can increase and it loses leaves.”

“A lot of people want to cut back as hard as they can to maximise light. But you can shoot yourself in the foot as a tree can react not always in a good way.”

Cherry blossoms on Harrogate Stray.

Read more:

• Green Shoots: Harrogate care provider buys electric bikes for staff
• Green Shoots: Boroughbridge heat pump engineer on his environmental ‘obsession’

• Green Shoots: Harrogate Town’s vegan footballer who is passionate about environment

Plant more trees

The Climate Change Committee says the UK should be planting 30,000 hectares of trees a year, but we’re still some way off that target.

Harrogate Borough Council is currently planting 10,000 trees in Bilton Fields as well as at Upper Horse Shoe Fields in Knaresborough.

The planting is part of the government’s White Rose Forest initiative to create 10 community forests in England. Oak, hornbeam, hazel, alder, cherry, crab apple and other native trees will be planted.

Mr Humberstone said it’s vital that more trees are planted in the district, whether on a large scale or in someone’s back garden.

He said:

“One mature beech tree can take the pollution from two houses.

“Yes, it also takes a long time for a tree to establish. It gets comfortable for a few years before roots take off and grow. When it gets to 50 years old it is just getting out of its teenage years, it’s very important to maintain our big trees.

“The planet needs more trees and we need to plant more. It breaks my heart when I have to take a good tree down.”

And whilst the equation that more trees will improve the environment is straightforward, they have other benefits that you might not know about.

Mr Humberstone added:

“A beech tree has a pubescent leaf. It has hairs on it that help catch dust particles in the air. So not only does it provide oxygen, it filters dust out of the air. When it rains that dust is washed to the ground. Trees have so many benefits.”

Built environment

Like many of us, Mr Humberstone has a couple of favourite trees that he likes to admire as he works around Harrogate.

“On Granby corner there is a beautiful elm on the corner. On Devonshire Place there’s another beautiful elm. I’m a bit nostalgic as when I started I was cutting down lots of elm.

“Elm doesn’t rot in water and they used it to build Victorian piers.

“I am also very passionate about the yew tree. There’s whole books written about them. Its rock hard and is poisonous. They use it in drugs to fight fight cancer.”

And as Harrogate’s built environment has continued to grow with new housing developments and buildings, sometimes leading to conflict with the natural environment, Mr Humberstone said he will always be fighting the tree’s corner.

Members of Harlow Hill’s new ‘men’s shed’ have been busy repairing a damaged display board in the Pinewoods.

The men’s shed was set up in February for men in the Harlow Hill area to boost mental health and tackle loneliness in the area.

Many of their members have woodwork skills so the charity Pinewoods Conservation Group asked if they could help out repair a display board that helps visitors navigate the 96-acre woodland.

For their first job, men’s shed members have spent time over the last few weekends replacing rotten timbers and putting the board back in place.

Men’s sheds are part of a wider organisation of ‘sheds’ that began in Australia. Their goal is to create a space for older men to come together to create and build while making friends. Women are welcome, too.

Read more:

• Harlow Hill men’s shed aims to boost mental health

• Ripon Men’s Shed opens door to new friendships

John Hart, who set up Harlow Hill men’s shed said:

“Our members know the Pinewoods well and were pleased to be able to help the Pinewoods Conservation Group. This was our first official job the group had carried out and are very pleased with the result. We know like many charities funding can be challenging so we hope there are more opportunities for us to support local groups”.

Neil Hind, chair of The Pinewoods Conservation Group said:

“We heard that the group was up and running so were delighted that they agreed to help us. Originally, we thought a whole new display board maybe required but with some ingenuity from the group they were able to repair the board in situ saving us considerable funds. The display board should now be operational for a good number of years to come.”

Harrogate District’s Chamber of Commerce is due to hold its monthly Business Safari event.

The members-only speed networking event will be held next week at St George’s Hotel.

You can sign up to the monthly agenda through the Harrogate Chamber website.

Plant competition for school children hosted by Johnsons of Whixley

Johnsons of Whixley in Harrogate is holding a competition for primary school children.

To celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee and gardening, £250 worth of plants will be sent to the winner’s school, including ten plants for their own home garden. Those in second and third place will also win a plant.

Children under the age of 11 can participate by drawing an imaginative Jubilee Garden. The form can be downloaded here.

Children must create a drawing of a jubilee garden as part of the competition

JW is a three-generation run family business which grows and supplies trees, shrubs and plants to UK-wide planting schemes.

The company plays an active part in the community, having collected donations for Ukraine and providing plants to Baby Rainbow Memorial Garden last month.

Read More:

• Daleside Garage in Pateley Bridge to relocate this year
• North Yorkshire economy recovering from pandemic, says report

A woman in Bilton says thousands of trees that are being planted in fields close to Nidd Gorge will spoil a wildlife meadow and treasured open space.

Harrogate Borough Council is currently planting the trees in Bilton Fields as well as at Upper Horse Shoe Fields in Knaresborough.

The planting is part of the government’s White Rose Forest initiative to create 10 community forests in England. Oak, hornbeam, hazel, alder, cherry, crab apple and other native trees will be planted.

Rowen Hardcastle, who owns a dog walking business in Bilton, was brought up in the Harrogate suburb and said she has spent over 40 years enjoying the fields. Her husband even proposed to her in the fields because he knew how much she liked spending time there.

Ms Hardcastle said she is in favour of more trees being planted in the district to improve the environment, but the location means it will spoil one of the few open spaces in the area. In the summer, it is a popular spot for games of football and family picnics.

She said:

“It’s not the trees at all, it’s the positioning. It was a beautiful wild flower meadow with kids running around it.

“But they’ve gone right across the kids’ playing pitch. Now they can’t have a kickabout without damaging the trees.”

A map of where the trees will go. Credit – HBC

Read more:

• Bilton playgroup rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted
• WW2 nurse from Bilton who served in Dunkirk, Africa and Hiroshima

The new woodland will have footpaths and some open areas but Ms Hardcastle said many people, particularly women, like to walk in the open fields as they feel safe.

She believes the planting should have been done in a more sympathetic way that retained more open space.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of elderly ladies. They’ve walked around there for last 60 years because it’s safe, but future generations won’t have this vast open space.”

A council spokesperson said:

“The White Rose Forest is the community forest for North and West Yorkshire that works in partnership with local authorities, landowners, businesses and communities to plant more trees across the region, improve our natural environment, combat climate change, create jobs and provide happier and healthier places for us all to live, work in and enjoy.

“The scheme has been well received since it was first adopted by the council. And has been publicised widely in the local media – including on the Stray Ferret in both December 2020 and October 2021 – along with the council’s Residents’ News and on social media.

“The planting of the trees reflects what the Royal Forest of Knaresborough would have originally looked like and will complement the surrounding area, create open areas and natural footpaths through the existing fields.

“More than 40% of the site will remain as ‘open space’ and wildflower meadows will be established and managed to further encourage biodiversity, help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.

“Funding for the White Rose Forest project has come from the government’s Trees for Climate Fund. The funding covers planting, establishment and management of the woodland for 15 years.”

Harrogate’s John Shackleton, 83, is hoping to deliver an ambulance to war-torn Ukraine in September.

Local hero John has delivered almost 40 ambulances to hospices and hospitals in Eastern Europe since 1990 through his charity Aid to Eastern Europe.

He is no stranger to Ukraine, having previously delivered ambulances there in 2014 and 2016. He described it as “such a beautiful country”.

He said if the situation with the war improves, he will buy an ambulance from auction in Amsterdam and drive into Ukraine so it can be used by people injured in the conflict.

If he’s not able to enter the country, he has a backup plan to deliver the ambulance to a hospice in Georgia.

John said:

“Its very sad, I’ve been trying to contact my pals there but haven’t been able to get through. The situation is terrible.

“Ukrainians are exceedingly friendly, lovable people and they are very devoted to their country. They are so powerful in their thinking, they will die for their country”.

Read more:

• Harrogate student busking for Ukraine
• Ukrainian couple in Harrogate speak of fears for family under Russian fire

To raise money to buy the vehicles, John chops down trees, cuts lawns, mends bicycles — anything to raise the £12,000 to £15,000 it costs to purchase an ambulance.

But he is currently under doctor’s orders to rest after suffering a heart attack last month.

It happened while he was chopping a tree down at the Oval in Harrogate last month whilst he had his chainsaw in hand.

Fortunately, he had his team with him and they took him straight to Harrogate District Hospital.

Amazing adventures

In January, The Stray Ferret met John at his home to discuss his amazing charity adventures and life.

Since then, he’s been featured on BBC News and had offers from Japanese, German and Gibraltar TV to come on his next trip.

He added:

“I don’t know how to deal with this, never had this publicity!”

Over 2,000 trees have been planted on the edge of Nidd Gorge to form a new woodland for people to enjoy.

Bilton Conservation Group was helped by employees from Belzona Polymerics as well as members of Knox Valley Residents’ Association and the Scout movement to plant the trees at Bilton Fields during February.

Sixteen native broadleaf species were planted, including a specimen of the rare wild service tree.

The woodland is sponsored and paid for by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, a Catholic congregation of women that was founded in 1846.

Scout volunteers planting a tree

Four nuns, representing the order, came from Oxford and France to help on the second day.

Read more:

• Bilton and Woodfield Community Library closed due to flooding
• Dramatic photos show firefighters saving Bilton tree in storm

Bilton Conservation Group has planted over 20,000 trees in Bilton Fields since 1985.

Keith Wilkinson, of Bilton Conservation Group, said:

“We had hoped to plant them last year but the weather and covid got in the way.

“Fringed with blossom species such as wild cherry, crab apple, dog rose, hawthorn, blackthorn and rowan it will be magnificent in years to come, providing food and shelter for birds, butterflies and bees. It will look fantastic.”

Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate is launching a 10km multi-terrain race to raise money for the Queen’s platinum jubilee initiative to plant more trees.

The Rudding ParkRace, as it will be known, will take participants through 300 acres of parkland.

Profits from the race will be donated to The Queen’s Green Canopy, an initiative that encourages people to plant a tree in honour of the jubilee.

The race will be held on Tuesday, May 10 and the 18th century hotel will act as a backdrop for the finish line.

Simon Mackaness, owner of Rudding Park, said:

Works to remove trees at Fountains Abbey today is causing delays on the nearby B6265 heading into Ripon.

The National Trust site is felling trees on its woodland boundary due to their proximity to the road.

It has said traffic management is in place along the B6265 between its visitor centre and Ripon. It asked commuters to allow extra time for their journey.

1/2 Our work to manage trees on site affected by ash dieback continues this week. There will be traffic management in place on the B6265 between the visitor centre and Ripon on Mon 31 Jan and Tues 1 Feb. We’ll be working on trees on our woodland boundary which sadly need to be pic.twitter.com/zl4MNkLXnz

— Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal, National Trust (@fountainsabbey) January 30, 2022

The Stray Ferret has changed the way it offers Traffic and Travel alerts.

We will now notify you instantly through app notifications and flash tweets when there is an urgent alert. This could include heavy traffic, dangerous weather and long delays or cancellations of public transport.

The alerts are sponsored by The HACS Group.

Tree planting has begun across the Harrogate district to mark the queen’s platinum jubilee next year.

About 100 elm, oak, hornbeam, sycamore and lime trees will be planted in the district as part of a nationwide initiative called The Queen’s Green Canopy, which invites people from across the United Kingdom to ‘plant a tree for the jubilee’.

The trees will be planted on Harrogate’s Wetherby Road, Jacob Smiths Park in Knaresborough, High Cleugh in Ripon, Pateley Bridge recreation ground and Boroughbridge recreation ground.

One tree from each location will be saved to plant on February 6, the queen’s accession day.

Harrogate Borough Council is organising the project and hopes the initiative will also help it achieve its carbon reduction initiatives. It is encouraging everyone, including individuals, community groups, businesses and landowners to also plant a tree.

Councillor Andy Paraskos, the council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“The Queen’s Green Canopy is a wonderful opportunity for us to not only honour Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee but also help address the climate situation and deliver carbon reduction initiatives throughout the Harrogate district.”

The Queen’s Green Canopy will coincide with the borough council’s plans to plant thousands of trees in Bilton Beck Wood and Willow Wood, Harrogate and Upper Horse Shoe Fields, Knaresborough as part of the White Rose Forest partnership.

To get involved and plant a tree, people can pin it to the Queen’s Green Canopy map. It will then count towards Harrogate’s total.

Read more:

• Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to get monthly artisan markets
• Harrogate gallery organises charity Christmas tree for refugees