After much debate, the Trustees have decided that in these current circumstances it would be better not to try to rearrange the Field Weekend to September 2020 and so with regret, we have to announce that there will be no Field Weekend this year, but if we can arrange a single-day event later in the year, we will be in touch via e-news. If you haven’t already done so, please sign up here.

The varied and stimulating itinerary laid out on page 27 in the Woodland Heritage 2020 journal will, with the blessing and support of our generous hosts, be carried forward to June 2021, with final dates to be advised in due course.

Our weekend promises to be diverse, commencing with an afternoon visit to The Seed Unit and the outlying Clonal Orchards of Forestart Ltd the premier supplier of quality tree, shrub and wildflower seeds, based in the UK, on the Shropshire and Staffordshire borders

A full day will also be spent at Norbury Park Estate’s young woodlands and Sawmill with an introduction to the research and a site visit to the Birmingham Institute of Forestry Research’s (BIFor) Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experiment, set in mature, un-managed, temperate woodlands. An optional late afternoon visit to the outlying Jubilee Wood plantation is also planned.

Our final day will be spent at the beautiful and historic Weston Park which is set in more than 1,000 acres of park landscaped by Capability Brown and given to the nation in 1986 by the 7th Earl of Bradford, with the support of the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The 17th-century Hall is a Grade I listed building and retains its art collection with over 30,000 objects, and is open to the public. Several other features of the estate, such as the orangery and the Stable block, are Grade II listed and so there will much to see and enjoy

Our Field Weekends are very popular and numbers will be restricted.

Members will receive priority over others on a ‘first come first served’ basis. For further information or to book a place, please contact enquiries@woodlandheritage.org.uk