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Description
After 30 years trying to restore nature by working with farmers and landowners, planting trees and seeding wildflowers, Pete Leeson takes time out to go back and revisit those he’s met along the way.
Throughout the series, Pete discovers how land managers are adapting and responding to the nature crisis we all face, while navigating the economic challenges within farming and land management today.
People are at the heart of this podcast, holding the potential to do some incredible things. We learn how families and communities across our landscapes are creating a future for themselves which respects and supports nature.
Throughout the series, Pete discovers how land managers are adapting and responding to the nature crisis we all face, while navigating the economic challenges within farming and land management today.
People are at the heart of this podcast, holding the potential to do some incredible things. We learn how families and communities across our landscapes are creating a future for themselves which respects and supports nature.
60 Episodes
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Tanith's episode is the fourth of our series of 4 podcasts about Epping Forest. We chatted to Tanith about the future extension of the Forest northwards (beyond the M25) into land already set aside for tree planting, cattle grazing, public access and engagement - a truly brilliant addition to Epping's 6000 acre ancient woodland and site of special scientific interest which sits cheek by jowl with the city of London. The existing woodland sits mainly between the London boroughs of Chingford and Epping - an area of woodland that rises not far from the city and travels north and east out to the M25. Its management history goes back 1000's of years of cattle grazing and tree management through pollarding and coppicing of trees. Its conservation status is fascinating too as it was the first major win for conservation in the UK through the forest's acquisition and safeguarding by the City of London by act in 1878. Today the forest receives 10,000,000 visits a year. Our 4 episodes consider history and people, pollard management, cattle grazing and the future extension of the forest northwards.
John Phillips manages the long horn cattle in Epping Forest - John's episode is third in our series of 4 podcasts about Epping Forest. This amazing 6000 acre ancient woodland and site of special scientific interest is literally cheek by jowl with the city of London - the woodland sits mainly between the London boroughs of Chingford and Epping - an area of woodland that rises not far from the city and travels north and east out to the M25. Its management history goes back 1000's of years of cattle grazing and tree management through pollarding and coppicing of trees. Its conservation status is fascinating too as it was the first major win for conservation in the UK through the forest's acquisition and safeguarding by the City of London by act in 1878. Today the forest receives 10,000,000 visits a year. Our 4 episodes consider history and people, pollard management, cattle grazing and the future extension of the forest northwards.
Andy's episode in second in our series of 4 podcasts about Epping Forest. This amazing 6000 acre ancient woodland and site of special scientific interest is literally cheek by jowl with the city of London - the woodland sits mainly between the London boroughs of Chingford and Epping - an area of woodland that rises not far from the city and travels north and east out to the M25. Its management history goes back 1000's of years of cattle grazing and tree management through pollarding and coppicing of trees. Its conservation status is fascinating too as it was the first major win for conservation in the UK through the forest's acquisition and safeguarding by the City of London by act in 1878. Today the forest receives 10,000,000 visits a year. Our 4 episodes consider history and people, pollard management, cattle grazing and the future extension of the forest northwards.
Tom Boughton's episode kicks off our series of 4 podcasts about Epping Forest. This amazing 6000 acre ancient woodland and site of special scientific interest is literally cheek by jowl with the city of London - the woodland sits mainly between the London boroughs of Chingford and Epping - an area of woodland that rises not far from the city and travels north and east out to the M25. Its management history goes back 1000's of years of cattle grazing and tree management through pollarding and coppicing of trees. Its conservation status is fascinating too as it was the first major win for conservation in the UK through the forest's acquisition and safeguarding by the City of London by act in 1878. Today the forest receives 10,000,000 visits a year. Our 4 episodes consider history and people, pollard management, cattle grazing and the future extension of the forest northwards.
James needs little by way of introduction - he's well known for his views on farming and both his books and many broadcasts and interviews he's had on the subject. We were lucky enough to have worked with James on the farm with various hedge and tree planting events over the years. Enjoy an episode about farming planting trees and hedges and not losing productive land!
We meet coppice worker Lee Bassett on a Cumbrian farm talking about his work to bring farm woodlands back into economic use and value to farms. Given the increase in planting on farms we need to value wood on our farms either using it directly or for sale. Lee is especially interested in bringing sweet chestnut into use in Cumbria, and on this farm discusses how it might be planted, managed and used.
In this episode we meet Maurice Pankhurst who spent his life working for nature and especially trees and woods. Maurice recently retired as the National Trust's forester for Borrowdale in the north of the English Lake District - and, for this interview, we meet him close to his home in Borrowdale for a walk in some of his favourite woods and trees. As with many people that work with natural systems the history of human engagement with them becomes very important as to how they were shaped and continue to be so. We discuss how busy with people, industry, grazing by cows and horses, fire and disturbance these woods would once have been yet they retained their inherent biodiversity and we go on to talk about the insidious loss that happens through modern forms of air pollution (from cars) and sometimes for the very protection measures we put in place.
Andy and Kathy Swinscoe have developed, from very small beginnings, a cheese retail business that now employs over 20 people in the heart of Yorkshire. The business has been located just outside Settle since 2017 and has grown to include the Cheese Shop, cheese production facility, museum and restaurant. Andy has spent a life in and around cheese both as a retailer and as maker in the UK and in France - his knowledge about cheese is astounding.
We went to interview Andy because of the effect his business is having on a small but beautiful resurgence of quality artisan farm cheeses in Yorkshire and the wider UK. Can we bring back jobs and culture, through farm house production, to our uplands which are suffering the loss of young people and jobs?
Mike has been ecologically monitoring habitat restoration sites for us for nearly a decade. He has shown to us several times over not just the value of monitoring change but also how, when you do monitor change after a habitat restoration project, nature responds rapidly.... but not always by the book! He has uncovered lots of positive changes that the textbooks say should not happen. The value of having a "Mike" in the team is enormous. This chat we had opens up some of Mike's findings and how he approaches monitoring.
The second agroforestry show is coming to Woodoaks Farm, Maple Cross in Hertfordshire on 10th and 11th of September. Here at tree Amble we really support the bringing back together of trees and farming - particularly with all the benefits for animal welfare, productivity and nature that can be gained from well planned agroforestry systems. So, we went to chat with site manager Steve Dutch at Woodoaks and also met with Rose Lewis (Steve's boss!) to talk about how Woodoaks farm came to the SA and there thinking around soils and agroforestry.
Part 2 of our conversation with Peter Livingstone at his not for profit tree nursery near Glasgow. We hear more about about the other species Peter is working on and more about his motivations, people and projects.
As a younger man Peter got involved with remediating derelict land in Scotland's central belt. His work eventually exposed him to using trees to aid restoration and before long he discovered that aspen was used all over Europe for restoration but not at home. Research and grant aid later finds him collecting and growing aspen clones for planting on remediation sites and then a journey into trees.....
Mention Phil's name in West Cumbria and many folks will know him. He has created a wonderful community of people around him through his work as a basket maker and willow weaver. Phil grows willow and makes baskets but he also shares his knowledge widely and engages in many other willow related things - including river restoration! Phil is a complete gem and is great spend time with.
Rose, Anwen and I met at a farming conference and very quickly hit it off. We were all wondering why a tree lover and two archaeologists would spend a weekend talking about mob grazing and soils. Yet it is obvious really - learning about how we manage land reflects on where we have come from and how we might restore nature to farming once more. Rose and Anwen have such life and energy for their chosen subject!
Neil and Leigh Heseltine farm in the North Yorkshire village of Malham - famous for its amazing geology and beautiful setting. Neil's journey into farming with nature, in fact farming nature, is fascinating. He has moved from farming sheep to farming cattle. He loves the landscape he has farmed all his life and it comes across in this episode.
In this episode of Tree Amble we head up to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park in Central Scotland to meet Hamish Thompson the Estate Manager of the Woodland Trust's largest single site Glen Finglas. Hamish and his team are responsible for managing over 4000 ha / 10,000 acres of ancient woodland, wood pasture, peat bog and mountain. This is tree management on an epic scale and a day's walk around the tracks or up one of the Glen's hills is hardly enough to take in the scale of this landscape. Hamish's work crosses many disciplines but we meet him in a stand of ancient hazel talking about the importance of this species to ecology today and people in the past.
Have you ever thought about beef or dairy from the cow's perspective? In this episode of Tree Amble we meet Dr Lindsay Whistance who has a life long passion for cows and is deeply concerned about our relationship with them. She works as the senior livestock researcher at the Organic Research Centre and has 4 themes to her work:
* Farm animal behaviour
* Participatory research and facilitation
* Health and welfare planning and assessments
* Role of trees and shrubs in landscapes and food systems for farmed animals
I hope you enjoy this conversation!
We met Kate Hanley down at Dovestones just east of Oldham on a very wet day in 2024. Kate works for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and manages a brilliant project on land above Dovestones which is owned by water company United Utilities but leased to the RSPB for nature recovery. Kates work here is really drilling down into how we restore very degraded peat bogs - essential for carbon storage, water management [keeping water back for both flood prevention and droughts] and for nature. Our upland peat bogs have been hammered by pollution, extraction and drainage. But Kate's work is truly inspirational even if it is turning a few heads - birds are flooding back, insects galore but also trees are seeding into her project and this challenges the peat / tree dogma. This is one site visit which is well worth the walk!
In this Tree Amble Special we went back to Torpenhow [pronounced Tre'pen'ah] - Mark and Jenny's Farm - and joined the Specialist Cheesemakers Association at their annual gathering. We had a ball with these amazing cheese makers eating and talking about the best of the best cheeses in the UK. These folks are brilliant food producers and all concerned with nature on land they manage or where their milk comes from and what it can do for good food taste and production.
In this episode we talk to the brilliant Chantal Lyons about her book "Groundbreakers" which is all about Wild Boar. For us in the UK this is a challenging species which we hunted from our shores many years ago but for which there is an ecological argument for restoration. It is challenging this one though, they make a huge mess and are difficult to control at any level. But we should have a discussion about all and any species that were once here and see whether they may fit into our landscape again at some point. Chantal's book does the two side of this equation very well. I hope our interview brings out some of the best point on both sides.
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