New Green Lanes Conservation Tree Nurseries

Green Dragon are very pleased to announce that the 23rd of January 2006 saw the start of work on another new conservation tree nursery - this time situated on land owned by the Green Lanes education centre and nature reserve in Devon.

Members of BTCV (British Trust of Conservation Volunteers) helped to clear the brambles from the 100 square metre site allocated for the new nursery. Green Dragon volunteers then spent the week preparing the soil – removing and composting the thick layer of Bracken leaf debris (a beautiful rich loam), double digging the area and removing the deep mesh of Bracken and Bramble roots.

The Green Lanes Centre is owned and managed by Valerie Belsey, an environmentalist and writer with several published books on the history and wildlife of Britain’s green lanes. Her latest book is Discovering Green Lanes, “an essential handbook for anyone interested in Britain’s ancient network of green lanes”.

The new tree nursery will be used to grow trees to regenerate woodland in the area as well as an educational resource for those interested in protecting bio-diversity in the countryside.

As well as providing volunteers Green Dragon will be also be helping to fundraise for the new project, initially for the cost of the deer fencing needed to protect the nursery beds.

March and April 2006

Across March we finished planting out many thousands of newly germinated seedlings as well as transplanting the one and two year old trees into the Oak Grove nursery beds.

These included Oak, Holly, Hawthorn, Hazel, Rowan, Spindle, Sweet Chestnut, Alder, and Beech.

Meanwhile work continues on the new Green Lanes nursery in preparation for seed collecting this autumn.

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Green Dragon is a volunteer project run as a not-for-profit organisation.
Office: Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG