Transition in Action: The Nut Tree Planting Project
Walnut trees being planted in Bridgetown with Paul Hussell of Wills and Probate (© Totnes Times)
The vision behind this scheme is to provide another source of nutritious food for the Totnes community in the future, while also raising awareness and locking up carbon. In March 2007, TTT started the scheme with a few varieties of nut trees on Vire Island. Further plantings took place during the winter of 2007-2008 on Longmarsh, Borough Park playing fields, Follaton gardens and Bridgetown. Some people volunteered to be guardians of the trees, to watch their growth, and nurture them. Most of the trees have survived, despite a lot of flooding on Longmarsh and some battering of trees surrounding playing fields in Bridgetown
In December 2008, a small group of residents of Meadow Close in Bridgetown, including several children, planted a new orchard of apples, pears and almonds on a site adjacent to the close. A further planting session took place in January 2009 – a combined effort between the TTT project, Trees for Health and South Hams District Council – planting more trees in Follaton Gardens, mulching some of the ones planted last year, and putting in 3 almond trees in the Town Cemetery.
On March 1st 2009, we had another sunny planting day on Longmarsh, putting in more sweet chestnuts, walnuts and hazel trees. On the same day, we re-planted four trees on the Pathfields playing field that had got damaged last year, and on March 4th we planted another seven fruit trees on the Town Cemetery site amongst the old graves.
More plantings planned for winter 2009-10, in Bridgetown, in the Town cemetery again, on the Sharpham estate, and possibly on the KEVICC land. One date already planned is in December when the nut tree planting in Totnes will be part of a national tree planting campaign sponsored by the BBC ‘Breathing Spaces’ programme.
For more information, visit totnes.transitionnetwork.org/nuttrees/home
Leave a comment
If you wish to comment on a particular paragraph
and quote the relevant number in your comment.