Most usefull trees in UK

[barryasmith]

Hi all,

As part of our scouts programme for the year we have included an evening on tree identification and their practical uses. We want to use this to give the scouts a start in understanding a bit more about trees that will be useful in later learning on firecraft, carving, campcraft etc.

One of the things I want to do is pull togther an A5 laminated handout that they can keep. On the handout I wanted to show 10-12 of the most useful (common) trees in the UK with ID pictures and notes on common bushcraft uses.

So I was wondering if you knowledgable bunch on here might help me in my task by sharing your opinions on what the most useful trees are that we find here in the UK and stating some of the uses that those trees can have. For example:

BIRCH
Bark makes good tinder that will light from a spark
Good for bowdrill
Wood good for carving and tool handles
Sap can be tapped in spring
Birch polypore used as strop or plaster

Thanks in advance for your help. I will happily share the end product on here if anyone else wants to make use of it.

All the best.

Barry

 

[Squidders]

Apple tree.... MMMMM Apple crumble!

 

[Toddy]

and also gives a lovely timber for carving....I have a 300+ year old distaff made from it.... gives off a scented smoke when burned and it burns well, even faggots bundles made of twigs, and both leaves and bark give good dye.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Squidders]

Those are all totally secondary to its primary use of making crumble though... it's the law.

 

[Mesquite]

Those are all totally secondary to its primary use of making crumble though... it's the law.

NO,NO,NO,NO!!!! Get it right Squidders. We have to educate these scouts properly.

Apple trees primary use is NOT in the making of crumble... It's primary use is the making of CIDER... Then crumble

 

[Raybennett]

I would say it's the birch. It is for me.

 

[robin wood]

Whilst the diversions are interesting this is a potentially very useful thread.

I would suggest reading Herb Edlins Woodland Crafts in Britain as a great introduction.

Ash

Tough springy wood that can be very easily split along the grain of knot free sections. Ideal for making tool handles or anywhere else that toughness and springiness is requires.
One of the best firewoods when dry but also the lowest moisture content of any UK wood whilst living so takes less time to dry and will even burn green.
Reasonable rot resistance though not as good as oak or sweet chestnut. Keys can allegedly make a nice pickle though I never tried it.

 

[Loenja]

il back birch,
then nettles (even if there not a tree)

 

[Toddy]

Those are all totally secondary to its primary use of making crumble though... it's the law.

Well, yes, but a raisin and butter, cinnamon and brown sugar stuffed, cored apple, baked in a fire is hard to beat
***********

Do you want images to go with your handouts for the Scouts ?
I've got the apple bark and dyed wool colours somewhere. I've got them for Birch too.

My most useful trees ?....Oak, Ash, Willow, Elm, Birch, Beech, Sycamore, Hazel, Pine, Elder.......but all trees are useful for something or other, quite apart from being beautiful and rich in wildlife....Yew, Rowan, Cherry, Chestnut, Hornbeam.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[shaggystu]

i don't really have much to offer this thread as there are many much more knowledgeable people on this subject than me on here. just wanted to say, great thread, great idea, and i for one would be very interested in seeing the end result.

cheers

stuart

 

[barryasmith]

Well, yes, but a raisin and butter, cinnamon and brown sugar stuffed, cored apple, baked in a fire is hard to beat
***********

Do you want images to go with your handouts for the Scouts ?
I've got the apple bark and dyed wool colours somewhere. I've got them for Birch too.

My most useful trees ?....Oak, Ash, Willow, Elm, Birch, Beech, Sycamore, Hazel, Pine, Elder.......but all trees are useful for something or other, quite apart from being beautiful and rich in wildlife....Yew, Rowan, Cherry, Chestnut, Hornbeam.

cheers,
Toddy

Toddy, thanks for your response. I was going to include some graphics to show the tree, its bark and leaves. anything you could offer to help will be gratefully received.

Your list of trees is interesting - Do you fancy adding a couple of notes on what uses each may have?

Cheers

Barry

 

[alan whelan]

One tree left out of the list is Holly its a very hard wood great for making wedges for splitting logs or tree trunks or small wedges for fixing handles to tools is also good for making shafts when making a shave horse and fixing the legs. Tools made from holly should be made from green wood as dry wood is very hard and difficult to work.
Alan.

 

[Squidders]

A very good tv series a while back covered the practical applications of a lot of our native trees, it was called "The trees that made Britain" http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/tv_and_radio/trees_index.shtml

It was shown on the beeb so is pretty easy to find.

 

[EdS]

Pear - all the advantages of apple: fruit, blossom, burns well, nice to carve but in addition the wood make very good plough shears.

In the days when plough where iron pear would was the favoured material for ploughs in the heavy clay soils around Somerset - perry pear tree wood ideal. There reason, the abrasive nature of the clay and acid nature of the land rapidly pitted & dulled the plough making it hard work as the clay stuck to the shear. On the other hand the clay gave a nicely fine sanded effect to the pear wood and it was not effected by the acid moisture so it continued to keep cuttingand not stick. And it was cheap and to hand.

 

[Harvestman]

This is difficult because each tree has different properties for its wood, so 'useful' depends on what it is that you want to do. Perhaps the most useful of all is to have a mixed woodland with lots of species. I agree that birch is probably more versatile than most, but I suspect that the commonest uses for wood are (or were) building and making things, and as firewood. Therefore willow (for withies, basketry and so forth), hazel (for charcoal, fences, hedges), oak (furniture, buildings, ships etc), ash (firewood and tool handles), beech (furniture and tools) are historically the most useful, although I'd also include hornbeam because of its extensive use as industrial firewood, and because it is the only native wood hard enough to make the shafts that drove millwheels (and you have to say that flour is pretty handy stuff to have).

The thing is, resourceful people will find a use for whatever is handy to them. There are a lot of regional differences. For modern day, softwoods like spruce are probably the most useful, for cheap timber and for making paper and cardboard.

It's a great question that you have posed. I'd be interested in seeing what you come up with eventually, as I do quite a bit of educational work with kids myself.

 

[chas brookes]

Hi
the following link has some stuff that may be of interest

http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/trees.htm

the link below although it states collecting seeds has usefull info on traditional uses

http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/download/worksheet_collectingseeds

 

[Broch]

Ash – tool handles, the best burning wood green or dried, paddles, bows
Holly – carving, kitchen utensils (no you won’t be poisoned)
Sycamore – not indigenous but prolific – carving, kitchen utensils
Oak – left standing for all the wildlife species it supports (in excess of 200)
Birch – fire starting, tool handles, broom making, sap
Hazel – coppicing, walking sticks, poles etc. plus nuts
Rowan – rowan jelly, bird food, tool handles
Willow – charcoal, basket making
Beech – wood turning, beech nuts
Cherry – decorative work, turning, bird food

Of course, unless it needs to be cut, the best use of any of our trees is to leave them standing for the wildlife they support, their pure beauty, and for future generations.

Cheers,

Broch

 

[im spartacus]

Lavver tree

 

[robin wood]

Of course, unless it needs to be cut, the best use of any of our trees is to leave them standing for the wildlife they support, their pure beauty, and for future generations.

Sorry for going off topic but I would like to say this is a common public misconception. The vast majority of UK woodlands would support more species if they were cut more regularly. Dense thicket stage regrowth supports far more species of flora and fauna than high forest with closed canopy and little light getting to the ground so reduced ground flora and shrub layer. Of course a percentage of old trees left to get very old and rot increases diversity but the average UK woodland with its average trees of 50-150 years old is not necessarily best left. This policy over 100 years led to drastic reduction in diversity in Epping Forest. Each woodland needs analysing, what is special and of value in this place? what do we want to get out of it in the long term?

So back on topic

Oak high tanin content of the heartwood makes it durable and also good strength. Ideal for timber frame buildings, coopered barrels, ships timbers.

 

[shaggystu]

Pear - all the advantages of apple: fruit, blossom, burns well, nice to carve but in addition the wood make very good plough shears.

In the days when plough where iron pear would was the favoured material for ploughs in the heavy clay soils around Somerset - perry pear tree wood ideal. There reason, the abrasive nature of the clay and acid nature of the land rapidly pitted & dulled the plough making it hard work as the clay stuck to the shear. On the other hand the clay gave a nicely fine sanded effect to the pear wood and it was not effected by the acid moisture so it continued to keep cuttingand not stick. And it was cheap and to hand.

really interesting, thanks for that.

stuart