Author - Paul Thomas via Facebook

A tale of two meetings.

Yesterday evening 12 people wrapped up against the damp for a short walk in Finings Wood without our guest Nick Marriner from the CCB who is unwell.

The calm benefit of being in a woodland is immediately apparent when stepping away from a busy main road and into the cover. But here, the small trees are densely packed with little sign of undergrowth, fallen trees have been left to lean and eventually fall to the ground. It`s a bit sad really if you imagine it could be a more open woodland with higher light levels that would encourage the understory of woodland plants and flowers. This corner of Finings is the closest to Lane End and has had no management for a long time, not even thinning for firewood.

We discussed several ideas about how these 3-4 acres might become a village asset, leaving the rest of Finings to be the lovely Ancient Woodland that it is. Thanks to all who came out to support and add to the ideas on a cool, wet Autumn evening.
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Dr Tim Harrison picked up a leaflet in the woods last week and made contact to get involved both verbally and financially, so we arranged a Sunday walk. His knowledge of the geology, trees and plants in Finings is astonishing and gives a real insight into how and why the nature thrives. He has been recording plants in Finings for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland since 2005 so knows it very well. Thankyou Tim (centre in photo) and I hope to walk with you again with a larger group soon.

Author - Paul Thomas - Facebook

​You are invited for a SHORT WALK and TALK in Finings Wood on the 28th September at 5.30pm. We shall meet outside the Lane End Surgery at 5.30pm. Sunset is at 6.45pm and we will be finished and out of the woods by then.

Nick Marriner from the Chiltern Conservation Board will be with us.

We shall walk to an area of 3-4 acres of overgrown, conifer plantation on both sides of the concrete track up to the water tower in Finings Wood. Here we can talk and ask Nick his advice on the proposal to make Finings a community Woodland.

If Lane End owned the woods, we could apply for a PAWS grant to return it to Ancient woodland and use this particular area as an accessible asset that could be used in more creative ways, leaving the rest of the 60 acres of Finings to be managed carefully and restored back into Ancient Woodland over the next 10-20 years.

In forestry PAWS means `planted ancient woodland sites` and refers to the planting of conifers during the 1950`s and 60`s within the existing forest as the photo shows, a good idea at the time when timber was in short supply after the war, but we are seeing things differently now.

In England, Ancient Woodland is very rare so allowing hardwood trees like Beech, Oak, Cherry, Sweet Chestnut and Rowan to grow instead of rows of conifer will help the flowers and insects return to that area.

This would be a small but very significant contribution that Lane End could make to support the environmental and climate change debates.  

Hope to see as many as possible. Bring questions and ideas please. Outdoor gear and boots, expect some rough ground.

​The locked gate and barbed wire on the fence at the entrance to the Long Copse in Finings Wood. Would you prefer to walk down there legally?
Please support the proposal to purchase all of Finings Wood. The Lane End Parish Council could be the main contributor for the purchase with fund raising and government grants available to top up for just this sort of community project.