Hackney Environment Network: Search: biodiversity

Trees & Wildlife of Abney's Secret Woodland

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:19:17 +0100

Summer evening guided walk through Abney's magical woodland.

Recent success in protecting Hackney's biodiversity

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:45:35 +0100

Two significant achievements merit wider appreciation. First the mad plan to create cricket pitches on the North Marsh meadow (part of a designated nature reserve of London wide importance) has finally been seen off. After numerous meetings and considerable pressure Hackney Marshes User Group and HEN succeeded in defeating John Wade's ambition to extend the existing 50Ha of sports grassland. Cricket on the marshes will be great but why we need 3 full size pitches just at the moment we loose 20Ha of East Marsh to the Olympics is beyond anyone but LBH's Head of Greenspaces. The meadow was recently visited by experts from the London Natural History Society's (http://www.lnhs.org.uk/) botany group and they were very impressed with its diversity of wild flowers and insects.
Another success is the shifting of the site for new Spring Hill changing rooms. A planning application had been submitted to build on the site of the old cricket pavilion in the north west corner of the site near the allotments. However that area now hosts a community orchard, several willow coppice stools and a mature privet hedge; all excellent wildlife habitats. Fortunately Kate Mitchell, newly appointed LBH biodiversity officer, visited the site and instantly recognised the importance of the area. Since LBH are better at listening to themselves than others (who had already pointed this out) Kate succeeded in getting the parks dept to withdraw the existing application and reapply to build nearby on the derelict bowling green.
Keeping what we've got is not quite as good as getting something new but it beats a lot of what has happened in the past.

Sustainability in Action - Hackney Style

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:17:45 +0000

The season's winter work began in earnest this weekend with dedicated environmental do gooders doing good in Wick Wood and on Hackney Downs. On Sat a hard core of HMUG veterans built a stylish 'S' shaped 50m dead hedge in a clearing in the woods. Plenty more sustainable housing for wood mice, wrens, mini beasts and fungi. A lovely mild sunny morning made the work much more like play.
Then today TMs were out on the Downs planting hornbeam and native black poplars and filling in gaps in a hedge with dogwood and buckthorn. The black pops were grown at the community tree nursery on the marshes from cuttings taken in Wick Woodland in 2005. Around 40 of these rare native trees have been planted in Hackney in the last 5 years. If you know a space big enough for a really big tree we still have about 30 in the nursery looking for good homes.

To find out more or get involved visit the TM and HMUG website at: http://www.hackneyenvironment.org.uk/

Deep inside a hollow tree in Abney Woodland

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:48:47 +0000

I balance the despair I feel at humanity's failure to progress beyond mindless destruction with a constant wonder at the millions of other life forms that exist all around us. This photograph shows the base of a hollow, yet very much alive, poplar in Abney. The tree has been completely hollowed out by a bracket fungus (Rigidoporus ulmarius) and even the roots are hollow. Inside the roots other fungi and invertebrates find homes. These beautiful little toadstools are called Mealy Oysters (Ossicaulis lignatilis) and I was amazed to see how they appear almost like lanterns lighting the way into the depths of the old tree's roots. Cracking planet as my mate Chris would say!
If you want to know more about Abney's old trees I'm doing a tree walk on New Year's Day - watch this space for details.

Russell Miller

Sat, 23 May 2009 19:04:32 +0100

I've lived in Dalston for 18 years, campaigned against police violence as a lawyer and activist, got into trees by way of self healing. Now help run the Tree Musketeers empowering people through tree care and try to meddle in local politics to mitigate environmental damage.