Inverewe: an excursion with trees

Kevin Frediani B.Sc. (Hons), Dip, Arb. (RFS), P.G. Cert., F.Arbor.A

Overview: founding story

• Visioning a garden on the edge • Taming the mountain • A (tree) legacy • The artist and her work • A public gift of space & time

– Living & cultural heritage

• Present & future direction…

Focus: phanerophyte (phan.) after Raunkiær 1934 stems: woody and persisting for several years buds: normally above 3 m e.g.: small and large trees

Where in the world

58th parallel

Chosen to view the mountain

Inverewe environment

• Geology

Inverewe environment

• Climate

Mild monthly minimum

Wetter & warmer

Episodic weather events

Osgood’s resilient garden!

Shelterbelt of pine, larch & beech

1905 (age class 31-40 yrs)

20 years in the making…

Glades within shelterbelt!

Circa: 1949

Result: Inverewe microclimate

1863

2016

A woodland garden

Great place to trial a diversity of trees

Informed by Osgood & Mairi’s travels

Historical plants Lists

Metrosideros umbellata

Southern rātā

National collections

• Olearia sp.

O. glandulosa

There are about 130 different species within the genus found mostly in Australia, New Guinea and N. Zealand.

2 National collections

1) Rhododendron subgenus Hymenanthes which contains one section, Pontica.

• Terminal floral bud, larger leaved, Elepidote without ‘scurfy’ scales

• over 200 species in cultivation in 24 Subsections.

• subsect. Barbata (5/6)

• subsect. Glischra (6/10)

• subsect. Maculifera (7/10)

Rhododendron barbatum

Rhododendron glischrum ssp. glischrum

Rhododendron subsect. Maculifera

Rhododendron morii

TROBI Champion trees

• Quercus cerris ‘varigatus’ (largest in cultivation) • Podocarpus totora • Aristotelia serrata (tallest in cultivation) • Brachyglottis bruonis (only one in tree register) • Eucalyptus vernicosa • Eucalyptus moorei (best in Scotland) • Gevuina (largest girth) • Hoheria glabrata (largest girth) • Hoheria ‘Glory of Amlwch’ largest recorded • Leptospermum grandiflorum (Tallest) • Magnolia campbelli (largest girth in Scotland) • Magnolia stellata (tallest) • Neopanax (syn psuedopanax) laetus largest • Olearia paniculata (tallest in Scotland) • Photnia prionophylla (tallest) • Rhododendron griffithii (tallest) • Tasmannia (Drimys) lanceolata (with Colonsay House -= tallest) • Pittosporum ‘silver queen’ (iggest in Scotland) • Several other notable Pittosporum & Rhododendron..

Largest girth

Largest Neopanax laetus (Kirk) Allan

Largest

A group planting doing very well…

Wollemi pine (most N planting?)

Threats to woody collection

• Phytophora

• Scale insect

• Invasive species

Cottony Camellia Scale (Pulvinaria Floccifera)

Measures in place until 2019!

Planning for trees

Tree risk & continuity management

Innovative work with Koppert Biological systems

• Vidi Fortum: Improved root activity and better growth.

Stimulates the soil life around the roots, which increases the nutrition available to the plant.

• Vidi Funda: The perfect biological balance in the soil restores the natural balance of soil life and supports the development of useful natural fungi.

• Vidi Terrum: Improve your crop's resistance to stress

stimulating the defence mechanisms and stress resistance of the crop.

• Fortafol: A water-soluble emulsion of humic and fulvic acids, is a biostimulant that stimulates and strengths the crop in an entirely natural way. – Also acts as a fungicide to break down the black sooty mould.

https://www.koppert.com/resilient-cultivation/products/

Outreach & education

• Bats & Trees workshop June

• i-Tree eco June (Kenton Rogers)

– Bats and Trees

Ochagavia litoralis (syn. Fascicularia)

Conservation

• Scots pine – James Hutton Institute

• Aspen - Coille Alba

• Juniper – Trees for life?

• Osgood & Mairi's legacy – wild collected sp.

– Botanical collection & prioritising collection

• Glasshouse 2017

• Iris BG software

• Red Squirrel release in March (big 5)

– Joining red deer, eagles, otter, pine martin (& wild cat)

Public opening spring 2017

£500,000 investment in plant conservation at Inverewe

Joining up the dots

• Its about people, planet and wise use of profit

– Why > How > What

Margin

Conservation of living & build

heritage

Visitor experience

What's next?

• Arboretum car park

• Chilean forest – in ashes of Phytophora larch

• CCF shelter belt – for the next 160 years..

• Wider estate – conservation landscape scale – Bein Eighe NNR

• Conservation nursery

• Tree top walk?

• Tree trail

• Apprenticeship(s)

Playing our part in fulfilment of the 3 functions of the newly designated Wester Ross Biosphere reserve: 1. Conservation - contribute to the

conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation.

2. Development - foster economic and human development which is socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable.

3. Logistic support - support for demonstration projects, environmental education and training, research and monitoring related to local, regional, national and global issues of conservation and sustainable development

1883

When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.

Chinese proverb

Thank you for listening