Trust in the Forest

Welcome to the September Issue of Trust in September 2007 Issue 3 In this edition: the Forest • Nature Notes • The Verderers of September is here already made of the last few Estonia and Scouts from all and I am not sure where months. over the world. Working • Ash’s Nature Notes the summer went, a with groups like these is a • Epping Fprest Pro- packed summer schedule Our groups have included real process of exchanging ject 818 and the wet weather have lots of local schools and skills and knowledge, we are • Weird and Won- brought us into autumn colleges as well as many able to introduce them to derful—Pale Tus- already. from Inner London. The Epping Forest and some sock Moth Cater- pillar

diversity of people we practical skills while they • Scout Jamboree This summer has been our have met and worked with are keen to share their ex- • Dates for your busiest yet at the Trust, over the summer has been perience of tree felling in diary much of the summer term amazing, local college stu- their home countries and was spent with new groups dents with English as a the tools they would use or in the Forest and the sum- second language from the animals that they find in mer holiday was packed Bangladesh, Nigeria and their home countries and with Scouts and summer which ones they would eat. camp.

Despite the rain, work on We have finished this sum- our conservation sites has mer tired but with smiles on continued apace, a visit to our faces there can’t be many either Warren Hill, Furze jobs with the variety and op- Ground or Long Running portunities like this! will reveal the progress Redbridge College students working on Fairmead Road

Forest Hands—Pond Clearance Saturday 22nd September 2007 10.30—2.00 Another opportunity to get stuck into some practical work, this time we will be doing pond clearance work, digging out silt and clearing surrounding scrub and small trees. All ages and abilities welcome. Gloves, wellies and a barbeque lunch will be provided. We will meet at the car park of Golding’s Hill Road (A121) between the Wake Arms roundabout and Loughton. If you are interested in attending please contact us on 0208 508 9061.

Trust in the Forest Page 1 The Verderers of Epping Forest by Richard Morris

The office of Verderer goes back to the eleventh cen- Qvist and Sir William Addison when the objects of tury when William the Conqueror created Royal For- the Epping Forest Centenary Trust were drawn up ests in England in which he had the exclusive right to in 1978. hunt deer and to hold Forest Courts. Acts of Parlia- The Verderers take a keen interest in the activities ment were passed introducing a set of Forest Laws that of the Trust as part of their role in overseeing the initially were draconian in their penalties, but the pur- management of the Forest. Apart from the formal pose of which were to protect the King’s rights and to meetings of the Epping Forest and Commons ensure that the Forests were conserved for the benefit Committee at Guildhall, a ‘Local Meeting’ is held at of the deer. the Warren in alternate months, which is attended Each Forest was ‘managed’ by a Lord Warden under by the Chairman, Deputy Chairman of the Com- whom there were Keepers, Woodwards, Regarders, mittee, the four Verderers, and the Superintendent Reeves, and Agisters. Parallel with this administrative of the Forest. In a less formal atmosphere, a wide organization was a judicial system of Forest Courts. range of issues affecting the Forest can be dis- The lowest court was the Court of Attachments or cussed. On a day-to-day basis the Verderers receive Forty Day Court, at which the Verderers presided, and approaches from members of the public who may which was similar to the local Magistrates Courts, but have some concern about a particular part of the only dealing with offences against the Forest Laws. The Forest. The Verderers also liaise with the Superin- Verderers also presided at the Swainmote, the next tendent and his staff on any local planning applica- level of Court, but this time with a jury. The most sen- tions that may have an impact on the Forest. ior Court was the Court of the Justice Seat, which met The Verderers give talks to local organizations only every three years, and at which a peer of the realm and write articles about the Forest for newspapers presided. The Verderers were elected by the Freehold- and magazines. This link with the wider local com- ers of the County in which each lay. munity is an important part of the Verderers role in By the end of the eighteenth century the Monarch’s encouraging people to use the Forest, in addition to interest in hunting had waned and illegal encroach- their role of representing the Commoners. ments were being made in many of the Forests, includ- The five-year Management Plan, and the Annual ing Waltham Forest, which was made up of Epping Work Programme for the Forest, prepared by the and Hainault Forests. The story of how the public pro- Superintendent and his staff, are discussed in detail tested in the 1860-70s against the threat to Epping For- with the Verderers before being put to the Com- est, following the disafforestation of Hainault in 1851, mittee at Guildhall for approval. There will always and how the became involved and be more work to be done in the Forest than re- saved the Forest from enclosure, is well known. sources available and the Conservators are very The Epping Forest Act of 1878 provided for the of- grateful to the several organizations, such as the fice of Verderer to continue but no longer with any Centenary Trust, who make significant contribu- judicial powers. The four Verderers have to live in a tions to the conservation of the Forest and the edu- Forest parish and form an important link between the cation of people to use it. Commoners who elect them every seven years, the Richard Morris wider local community, and the Epping Forest and Commons Committee of the City of London. The Verderers are full members of the Committee, with the same rights as the members of the Court of Common Council of the City who make up the sixteen members of the Committee. The two main provisions of the Epping Forest Act are that the Forest is preserved as an open space for the recreation and enjoyment of the public, and that the Conservators shall at all times as far as possible pre- serve the natural aspect of the Forest. These two provi- A group of Italian Scouts with the pile of sions were no doubt very much in the minds of Alfred Sycamore trees they felled.

Trust in the Forest Page 2 Ash’s Nature Notes

Summer is almost over and what was lucky enough to find a family It is a fantastic time to walk in the a summer it has been, even if it of willow warblers busy feeding Forest as there is so much to has not felt like it due to the vast amongst some Bracken and see and hear, there are bees amount of rain we have received Gorse. There was also an unusual buzzing around the Forest’s during the past couple of visitor seen at one of the Forest’s rides busy collecting pollen along months. The effects of this in- small ponds, a Ruddy Headed with other nectar feeding insects. creased rainfall are noticeable in Goose. It was probably an es- There are migrant birds such as the Forest unfortunately includ- capee from a local collector as the Warblers to be seen and if you ing far higher numbers of biting bird is a native of the Falkland Is- are lucky enough you could even insects this year! lands! catch a glimpse of a snake or lizard out basking in the sun. I Walking through the Forest I I have also seen plenty of butter- have been very lucky this year have noticed that the number of flies this year despite all the rain and I have counted large num- fungi are also high for this time of that we have had, good sightings bers of Common Lizards, Grass year. Trees that have been cop- in particular were a female Purple Snakes and even the occasional piced during the winter and Hairstreak along with both Small Adder out sunbathing. There spring have also grown a consid- and Large Skippers and Gate have also been many young erable amount with some achiev- Keepers. Other interesting insects Frogs and Toads spotted on the ing a metre or more in height. that have been seen this year in- Forest floor heading comically in clude: Rose Chafer, Downey Em- random directions. During the summer, the Forest erald Dragonflies, Brown, Migrant can be a very dark place espe- and Southern Hawkers, and Em- I recently went for a walk in the cially when walking under the peror Dragonflies. We also found a Forest one evening near Fair- mature Beech trees as very little Stag Beetle larva in a rotten tree mead Campsite and in the space light actually reaches the ground. trunk at Swaine’s Green. of an hour I saw two Muntjack, This is a typical feature of Beech dozens of Pipistrelle Bats and a woodlands as the branches form The number of trees producing Tawny owl. Late summer eve- flat canopies of rich green leaves seed is astonishing; there are nings in the Forest are just which, step by step filter out the Hornbeams that appear to have amazing when you get a day of sunlight. more seeds on them than they do fine weather, I would recommend leaves. Blackberries were around going for an evening walk in the Whilst working in the Forest I in abundance and it is nice to see Forest it is a real treat. have had some interesting wild- families out in the Forest picking life sightings, in early summer I for crumbles and pies.

Epping Forest Scout Project 818

Scout Project is now in its 19th year clear the Silver Birch and Bracken At Swaine’s Green the task was to and going from strength to strength. away giving the Heather the chance construct a bridge and boardwalk This year‘s project took place in the to recover. The Scout groups over a ditch and muddy area of wettest week of August, we had rain worked away at the site, cutting down ground to improve access to the site every day until Saturday when it was trees and ‘wacking‘ bracken with for walkers. The first few days of time for the scouts to go home! broom handles until, by the end of this task were the most strenuous as Despite the awful weather the week the week the site was cleared. After the ditch needed clearing of all the was a resounding success and the all of that effort we were pleased to assorted rubble and rubbish which work at the four sites was most see how much Heather had survived had been deposited there over the impressive. The four sites we worked under the trees. The creation of last few years and the holes for the on this year were: Furze Ground, some new reptile piles from the cut posts had to be dug (possibly the only Swaine’s Green, Walthamstow Forest trees has added further to the site advantage of the rain was its effect and Warren Hill. and hopefully the former heathland on the softness of the ground). Once will continue to recover. these tasks had been completed the At Furze Ground the task was to construction progressed at amazing

Trust in the Forest Page 3 Epping Forest Scout Project 818 continued ...

impressive construction and will help worksite for several years now and many walkers to access the site with yet there is always more to do! This out getting stuck in the mud. year we worked on clearing the Silver Birch and Sycamore which have The task in Walthamstow Forest was swamped the area off the ride. We to clear a pond. When we first fought our way through the Brambles viewed the site there was little and cleared a significant area of the evidence that a pond had ever site revealing some fantastic trees existed on the site, no surface water including an ancient Hawthorn tree was visible just some rather deep and a large sweet chestnut. mud. As usual Mike Hacker was the site leader (we think he may have As always the annual Scout Project is developed webbed feet after all this one of the highlights of our year at time leading pond projects) and along the Trust and working with the with his daily crew of Explorer Explorers is a great experience for Scouts he cleared countless barrows us and contributes lots to the Construction work at Swaine’s full of mud, a large area of Reed conservation of Epping Forest. The Green Mace and brought the pond back into project has an excellent website full

existence. of photos of the week which is found speed. The finished product is a very Warren Hill has been a project at: www.explorersproject.org.uk.

Weird and Wonderful Forest Animals

This edition’s weird and wonderful trees and are frequently found in comes again from the insect world hedgerows and woodlands. The and is a most fantastic looking ani- caterpillars are also referred to as mal. The Pale Tussock Moth ‘hop dogs‘ because they were com- (Calliteara pudibunda) caterpillar monly found in hop fields in the really is an amazing looking cater- days before the widespread use of pillar. The caterpillar has tussocks insecticides. of hair all along its body with a bright red tuft at the end of the The adult Pale Tussock Moth body, the yellow segments of the body are separated by black bands As is often the way, the Pale Tus- which get thinner towards the tail. sock Moth adult is rather plainer then the caterpillar and is quite The caterpillars feed on a variety unremarkable with a silver and of trees and shrubs including grey body and wings. Oaks, Birches Hawthorns and fruit The caterpillar found on an oak tree at Long Running

Contact us: Staff: Epping Forest Centenary Trust Claire Duncombe—Environmental Awareness Officer

The Warren Lodge Phone: 020 8508 9061 The Warren Fax: 020 8508 9061 Ashley Pinnock—Conservation Project Offi- Loughton Email: [email protected] cer Essex Website: www.efct.info IG10 4RN Marian Haddad—Trust Administrator

Trust in the Forest Page 4 World Scout Jamboree

This year marked the 100th year of the Scouting movement and to celebrate 40,000 Scouts from all over the world descended on Hylands park in Chelmsford. As part of the celebration each Scout had to take part in a community project and Epping Forest was lucky enough to be one of the places to benefit from this international workforce. Over the course of the eight days approximately 800 scouts worked on sites in the Forest clearing scrub, Bracken and small trees.

The Trust worked with 400 of these scouts on two sites—Warren Hill and Long Running. On Warren Hill Day 7 on Warren Hill, Scouts standing in front of one our project was to continue the clearance of invasive of the many piles of felled Sycamore trees. Sycamore trees and at Long Running we were clearing the trees and Bracken which had overtaken an area of heathland. Over the course of the week and after a lot of sweat and toil these sites were both transformed. When we had visited the sites before the project we were quite convinced that there was more than enough work to occupy three times as many scouts as we were expecting but we had not reckoned on the determination of the Icelanders, Hungarians and the Danish (to name but a few).

The week was an amazing experience for the Trust, how often do opportunities come along to work with people from Angola, Tahiti and Columbia in Epping Forest! Our concerns about language barriers were quickly forgotten as many of the Scouts were able to understand English and sign language worked with those who didn’t. The only thing that lots of Scouts found hard to understand why we were cutting down trees as in Iceland for example you would not be allowed to cut down trees! The only other concern was from the Tahitians about the snakes and lizards who lived in the heathland at Long Running. The mention of snakes caused a look of horror to pass over their faces—Tahiti has no snakes so Stumps are all that remain of the their concept of snakes has been formed by Hollywood movies, after Warren Hill Sycamores much reassurance they got stuck in and didn’t give snakes a second thought!

The differences between the nationalities were quite marked, the Scouts from Hong Kong had never done physical work like this before and didn’t know how to use a saw whereas the Hungarians claimed to be chopping down trees before breakfast back in Hungary. The one thing they all had in common was their ability to make friends with others from different countries, cultures and with different languages.

The impact the Scouts have had on both sites has been remarkable, take a walk to either site and you will see just how An Angolan Scout feeling the cold on one of our much they have cleared. The enthusiasm for the work they were hottest days this summer!

Trust in the Forest Page 5 Dates for your diary

Saturday 22nd September Forest Hands 10.30 — 2.00 Another opportunity to get stuck into some practical work, this time we will be doing pond clearance work, barbeque lunch will be provided as will all equipment and instruction. All ages and abilities wel- come. We will meet at the car park of Golding’s Hill Road (A121) between the Wake Arms round- about and Loughton. If you are interested in attending please contact us on 0208 508 9061.

Saturday 6th October Bird Box Building Day 10am—1pm Epping Forest Visitor Centre Make your own wooden bird box. All tools tuition and materials supplied. Cost £4 per box. Suitable for children and adults. Booking Essential, please call 0208 508 0028 to book.

Saturday 3rd November Forest Hands 10.30 am - 2.30pm A fun, active and muddy day carrying out pond clearance work in the Forest to improve wetland habi- tats for amphibians. For details of the site please contact us in October on 0208 508 9061.

Saturday 1st December Tree Dressing Day 1—4 pm Epping Forest Visitor Centre Join us for a traditional celebration of living trees, based on the traditions from many different countries and cultures. We will be making decorations from a variety of materials and decorating the tree with them. Booking essential, please call 0208 508 0028 to book.

2008 Saturday 26th January Forest Hands 10.30am —2.30pm Burn of the Christmas excesses with some Sycamore clearance on Warren Hill. Help to improve the woodland habitat on Warren Hill by removing the invasive Sycamore trees. All welcome, barbecue lunch provided and a short activity for children in the afternoon. If you are interested in attending please contact us on 0208 508 9061 .

Saturday 16 th February Children's Lantern Walk 4-6pm, Epping Forest Visitor Centre Come along and decorate your own lantern then using the light of the lantern we will guide you on a magical walk through the Forest at dusk. Place are limited please phone Epping Forest Visitor Cen- tre to book on 0208 508 0028.

Trust in the Forest Page 6