Falling for autumn colours

12:00pm Thursday 9th October 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

IN its early life, the Arboretum Trust’s Kew at Castle Howard was one of Ryedale’s best known havens of unique tree and wildlife.

Today, it is recognised as one of the leading arboretum’s in the country, boasting thousands of trees from hundreds of countries, which, with the start of autumn, are looking their best with multi-coloured foliage.

Its 150 acres abuts the famous Castle Howard grounds and gardens and now approaching its 10th anniversary, the arboretum is attracting 16,000 visitors a year – a long way from the first year’s 313.

The arboretum was the joint brainchild of James Russell, a nationally-recognised tree expert, and the late George Howard who recognised the potential of creating the woodland in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, because of its ability to grow trees on land which was sandy in places and heavy clay in others.

The Heritage Lottery Fund, Defra, the Ernest Cook Trust and The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers are among its financial supporters.

Maurag Carmichael, the administrator, said most of the trees had been grown from seed collected from all parts of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries, and North Yorkshire was proving an ideal habitat for species under threat in such countries as China, Australia and Chile.

Kew Gardens itself is increasingly looking to Castle Howard to grow species which could be threatened by global warming because of Kew’s situation on a sand bank at the Thames Estuary. “Many of the trees like cooler, wetter conditions,” said Maurag.

The trust has had great support from its army of volunteers, she added. Through their efforts an outdoor classroom was built for children, while others act as guides to visitors, help with mowing and digging, while one woman spends hours providing TLC to tiny trees to prevent them being smothered by tall grass. “We are so fortunate to have so many talented people who are prepared to give their time,” said Maurag who estimates their worth to the organisation at £50,000 a year.

The spectacular grounds are a haven for wildlife, especially birds, and kingfishers have become a firm favourite, while rare wild flowers, among them orchids, have appeared due to the grounds never being cultivated, she added.

But “visitors” the trust doesn’t welcome are deer, moles and rabbits – which cause extensive damage to the trees. The deer in particular knarl the bark which eventually leads to the loss of the tree. A six foot fence has been put up around the parkland, though the deer have been quick to spot points where cattle in neighbouring fields have rubbed against it, causing the fence to be breached until volunteers move in to carry out repairs.

“Unlike many tourist attractions, October and November are our busiest months because of the autumn sunshine showing off the seasonal colours of the leaves,” said Maurag.

The trust has recognised the potential of the arboretum’s appeal to schools, creating sessions which dovetail with the science curriculum, thanks to the arboretum’s education development officer, Katherine Forsey, who has attracted 5,000 pupils from as far away as Birmingham, and run teacher-training seminars. Her latest project has been to create an orienteering map and the first children to use it will be pupils of Welburn village school on Friday.

One of the high spots of the arboretum is its visitor centre, designed by John Simmons, the curator, who held the same post at Kew until his retirement. It also incorporates a café with its wealth of home-made cakes in an attractive wooden complex which is now being promoted as a place for corporate hospitality and events.

The trust, which has the Prince of Wales as its patron – he paid a private visit when it was being created – and chaired by Sir Ron Cooke, the former Vice Chancellor of York University, successfully promotes the arboretum as a “a place of peace and quiet and security for its visitors”, said Maurag.

It is now urging people to support the garden of trees through a gift aid scheme to ensure its future. In addition people can sponsor a bench or adopt a tree she added.

The arboretum is open until November 30 from 10am daily. For more details ring 01653 648598 or 01653 648650.