‘Oak Howe’ is 13 acres of young woodland within the Lake District National Park half-way between Kendal and Windermere. Since 2011 it has been planted with native broadleaf trees as a woodland creation project with the goal of enhancing the biodiversity. The land is home to some beautiful mature oak trees and a stretch of river that add to an ever-increasing array of wildlife. There is a now a healthy population of roe deer and a wide variety of birds from herons, dippers and kingfishers along the river to red-kites, buzzards and owls.
The land is named Oak Howe after the majestic old oak tree that stands on the hill at the heart of the site. ‘Howe’ is the local Cumbrian word for a hill or ancient mound.
When the fields were bought from the local farmer, it was pasture managed solely for grazing of cows and sheep. The soil was strongly acidic and, in places, a quagmire of cow slurry. Since then, grazing has ceased and wildflowers have returned Nearly 6,000 native broadleaf trees have been planted, including a couple of areas intended for coppicing, natural waterways have been reinstated and the resulting wetland habitat allowed to rewild. The diversity of animal species has increased dramatically. We have also planted a teaching garden of edible, medicinal and useful plants and trees. This is an ongoing project with lots of new species going in each year… The land is managed by Debs and Ben with generous help from many talented friends.
We are very grateful to Vivobarefoot who have already made some of our improvement plans possible, such as a totally waterproof canopy for our decked outdoor classroom as well as plans to further improve the biodiversity of the site.
Association of Foragers annual meeting 2021