Silver Birch trees of Town Gardens
In 2016, a stand of silver birch trees was planted in Calne Town Garden as part of the Calne Air Quality Action Plan with £2000 of funding from the Calne Area Board in 2015.
Birch, a pioneer and an opportunist, was one of the first trees to recolonise Britain as the glaciers retreated. While birch rarely live for more than 80 years, the wind-blown seeds are able to create a woodland of its own; at least until competition from other species becomes too much.
Fans of Ray Mears, the bushcraft specialist, will know that the paper-thin bark can be teased off younger trees to make tinder. The bark naturally peels away as the tree grows, leading to the local names of Paper-beech in Wiltshire and Ribbon-tree in Somerset, in later years the bark will crack and become textured.
Flowering before the leafing out is important for trees, such as birch, which rely on the wind for pollination. Birch flowers present as catkins. The male catkins droop down and can release vast amounts of pollen, in the hope that some will be blown to a female catkin, which sit upright on branches.
From July, assisted again by the wind, the papery, winged seed can be seen floating downwards in the hope of finding a viable place to germinate.
Often overlooked, the timber of birch can make high quality pulp, veneer, and sold a sawn timber for turnery.
Find out more about the trees of Calne by visiting out map, a ongoing project that will continue to be updated and added to:
