Forestry Commission - News - westonbirt festival of the tree spreads its roots

Since taking root at Westonbirt the National Arboretum 10 years ago, the celebrated Festival of the Tree has blossomed. And for one week this summer, from 18-25 August, it’s set to draw more people than ever experts, enthusiasts and tree lovers alike. Across the week, alongside loads of family fun, the famous giant tree sculpting event ‘Sculptree’ promises a 3-metre-high milk bottle and a surfer’s dream wave. Then over the Bank Holiday weekend there’s a fantastic Woodcraft Exhibition with expert demonstrations and artisan crafts and tools to buy all against the fitting backdrop of rare and spectacular trees that make up this world-famous Forestry Commission tree garden.

For ‘Sculptree’, 12 of the world’s top sculptors apply chainsaws, chisels and sheer muscle power to huge recycled Westonbirt tree trunks, carving out colossal works of art. This year, nearly all the sculptors are home grown – including three new faces alongside festival favourites such as Lee Dickenson and Neil Gow from Stroud, whose ‘Surfer’ is inspired by the great rollers breaking along Australia’s coast. ‘Nostalgia’ is Paul Clarke’s homage to a much slower pace of life – when blue tits stole the cream from the tops of doorstep milk bottles.

The annual Festival of the Tree is a real summer treat and a great day out for all the family. Alongside ‘Sculptree’, there are plenty of woodland crafts for the kids to join in over the week from wand making and old-fashioned rides to the William Woodworm trail through the trees.

Over the long Bank Holiday weekend, from 22-25 August, the tented Woodcraft Exhibition becomes second home to over 150 renowned craftsmen and women – demonstrating their unique talents and selling specialist antique and new tools alongside artisan wooden products, from musical instruments to garden art.

With the resurgence of interest in working with wood, expert demonstrations including guitar making, cabinet making and boat building are increasingly popular, and last year’s international masterclasses are back by huge demand with Canadian Rob Cosman displaying his skills alongside the UK’s John Lloyd and David Charlesworth. There’s even the rare opportunity to buy unique pieces of wood felled within the Arboretum to further skills at home.

The festival draws to an exciting close on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon (25 August), with the public auction of the mighty wooden sculptures created over the week. This frantic auction raises many thousands of pounds for the Bristol-based charity Tree Aid, which helps support African villagers in planting and getting the most out of their trees. On this final day, the winner of the British Woodcarvers’ Association coveted Westonbirt Trophy is also announced – in honour of the best wood carving of the exhibition, as chosen purely by public vote.

Simon Hough, Westonbirt Arboretum’s Events Manager, says: “The Festival of the Tree is what Westonbirt is all about – people with passion and a desire to share their skills and enthusiasm with others, including our thousands of visitors. This week is becoming a firm favourite in our diary and has something for everyone, from real enthusiasts to people of all ages who simply love trees.”

Westonbirt is open all year round from 9am-8pm, or dusk if earlier. The festival is open from 9am-5pm, and during that week admission to the whole arboretum is �8 for adults, �3 for children (18yrs and under). Annual membership is also available.

Westonbirt Arboretum is three miles south west of Tetbury on the A433 (Tetbury to Bath Road). It is 10 miles north east of Junction 18 of the M4, and south-east of junction 13 of the M5.

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For further information, please contact Gail McKenzie, Communications Officer, Westonbirt The National Arboretum, on 01666 881 207

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Images of the Festival of the Tree are attached. Please credit: Forestry Commission.

2. Trees are felled in the arboretum as part of an ongoing expertly managed sustainability plan. All the wood used during the Festival of the Tree comes from the Arboretum, and has been declared dead, damaged or dangerous. No timber is specially felled for use at this event.

3. Westonbirt - The National Arboretum, is managed by the Forestry Commission and renowned worldwide for its tree and shrub collection. It contains nearly 16,000 specimens, including almost half of the woody plants known to grow in the world's temperate climate zone. It covers 600 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. Its importance is recognised by English Heritage's Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historical Interest as a Grade 1 registered Landscape. Visitor numbers are just under 350,000 per annum with a membership of over 21,000.

4. Westonbirt Arboretum was established in the 1850s by wealthy landowner Robert Holford, and later developed by his son George Holford. Much of Westonbirt's renowned autumn colour is credited to Sir George's plantings of Japanese maples between 1875 and 1900, many of which are still alive today. Unlike many arboreta, Westonbirt is laid out according to aesthetic appeal rather than scientific or geographical criteria, and the Holfords' legacy is open for all to enjoy - a beautiful, relaxing and unique day out among some of the tallest, oldest and rarest trees and shrubs in Britain.

5. Westonbirt is home to the National Japanese Maple (Acer) Collection, with over 300 different types in the collection. The Forestry Commission opened Westonbirt Arboretum to the public in 1961, and in 1966 a new Acer Glade was established, alongside the original one planted by Robert and George Holford in 1875. Today, Westonbirt is in the process of creating the world’s best collection of maples.

6. The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment. Forestry makes a real contribution to sustainable development, providing social and environmental benefits arising from planting and managing attractive, as well as productive, woodlands. Further information can be found at