Last weekend we held two walks looking the trees of King George V playing field to raise funds for the legal protection of our Old King George Oak.

Identifying trees in winter is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, using different elements of evidence that come together to reveal the full picture of its identity. But KGV is a great place to start looking, as it has some lovely specimens, such as the Evergreen Oak and Cedar of Lebanon below, originating from the landscaping around the former Wivenhoe Hall, echoes of a time now faded from memory.

Neither tree shape nor bark are definitively conclusive as to identification as bark changes as the tree ages, and shape is altered especially by management of the trees. But sometimes it a good start, whether the rounded canopy of an open-grown Pedunculate Oak, or the horizontally flattened sprays of the Cedar:

Then there are the hang-ups – dead leaves, fruits and galls still held on the tree from the summer past – and the dejecta, fallen leaves and fruits returning to the earth from which they sprang. Here there are fruits (keys) and flower galls of Ash, and the groundscape below Horse Chestnut:

And finally the details, the branching pattern and texture of the twigs and the size and shape of the buds, which in many cases are highly distinctive and definitive; the corky wings on the branches of many Field Elms and large brown sticky buds of Horse Chestnut…

… the small, rounded buds of Oak, clustered at the twigtips, and terminal, slender buds of Beech, pointing skywards…

… and Ash, its triplet of sooty buds borne on graceful, upswept branches.

So much to see by just taking time to look properly at even our most familiar trees. And there was so much more as well, including clumps of Mistletoe in the Buckeye crown, which on the second walk harboured a pair of Mistle Thrushes defending their precious food resource.

Robins regaled us in spring song throughout the walks and the sharp eyes of our younger wanderers found a glistening patch of the Crystal Brain fungus on a fallen Evergreen Oak branch.

The weather was good, the mood upbeat and with refreshments by the river provided by the trees’ wonderful supporters, we raised an incredible combined total of some £650! This is hugely important as the plight of Old King George is now at a critical stage. I last blogged about our tree last February Saving Wivenhoe’s Old King George Oak Tree | Chris Gibson Wildlife. Since then, everything has changed but nothing has changed: we have provided masses of expert data that demonstrate the trees are not the primary cause of subsidence and that there are better long-term solutions, but Aviva and Wivenhoe Town Council remain unmoved. And they are both refusing to share any data that they claim dictate the trees must be felled, a lack of transparency that seems at odds with the stated position of one and the Nolan principles of the other.

On the above basis, we were successful three weeks ago in getting an interim High Court injunction to prevent felling at this stage, but we now have to fight legally to make that stick. Aviva especially has very deep pockets. So please, if you agree with our position, I would really appreciate it if you could send this around any contacts and networks you have who may like to sign, share and support our campaign. Resources to fight the might of Aviva are very tight indeed.

It didn’t have to have been like this. We don’t want to see a community divided. We are not seeking to save the trees at all costs. We simply want to see the evidence by which they are condemned. The veil of secrecy is anathema to natural justice: to kill the tree while hiding the data that purportedly show it to be to blame is simply wrong, a grave miscarriage of justice.  As a scientist, facts and evidence are paramount to me.

See here Stop the Chop: Save Wivenhoe’s King George Oak | Urgent Action for a full recent update.

To finish, a message from one of our younger walkers, Aria-Rose, aged 7. She has more future than most of us, so let’s not ruin it for her. Please help us.