Oxbow Wood

WOODLAND LORE AND CRAFTS
Trafford Community Woodland

The Tree of Life

• Tree of knowledge of good and evil which Adam and Eve ate the fruit of.
• In China the tree of life (Kienmou) grows on slopes of Earthly paradise called Kuen-luen.
• Buddha gained enlightenment beneath a Bhodi tree.
• To Muslims a ‘lote’ tree signifies the ground between understanding and divine mystery.
• The Egyptians, Persians and Hindus all have/had their own tree of life mythology.
• Ygdrassil – the Norse ‘world tree’ was a mighty Ash representing the forces of nature. At its base were the three fates – past, present and future – that water the tree’s roots with water from the sacred well.

Trees in the Community Woodland

Alder
Grows in boggy ground and by rivers, so the cut wood lasts well in water. It has been used for props to support buildings in Holland and Venice, including the Rialto Bridge. English farmers in past centuries placed the leaves in their shoes during hot summer weather to keep their feet cool. The astringent properties of the leaves also made it a popular medicinal tool for stopping bleeding of cuts and wounds. The bark can be made into a decoction to prevent diarrhoea. Alder can be recognised in winter by the lilac colour of leaf buds, in spring by bright yellow catkins about 6cm long and bright green glossy leaves with a serrated edge. The Alder is the only tree other than fir-trees to grow cones, which contain the seed.

Ash
Under Norse legend the tree of life – Ygdrassil - is an Ash tree and Odin created man and woman from two trees, one of which was an Ash. Greeks counted the Ash as a protection from evil and witchcraft. Medicinally, young leaves are a diuretic and a laxative so can be used to cleanse the body of toxins. Hence the Greeks used it as a cure for snakebites and ague. It was used this century as a substitute for intermittent fevers and malaria. Ash can be identified by its black buds and the pale brown seeds which hang in large clumps in winter.

Beech
One of Britain’s largest trees with grey smooth bark that looks like stone. At one time the Beech nuts were eaten by the poor and in World War two German children were given time off school to pick them as a supplement to their diet.

Birch
Birch branches have long been found decorating churches at Whitsun as a symbol of renewal of life. The Birch has a long association with fertility, maypoles are made from Birch and Birch twigs were given to newly-weds on their wedding night. The sap of Birch, which runs freely in spring, has been tapped for many centuries and the ‘Birch water’ used as a medicine for urinary infections. This use was popular during the Napoleonic era and Birch leaf tea is still used today as a method of dissolving kidney and bladder stones. The leaf tea is also recognised to stimulate liver and bowel function and lower cholesterol levels.

Willow
Taoists believe the willow with its bendy & resilient branches represents strength through weakness. In 1763 Reverend Edward Stone noted a connection with the Willow, marshy areas of Britain and rheumatism. He used decoctions of willow bark to cure rheumatism with some success. This is because the bark contains Salicin, the main ingredient of aspirin. The herbal remedy also contains tannins that protect the stomach from the acid normally cause by aspirin tablets.

Wood Crafts

Shipbuilding
Left is a picture of a coracle. They are the earliest form of boat in this country and are made from a willow frame covered with hide and painted with pitch to make them waterproof. Ships were made from oak. Which is a very durable and strong wood. The navy continually bemoaned a lack of suitable oaks in this country, so great was the demand caused by numerous wars and the wealth of merchant shipping companies who bought the best wood.

Willow weaving
The willow bench in the shape of an owl was woven from willow that was one year old. Each year the tree is coppiced. This means that the tree is cut to nearly ground level. Thin and flexible branches grow in the course of a year. When planted the willow should grow and form a living bench. Willow is also used to weave baskets and hurdles – a method of fencing

Cricket bats
These are also made from willow. There are several hundred species of willow but only one is deemed suitable for cricket bats and is grown in plantations in Southern England. The trunk is cut into rolls 2 feet 4 inches long and each roll is split using an axe and wedge into 8 pieces or clefts. This produces a grain running parallel to the face of the bat to enhance the strength of the wood. After the wood has dried and seasoned it is compacted by passing under heavily weighted rollers. It is then shaped by hand into the finished cricket bat. The final touch used to be the application of linseed oil to protect the wood. Now a plastic coating is added.