July 6^th-13^th was an exciting time in the Wild Card calendar as we stepped up our Ghost Woods campaign with a whole week of local actions. Working with local groups across England, from the undulating landscapes of Oxfordshire to the Pennine hills of West Yorkshire, these events were billed as a week of citizen science, art and protest calling for Forestry England to restore our ancient woodlands.  We found that they were much more than that: they were also a brilliant opportunity for connection, both to the land and to the people who came along. We had such a fantastic time meeting with you all and exploring nature, and we hope to see more Wild Card local actions taking place in the future.

6^th July: Bernwood Forest with Right to Roam

Bernwood Forest, on the Oxfordshire-Buckinghamshire border was the first Forestry England plantation that we visited. We were delighted to be co-hosting this event with Right to Roam. The key purpose of Right to Roam is to campaign for greater access to the countryside. They also recognise that better access is key in strengthening and transforming the relationship between people and nature. The book Wild Service outlines this concept beautifully. Campaigning for the restoration of the ancient woodland species that should be thriving on the Bernwood site can be seen as one form of wild service.

There were patches of stunning native woodlands here as well as the conifer plantations on the site. These patches helped to illustrate how this whole landscape may have looked before commercial forestry took hold. Many Forestry England plantations are nearing felling age, which provides a perfect opportunity to restore ancient habitats instead of replanting more conifers. By acting now, the native seedbanks and fungal networks remaining in the soil will be given a chance to regenerate. These are the ghosts of our ancient woodlands. Armed with Field Studies Guides to help us to identify ancient woodland indicator species, we went on a ghost hunt together, to see what we could find. The liminal spaces by pathways or clearings provided the best opportunities for discovery. These are the places where the light can still reach, in comparison to the dense shade of the plantations themselves.

10^th July: Idless Woods with RJ Working

One of the motivating factors in the Ghost Woods campaign is the desire for flourishing ancient woodland to survive and be experienced by future generations, so it was good to be collaborating with RJ Working for our next event, down in Truro, Cornwall. RJ Working are committed to empowering children and young people by including restorative principles as part of their education. Supporting young people’s commitment to climate justice through restorative practice is part of what they do. Ecologists, teachers, elders, parents, children, students and more joined us to explore Forestry England’s Idless Wood. Here we could get to grips with the scale of recovery needed for our ancient woodlands and the hope lying hidden in the soil for the future.

The Cornwall event also saw the debut of our campaign mascot, Mal the lemon slug (full name Malacolimax tenellus). Mal is the ingenious creation of the clever folk at The Lost Giants who you may remember from the epic giant gauntlet we laid down as part of our Bring Back Britain’s Rainforests campaign or the giant birds and fish at our Rewild the Church event. If you are wondering why they went for a slug this time, it’s because lemon slugs are one of our ancient woodland indicator species. Being shy and needing the shade and leaf litter of our native trees, lemon slugs are unable to colonise beyond an ancient woodland. Were we to lose the tiny fragments of ancient woodland we have left in the UK, we would also lose our lemon slugs, together with other slow colonisers such as the wood anemone that appears on our campaign logo.  Everyone who met Mal fell in love with them – and rightly so, they are lovely and lemony and play an important role in ecosystems, helping with the decomposition of organic matter. If you are on Instagram and are interested in finding out how the Lost Giants made Mal, check out this reel.

11^th July: Near Maple Farm with Young Wilders

Our ghost hunt with Young Wilders in Alford, Surrey was lots of fun! Young Wilders work with landowners and partner organisations to facilitate small-scale youth-led nature recovery projects across the UK, delivering benefits for wildlife, biodiversity and the climate. We had met them before over zoom and followed them on their socials and we are mightily impressed with what they are doing so it was great to finally meet in person.  If you are a young person or a landowner, do get in touch with them via their website to get involved.

The ‘samey tree vibes’ and the pine needle floor of the plantation we visited made a stark contrast to the woodland right next door, which was full of oak saplings and bluebell seedpods. At this event, as well as searching for ancient woodland indicator species, those attending also created some land art, inspired by the work of artist and sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. There was a perfectly made fern formed from brown bark, beautiful wreathes and headdresses, and skilfully constructed towers, all of which were made from what could be found on the forest floor. The combination of art and science sits at the heart of our relationship to nature. We can connect with the woods in a way which is sensitive to colour, sound, and emotion through art whilst scientific data gives us knowledge and understanding of what is happening and what is at stake. We need both the heart and the head playing their part to convince people to save these important habitats.

12^th July: Broaks Wood with writer James Canton

Our event in Essex saw Mal the lemon slug travelling across the country with Rosie to meet up with author James Canton, our host for the day. James has a deep understanding of the importance of native trees: his book The Oak Papers explores the history, importance and symbolic power of the oak – a prominent species within ancient woodland. Our ancient woodlands are not only vital ecosystems and supporters of rich biodiversity – they are also cultural monuments. Generations of humans have lived alongside these magnificent flora, and we urge Forestry England to ensure the future of these sacred sites. James read to us from his book in a sunny clearing before we made our way into the darkness of the plantation. Whilst the rest of us reflected on James’ thought provoking words, Mal the giant slug sat on a log and listened intently, having waddled down the track from the car park, to the puzzlement of a passing spaniel and the amusement of its walker. James then read another passage, this time from his latest book Renaturing, which was a meditation on how much we can all do to help nature and bring some wildness back into our lives.

Our journey into the plantation was so far removed from all of this – leading one of our group to summarise the afternoon’s experience in two words: green and brown. In the brown of the plantation, Rosie led the group in a ‘ghost hunt’ for ancient woodland indicator species, whilst the rest of the Wild Cardigans, joined by James, donned ghost costumes and set about recording an 8mm film. (We look forward to sharing this with you all once it has been through the editing process). Then we made our way back into the light. The difference in biodiversity was clear to us all as we left the plantation behind us and walked back through more natural woodland. With ice cold lemonade and snacks, we chatted and reflected upon our experience before bidding a fond farewell to Mal and to each other.

13^th July: Hardcastle Crags with Calderdale’s Extinction Rebellion and Green New Deal

It was another incredibly hot day as people gathered for our West Yorkshire event, so it was a blessing to be in the woods again. Woods are known to be significantly cooler, especially at ground temperature, and the need for woodland and trees as part of climate change adaptation certainly came up in our discussion of the recent heat wave. We were co-hosting this event with local climate justice groups Calderdale Extinction Rebellion and Calderdale Green New Deal who are all too aware of what rising temperatures mean for the planet. The region has seen both floods and moorland fires. That said, it is also a beautiful place to come if you are a fan of trees, with not only ancient woodland but also temperate rainforest indicators in its steep wooded valleys. 

Unlike our other events, which were held at Forestry England plantations, this time we headed to Hardcastle Crags in Hebden Bridge. The Crags are a National Trust site which combines ancient woodland, native woodland restored in 1850, and plantations on ancient woodlands that the National Trust has been in the process of restoring since 2017. There is an accessible track running through the centre of the site and, at one point, you can look to your left to see flourishing native woodland but turn your head to the right and you will see the effects of plantation forestry – the brown and the green expressing itself once again. As well as the bioblitz and art creation that took place at our previous events, here we were also treated to poetry readings – quite fitting for the place where Ted Hughes was born and Sylvia Plath was laid to rest. At all our events, our understanding and connection to the woods grew, as did our love for ancient woodland and our resolve to protect it. So, we will end this journey through our local actions with some lines from Hughes’ poem ‘My own true family’ which were read out beneath the trees at Hardcastle Crags.

This was my dream beneath the boughs, the dream that altered me.
When I came out of the oakwood, back to human company,
My walk was the walk of a human child, but my heart was a tree.

Afterword: So What’s Next?

Our Ghost Woods campaign has been grabbing the attention of both local and national press and our petition with Dame Judi Dench to bring back the Ghost Woods is gaining momentum. We already have over 100,000 signatures!

We also see our July week of events as just the beginning. People who have been inspired by what we’ve been doing have been in touch because they would like to host a similar event in their area. If you feel the same, then keep an eye on the local ghost hunts page of our website or get in touch to find out more.