March 14th
In trying to find out how to find the Cathedral Beech Tree prior to our walk I rang Fineshade but could only talk to a Bot who assured me he wasn’t a Bot and that if I left a message someone on the team would get back to me. This didn’t happen, it was only after the walk I managed to navigate the many pathways to find these two entries on the Rockingham Forrest Vision website.
“Fineshade’s Cathedral Tree – update
2 July 2024
We reported last autumn that what is arguably Fineshade Wood’s finest tree had lost two of its huge limbs. Forestry England have now erected fencing around the veteran tree, along with interpretation panels describing how they have decided to manage the sad but inevitable decline of what for many people is a most significant tree. You can download a copy of the sign here but what is highly recommended is to listen to Forester, Scott Martin’s explanation, using the QR code or by following this link.”
“Further demise of Cathedral Tree
29 August 2024
Despite Forestry England’s best efforts (as we reported in July) there has been further very extensive damage to the famous and much-loved Beech tree that stood in the woods between King’s Cliffe and Fineshade. The recent unseasonably strong winds have now brought almost all of the tree down. This is exactly what Forester Scott Martin predicted in this excellent video: “If we get a real bad storm tomorrow it could take the rest of the limbs off in one go, or it could still be here in another 50 years. We just don’t know.”
We intend to produce a fuller article about the Cathedral tree in the near future.”
Below are some photos from the canopy by Shell’s brother
