6 March - Offa's Dyke First Ever Ancient Tree Survey 

 Rob McBride 



Seventy to eighty percent of the ancient trees in Northern Europe are in the British Isles. In the 

 South they were planted in places such as the medieval deer parks. The Woodland Trust website's 

 ancient tree hunt has records of trees, some of which were first noted by looking at old maps of an 

 area- see http://www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk/. There is also an interactive map on which many 

 locally recorded trees can be found. 



Rob, who refers to himself as The Tree Hunter,' has been walking Offa's Dyke for 4 years using 

 trains, buses, bike, car, hitch-hiking, and walking. He began in Cobowen and is aiming for 

 Chepstow. From the Ancient Tree Hunt website one can follow part of his journey. In 2009 he was 

 involved in recording a programme on The Oak at the Gate of the Dead' a tree at the site of the 

 Battle of Crogen, which is believed to be over 900 years old. The link to the programme can be 

 found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-13509267 



Rob showed the society photos of his journey, the trees, and the people who informed him about 

 their histories along the way. Explaining how this knowledge gave him a snapshot of the cultural 

 natural history of Offa's Dyke, he brought his journey to life for the audience. 



15 March - Members' Evening and AGWI 



The Committee has held four meetings over the past year, all at the home of Renee Grayer, for 

 whose hospitality, in addition to her contributions as a committee member, the committee is most 

 grateful. It is also grateful for the contributions of the other retiring committee members - David 

 Owens, Roger Frankum and Rod d'Ayala. 



The receipt of the OPAL grant in 2010 gave the society a new impetus as well as new equipment 

 to reach out to the public. This year the society has been involved with several Outreach Projects, 

 helping us share knowledge and expertise with a wider public: the Bioblitz at Basildon Park, the 

 fortnight at the Living Rain Forest and the display at Theale library also involved cooperation and 

 interaction with other local groups. 



The committee joined the National Council of Voluntary Organisations during this year. The 

 scheme informs us on organisations and policies in the voluntary sector, and enables us to receive 

 a discount on some Adobe software which may help the work of the recorders, the editor, and other 

 officers. 



Given the current petrol prices and the responsibility for reducing 'carbon footprints' a way of 

 encouraging car-sharing, including making members aware of others within their local area is 

 being discussed. 



During the year old copies of the Reading Naturalist have been donated to the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens at Kew to be entered onto their online library and become available to a wider audience 

 for information and research. Through Malcolm Storey, the society is in the process of making 

 these available to the BHL, an international consortium of natural history and botanical libraries 

 that publishes digital versions of historical reference works online on their website. Members 

 include both the Natural History Museum and Kew. 



Subscription rates would be remaining constant for 2012-2013 with a review to be made during 

 the coming year. 



Honorary Membership was conferred on Colin Dibb who has been an active member, past Winter 

 Programme Secretary and a constant asset to the society. 



The President thanked all those for their presentations and for the hard work behind the scenes 



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