Iconic Shotover Oak recieves some much needed protection
This has been a neat and satisfying project, a very worthwhile piece of work, and with wonderful community support and appreciation.
There has been a long felt wish to deal with the great area of erosion and compaction around the Shotover Oak, and a desire to do something in case this fine tree’s future should be threatened by its circumstances hitherto.
Two financial contributions have made the project possible. Firstly, Headington Road Runners donated their Christmas charity fundraising towards the project, and secondly, the project was sponsored by a donation from the family of Anne and Leslie Durham (a local couple with a great affection for Shotover) to mark their Golden Wedding anniversary. These donations combined to pay for specialist arboricultural advice, hardware to build the enclosure, additional tools and publicity materials.
The enclosure was designed by the SW Tree Team, the timbers were cut ready for the construction by a corporate volunteer work group from Oxfam, the generator for the drilling was borrowed from the SW Moth Team, the construction was completed by the SW Conservation Team, and lastly, the brambly soil for the enclosure was gleaned from the Horspath Common scrape and brought to the tree in the dumper hired by the Grassland Habitat Project. A real marvel of coordination!
Finally it was a great delight that just as we were finishing the construction, Anne and Leslie Durham looked in, and we were able to explain the project and take some photographs of them with ‘their’ tree.
