Who are CAEL?
CAEL (Climate Action East Linton) is a local community-based environmental organisation, focusing on climate change issues in our local area.
What is the Twa Burns Wood project?
CAEL with Robbie and Tommy Dale and Caledonian Horticulture’s One Planet Pledge planted a 750-tree mixed species woodland – “Twa Burns Wood” – between Drylaw Hill and Stonelaws Farm, to the north of East Linton in 2020.
What's it going to be like?
Eventually, 6-12m high trees with occasional clearings. Dead wood and thinings will be allowed to accumulate which, together with the planting pattern, will encouraging different layers of vegetation cover to develop and a wide range of habitats and ecological niches for plants, animals and insects to form. Biodiversity will be measured before planting and monitored over time as part of the effort.
We planted rowan, hawthorn, alder, crab apple, elder, blackthorn, willow, holly, dog rose, and cherry.
What are the challenges?
Deer damage to the trees has ben much more severe than anticipated, due to the explosion in Fallow deer numbers in the area. These are the big ones, the size of a cow. They do a lot of damage.
What's this Crowdfunder about?
Protection from deer has become key to the success of this project and others like it, so we are asking for donations towards the erection of more robust deer protection around stands of trees on the site.