Posted on 12th September 2022
by Jacqui Vear
Those with a love of the great outdoors should take note of Caistor’s Tree Trail, a new walking tour of up to two miles around the historic market town that Systematic calls home and featuring 27 different species of trees.
The Tree Trail launches with two guided tours by tree specialist Dan Kendall from Watson Lindsey Arboriculture Ltd;
The tours are free to join and start at the Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre on Plough Hill, no booking is required. An informative 20-page printed guide supports the trail and is available for just £3, raising funds for Caistor GO², a group which is on a mission to reduce the town’s environmental impact.
These initial events coincide with the Great Big Green Week, a nationwide celebration of action on climate change. Beyond them, the Tree Trail has been designed to be a self-guided activity for individuals, families, and groups. The guides will continue to be available at the Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre. They include a map of the full trail, as well as shorter versions, with the location of trees highlighted. There are tips on how to identify each tree, accompanied by information on the uses, folk law, and ecological benefits of each tree. The trail features some of the UK’s oldest species of tree, the world’s tallest species, those that helped build the British Empire and those used in modern medicine to fight cancer!
Caistor’s Tree Trail is a collaborative project, inspired by teaching professional Nick McCann and the initial research of Elodie Hodges, a student from Caistor C of E and Methodist Primary. Experienced arboriculture consultant Dan Kendall applied his technical knowledge to the project, before we applied our creativity to the design of the Tree Trail guides, before printing and donating them to Caistor GO². The project is also kindly supported by the Woodland Trust and the Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre.
“Trees are at the heart of sustainable communities and surrounding yourself with nature has many benefits for mental and physical health. The Tree Trail aims to inspire a greater appreciation of the variety of tree species around us. It is an accessible, educational and fun activity for everyone and takes in a beautiful market town, on the northern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.” Dan Kendall
Pictured left to right, are Jacqui one of the members of our team who supported the project, Dan Kendall of Watson Lindsey Arboriculture, Nick McCann, a retired teacher from Caistor C of E and Methodist Primary School, and champion of the Caistor GO² group, Elodie Hodges, a student from Caistor C of E and Methodist Primary School whose research.
The Tree Trail guide is printed in the UK on FSC® certified paper. Endorsement by the Forest Stewardship Council® ensures that the raw material of wood fibre is sourced from sustainable forests, where land is responsibly managed, natural habitats of plants and animals are conserved, and the rights of forestry workers and local communities are respected. Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products, as wood is a natural and renewable material. The guide is proud to reflect our link with the Love Paper initiative, a global campaign promoting the sustainable and attractive attributes of print, paper and paper packaging.
Caistor GO² is Caistor’s Environmental Group, which launched in January 2019. The group is on a mission to reduce the town’s environmental impact, through engagement with the community. The group is led by volunteers and works with local primary and secondary schools. The GO² group lead their own events and is represented at other local events to spread awareness of the issues and activities that they champion.
We hope you get the opportunity to join the Tree Trail and explore Caistor which nestles on a hillside at the northern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Further information about the Tree Trail is available here.
