60 acre oak wood for Caen Hill to mark Queen's 60 year reign

The Queen came to Devizes in 1990 to re-open the Kennet & Avon Canal with a ceremony at the Caen Hill flight of locks — and now the famous flight of locks is to get a new 60-acre wood to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

The Queen re-opens the Kennet & Avon Canal in 1990: Picture by Bob Naylor

New 60 acre wood for Caen Hill: Pic by Bob Naylor

The Woodland Trust has chosen the site, which was previously planted with arable crops, as one of 60 new woods to be planted this year.
  
The new woodland will be open to the public at all times and is a legacy for future generations. 

It will include wide grassy footpaths with verges planted with wild flowers to attract bees, butterflies and birds — and there will be plenty of open space with hazel, apple, pear and plum trees and currant bushes for foraging. 

The oaks, when mature, will be provide timber for lock gates and the hazel will be cut in rotation every seven years and used for stabilising the canal banks.
 
One of the fields will be planted as firewood coppice with ash, sweet chestnut and hornbeam which all burn well and will supply many local people and boaters with firewood.