Diamond Jubilee tree puts down roots at long last

It was a case of better late than never when a tree was planted at the showground to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee more than a year after the milestone anniversary.

The Royal Forestry Society had planned to honour the monarch, who is its patron, at last year’s show but had to postpone the occasion when the last two days of the show were rained off.

President elect Sir Jack Whitaker planted the Fastigiate Hornbeam tree on the President’s Lawn with a silver spade first used by the Prince of Wales on behalf of the society’s Yorkshire division.

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Lamenting the unavoidable delay, Mr Whitaker remarked: “The poor thing would have drowned. It’ll have a very happy time here now.”

He planted the tree before presenting long service awards to a trio of foresters who have clocked up 115 years’ experience between them on two Yorkshire estates.

Nick Jeffery, 49, from Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire, is the fourth generation of his family to work on the Castle Howard estate, near Malton, and has worked on its 800 hectares of woodland for 31 years.

The estate’s forest manager, Nick Cooke, said: “His intimate knowledge and love of the woods at Castle Howard have made a telling contribution to the long-term sustainable management of the woodland on the estate.”

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David Milner, 72, and Ron Peacock, 71, who both work on the Dawnay Estate in Scarborough, also received awards in recognition of their 38 and 46 years’ service respectively.

Mr Peacock, who was born on the estate and lives in Scarborough, and Mr Milner, who lives in the village of Snainton, are still working full-time on the estate’s mixed coniferous and hardwood woodlands.

Forestry estate manager Matthew Noble said: “They are an invaluable part of the team. Their experience is hard to get these days and they can turn their hand to anything.”

Mr Whitaker said it was a huge honour to present them with their awards.

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“The skills that are learned, honed and passed down over decades from forester to forester have helped shape our woodlands.

“As forestry faces increasing challenges from pests and disease this bank of expertis e is vital to effective forestry management in the future.”