Bramley Nine Elms

Bramley Nine Elms Project   (Jan 2025)

The English countryside was once dominated by elms, stately giants that watched over our landscape, providing a beauty of form and grace unique to these glorious trees. Since the 1960s, they have been ravaged by Dutch elm disease, a disease that was accidentally introduced to Europe in the early 20th century. The disease is caused by a pathogenic microfungus carried by two species of elm bark beetle and has killed nearly all the mature elms in Britain, an estimated toll of 60-100 million trees.

The elm was historically one of the six major trees within our woodlands, widely used in landscaping and hosts more than 80 species of invertebrate, including several rare moths and the now endangered white-letter hairstreak butterfly.

Hampshire Forest Partnership are trialling several different elm varieties that have been developed by specialised breeding programmes, with initial findings suggesting these cultivars can resist the disease and establish well. The planting locations are being mapped to help record future growth patterns, ability to resist the disease and how well the elms support biodiversity and nature recovery.

Wilder Bramley took on a  project to plant 9 of these Elms, supplied by the Hampshire Forest Partnership, in Bramley. Over 3 days in January Wilder Bramley, along with a number of volunteers took on the task of the planting, four at Clappers Farm and five at St. James Park. Fortunately the weather was kind to us for the planting. 

A big thanks to all the volunteers that turned out over several days to do the planting.

A special  thanks to Jane Kirkwood who did all the ground work for suggesting and taking on this  project. Not only did she apply for the trees, she got permissions from the land owners, organised the materials and the teams and 100 other things (including supplying the cakes). Well done Jane a job well done. 

The Nine Elms of Bramley need names.

Come see us at the Bramley Fete in May and give a name to a Bramley Elm.