When Felix Dennis, of Oz magazine and publishing fame, died last month, he left much of his £500 million fortune to a forest.
The maverick publisher was passionate about trees. His interest started in 1991, following a stay in hospital where he’d been treated for a thyroid problem. He lay on a bench in Golden Square, Soho, and found the hornbeam trees planted there more spectacular than ever before.
It was a life-changing moment. Over the next few years, Dennis became less interested in generating vast amounts of money and more interested in writing poetry and planting trees. He was shocked by how little of Britain is covered by trees: just 1.5 per cent of the land is forested. In Germany, Italy and France, the figure is closer to 25 per cent.
His solution was to create a 30,000-acre forest in Warwickshire between the Vale of Evesham and the Forest of Arden. Stephen Coffey, his forester, said: “He realised he had the means to do something and, in a very simplistic way, the answer was to buy land and plant it with trees.”
Dennis often travelled by helicopter and would point out all the patches of green. He planted a few trees himself and loved walking through woodland. He also had more than 1,000 books about trees and claimed to have read every one. One of his favourites was thought to be Sylva, Or, a Discourse of Forest Trees by John Evelyn, published in 1664. Dennis had a first edition. His knowledge of trees was encyclopedic.
Many forests in Britain have been planted for commercial gain. In the 20th century, huge tracts of conifer plantations were established. These were grown in straight lines of predominantly single species, with about 2m (6ft) between each one. This meant that lean, straight trunks headed skywards quickly in their fight for light and life. It is so dark underneath the canopies that few flora or fauna can survive.
Dennis and Coffey’s designs and methods differed radically. Their aim was to create a lighter, airier forest with about 40 per cent of open space. There would be patches of mown grass, pools of water for wildlife and a rich, native, lower storey of herbaceous plants, bulbs and shrubs. Eventually, the public would be invited to enjoy these spaces.
Dennis started the Heart of England Forest in 2001 and has since left most of his fortune to the charity that manages the land so that it can continue his work.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardenin...ix-Dennis-and-his-forest-of-good-fortune.html
