Browse through our research papers on a variety of orchard-related topics. Click on the title to access and dowload the pdf.
Orchards in the Landscape: A Norfolk Case Study
Patsy Dallas, Gerry Barnes and Tom Williamson
University of East Anglia
Originally published in LANDSCAPES, Vol. 16 No. 1, June, 2015, 26–43
Orchards were an important feature of the English landscape throughout medieval and post-medieval times yet they have received relatively little attention from historians. This article presents the results of recent research in the county of Norfolk. It briefly examines the place of orchards in local cultures and economies, their form and spatial organisation, and aspects of ttheir location and distribution.
Lichens in Hertfordshire Orchards
Martin Hicks
Senior Ecology Officer, Hertfordshire Ecology
Originally published as an article in The Hertfordshire Naturalist Vol. 44 Part 1 September 2012
In 1998-2000 Hertfordshire Biological Records Centre (HBRC) undertook a detailed study into the decline of orchards in Hertfordshire from the 1880s to the present day, identifying a reduction from over 6,000 sites across the county to around 2,000 in 2016. Following on from this survey, in 2010 Hertfordshire Environmental Forum (HEF) created a Biodiversity Projects Fund to support biological recording which would contribute towards the delivery of the Local Biodiversity Action Plan. The Traditional Orchards Habitat Action Plan developed by Herts Orchard Initiative (HOI) includes surveys to inform, maintain and enhance the biodiversity associated with Traditional Orchards. HOI successfully applied for funding to undertake a Lichen survey of ten orchard sites across the county to develop a reference list, with the aims of: raising understanding of the range of species and lichen communities found in Hertfordshire orchards, and enabling a comparison with other orchards regionally or nationally. The results of the lichen survey and its implications for orchards are set out in this article.
A Short History of Hertfordshire Orchards
Martin Hicks
Senior Ecology Officer, Hertfordshire Ecology
Originally published by the Hertfordshire Orchard Initiative 2015.
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