PRESS RELEASE
1 May 2024
Elm revival: Railway helps reintroduce native tree to the Weald
The Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) is helping to reintroduce an environmentally important native tree to the Weald - the Elm - which virtually disappeared from the English landscape in the 1970s, following an outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease (DED).
The railway's entirely volunteer Forestry & Conservation group, which is responsible for the management of all trees and vegetation along the 10.5-mile line, has recently planted ten DED-resistant species of standard Elm tree at the start of its 2024 tree planting programme.
Kent County Council (KCC) donated the five ‘Rebona' and five ‘New Horizon' Elms to the railway as part of its Tree Establishment Strategy which is being implemented across the county. Not only are these two Elm varieties disease-resistant, they can also happily tolerate both drought and waterlogging which makes them ideally suited to the K&ESR's lineside habitats.
Some of the standard elms ready to be planted
Adding to biodiversity
Fast-growing and resilient, the Elms will add to the overall biodiversity of their location, next to a two-acre wildflower field at Rolvenden. This location was carefully selected to maximise their ecological benefit as well as enable the Forestry & Conservation team to monitor, water and care for the young trees as they grow.
Ten Elms have been planted at Rolvenden
‘New Horizon' Elms are particularly important ecologically as they can provide food and a breeding habitat for the much-depletedWhite Letter Hairstreakbutterfly, currently only found in a very limited number of locations in the South East.
While the trees were delivered earlier in the year, it is only in the last few weeks that it has been possible for the team to finally plant them, due to the exceptionally high rainfall which turned the chosen site into a quagmire.
A few weeks on, and with the benefit or some drier, warmer weather, the Elms are looking healthy and settled in the Kent landscape. The K&ESR Forestry & Conservation team will now proceed to sympathetically enhance the immediate area surrounding them as part of the railway's overall conservation plans.
Paul Davies, who heads up the Forestry & Conservation Team, and Steve McMurdo, who has been an active volunteer for over 10 years and helped to plant the Elms, are both delighted about the reintroduction on the railway's estate:
"The majority of our team are of an age group who remember the outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970's and the subsequent devastation it caused.It has therefore been particularly satisfying for us to be given responsibility for the planting and caring for these new Elm trees, donated by KCC."
A remarkable and rich nature corridor
The Forestry & Conservation team has been responsible for planting some 3,000 trees on railway land in the last few years, both along the line and in the areas around its stations - an area equivalent to around 30 acres.
This work is just part of the railway's overall commitment to sustainability and conservation. As well as planting more trees - including Elms - there are plans to introducewildflower meadows to encourage pollinators and for improvements to wetlands. In this regard, the K&ESR is collaborating with the Romney-Rother Catchment Partnership, the High Weald National Landscape and Kent-MedwayMaking Space for Nature(MS4N)*.
The K&ESR is also currently part-way through a two-year ecological study with the Kent Wildlife Trust Consultancy and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, to record and further support biodiversity along the railway.Early results have confirmed just how ecologically rich the railway estate already is. Some 89 different species of bird and 15 bumblebees were identified. Seventeen of the birds appear on the Red List of endangered species and 22 on the Amber list, including Turtle Doves and Nightingales, plus two rare species ofbumblebee: the Light Ruderal and the Back Form Ruderal.
"The railway is the custodian of a remarkable - if accidental - nature corridor," says Keith Barron, Lead on Biodiversity & Habitats for the K&ESR's Sustainability Group.
"As a result, we have a unique opportunity to protect and regenerate these linear habitats, helping to link up green corridors that benefit both nature and the people who live and farm nearby. A valuable spin-off benefit lies in engaging our visitors with the process, adding to their experience of visiting a heritage railway and educating them about the importance of biodiversity."
-ends-
Photos of Elm tree planting at Rolvenden by Sioux Thorn.
For further information please contact:-
Alison Miles, Press Officer, Kent & East Sussex Railway
amiles@kesr.org.uk / 07900 691116
Notes to Editors
* Kent-MedwayMaking Space for Nature(MS4N) is one of 48 national Landscape Recovery strategic developments, established by the 2021 Environment Act, designed to act for nature and improve biodiversity across the country. The K&ESR also hopes to play a core role in Kent's plan and when Sussex establishes its own MS4N strategy.
About the K&ESR:The Kent & East Sussex Railway is a renowned heritage railway based in Tenterden, Kent, UK and operates as an educational charity. Built by Holman F Stephens, it was the first light passenger railway in Britain in the early 20thcentury and is today one of Britain's most loved and original heritage lines which celebrates the 50thanniversary of reopening in 2024. With a rich history spanning over 120 years, the K&ESR offers visitors an authentic steam and diesel-powered railway experience through 10½ miles of Wealden countryside in the beautiful Rother Valley, a designated National Landscape (formerly known as Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Staffed almost entirely by volunteers, the railway prides itself on preserving railway heritage, operating a diverse range of locomotives, and providing a unique glimpse into the golden age of rail travel.
The full results of the bird and bumblebee surveys are due to be published shortly.