When the arboretum was opened in 1997 all of the specimen trees were labelled for identification purposes.

Some of these labels have been damaged and some are missing. Those that still exist are usually hung from one of the lower branches of the tree.

To improve the educational aspect of the arboretum it has been decided to plant wooden stakes in front of the specimen trees and, where possible, near the path. No need to go hunting for the label on the tree.

The wooden stakes arrived a few days ago and the first batch has been cut to size and given a couple of coats of dark sealant to protect and enhance the wood.

Today the volunteers worked hard under drizzly conditions and dug holes, aligned posts and reinstated the turf. As usual they did a great job.

We now have our first batch of ten tree stakes planted along the start of the arboretum path. All that is required is to locate and clean the existing labels and fix them to our new posts.

Well done everyone. It's beginning to look rather posh !