John Palmer, former resident of Worksop, is to
turn seven acres of land near his house in Dorset
into a forest of mini Major Oaks.
At present John has three hundred Major Oak
saplings growing in his back garden.
He is preparing to plant them at ten yards
intervals on his land when they come of age.
The saplings come from the Major Oak's harvest
of acorns in 2000 so they are now two years old.
He plans to plant them when they reach the age
of three.
When asked what gave him the idea he replies:
"Its something I've always wanted to do. My wife
is also enthusiastic about it."
John has been fascinated with the Major Oak and
its history since his first visit to Sherwood
Forest: "When I was a boy I was taken to see
the Major Oak and have loved the great tree
ever since."
Every year he visits the tree to collect the
acorns for planting: "Every October I collect 500
acorns from the Major Oak if they are available
and plant them in pots at home."
"Here they get 'tender-loving-care' and the best
ones are potted up next May. When they are a
year old, they are straight, sturdy and many over
a foot high."
At this point, the saplings are passed on to local
organisations to replant. He stresses that no
charge is made. All John asks in return is that the
individuals: "... love and respect the little trees,
and help them grow in age and stature as did
their famous parent."
He's now also set up a website dedicated to the
Quercus Robur (that's a type of oak, you know)
and his saplings.
He's been in contact with other fellow Queen's
Oak enthusiasts from all over the world - all
wanting to get their hands on his mini oaks.
However, apart from the problems with export
laws John prefers for people to collect any
saplings from his Dorset home so that they don't
get mutilated in the postal system.
At present there are no trees on the seven acres
field John hopes to plant the Oaks in. The Dorset
Record Office states that the field used to be
called the "Great Wood" in 1813. He hopes that
the field will soon return to its roots.
Please note: John has been given special
permission to collect acorns from the Major Oak.
The Major Oak: Then and now (pictures)
As well as his own pictures John has had several
pictures e-mailed to him from other Major Oak
lovers. Below are two pictures. One of the big
tree at the beginning and one at the end of last
century.
The Major Oak in 1913 - Photo courtesy of Cliff
Thornton, Essex
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The Major Oak after 2001, with slim metal supports
and fence
- Photo courtesy of John Palmer, Dorset
(formerly of Worksop)
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To see more photos of the Major Oak and learn
more about John and his passion visit his
website.
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