0:00:25 > 0:00:28North Wales. A diverse landscape.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31The scenery is as changeable as the weather, with a different view
0:00:31 > 0:00:34around every corner.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37Just one of the reasons visitors keep coming back for more.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41But I haven't just come here for the landscape.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43I've come here for the wood.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46This is Woodfest where they celebrate cutting it,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48climbing it and carving it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Now, you know I often like having a go at things, well,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58I am very daunted about this.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Good lad!
0:01:02 > 0:01:07The sandy beaches have always been popular with visitors to the area.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11But most people who come to enjoy the coast will be completely
0:01:11 > 0:01:15unaware of an amazing world of worms hidden beneath the waves.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16Until...
0:01:16 > 0:01:19they are revealed at low tide.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I will be finding out about this incredible honeycomb reef
0:01:22 > 0:01:25and hopefully meeting some of its wiggly inhabitants.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Tom is in Norfolk discovering a breakthrough in the fight
0:01:31 > 0:01:32against a countryside killer.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Could this contain the key genetic material
0:01:38 > 0:01:41vital to our fight against ash dieback?
0:01:41 > 0:01:43I'll be investigating.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And there's never a dull day for Adam.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48This is Cracker, my Belted Galloway bull
0:01:48 > 0:01:49that I bought off a mate of mine
0:01:49 > 0:01:51from Yorkshire about a year ago.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54When he first arrived, he had a bit of a fiery character.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57He was jumping over the fences and getting in with the wrong cows.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And now, about nine months on,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02we are discovering the fruits of his naughty behaviour.
0:02:02 > 0:02:03Aren't we, mate?
0:02:20 > 0:02:23The dramatic landscape of North Wales.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26From the huge mountain peaks of Snowdonia,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29to the sprawling shores of Colwyn Bay.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33This is a haven for adventurers and holidaymakers alike.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38But in a field a stone's throw away from the seaside town of Rhyl,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42people are coming from far and wide for a totally different attraction.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47Woodfest, a celebration of forestry, past and present.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51There's so much going on here.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56There's horse logging, chainsaws, tree climbing, even axe throwing.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58What more do you want from a festival?
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Woodfest has been taking place here in Wales for over a decade.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08And woodland specialist David Jenkins knows
0:03:08 > 0:03:10more about the forests here than most.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13So what would the woodlands of North Wales
0:03:13 > 0:03:15historically have been like, David?
0:03:15 > 0:03:19All of North Wales would have been a huge woodland,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22before man began to clear it.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Predominately an oak woodland, but with a lot of other
0:03:24 > 0:03:27species that we now recognise as our native species.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29So ash and elm and lime
0:03:29 > 0:03:33and other species would have been there in large quantities as well.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36That process of clearance began very, very early on in history.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Even before the first farmers.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46As time passed, the woodlands of Wales were cleared to make way
0:03:46 > 0:03:48for the rise of agriculture.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50But at one point in Welsh history,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53the mass felling of trees was an act of war.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55In this particular area, we are
0:03:55 > 0:03:59probably standing in an area which was cleared by Edward I,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03as part of the military campaigns against the Welsh then.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08They cut a swath of woodland from Chester to Conwy.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11They did it all with axes and fire.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14They accomplished it in a very, very short time,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16for threepence a day.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19And what was the wood here in North Wales used for throughout history?
0:04:19 > 0:04:23North Wales was noted as a shipbuilding region
0:04:23 > 0:04:27and in the kind of wood we are in today now, this is exactly
0:04:27 > 0:04:29the kind of place where shipwrights would come,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31and they would walk through the wood
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and they would select the shapes they needed so they got the curves,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37the crooks, the knees and all the other things that they wanted.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Welsh timber was used heavily throughout the industrial age, too.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Much of it as pit props in mines.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47But by the beginning of the 20th century,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49woodland resources had reached an all-time low.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Since then, efforts have been made to increase our woodlands
0:04:53 > 0:04:55and preserve traditional timber crafts.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Many of which are on show here today.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Across the weekend, Woodfest can attract up to 30,000 visitors.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07It is organised by husband and wife team, Simon and Paula Belfield.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11So, Woodfest is your baby, really. How did it all start?
0:05:11 > 0:05:17I had fantastic ideas of putting such a wonderful wood-oriented show on
0:05:17 > 0:05:21that people could come and enjoy, and it just took off from there.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25You have got crafts surrounding us here and sports as well.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28There is one event that I am slightly daunted by.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Just step to the side slightly
0:05:30 > 0:05:34because there are these enormous poles that are up there behind us.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36What happens with these and what's in store for me later?
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Right, well I am looking forward to this. These are our climbing poles.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42They are 90-foot Douglas firs.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45They are ten foot in the ground so it is an 80-foot climb.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And obviously, the professional foresters and arborists,
0:05:48 > 0:05:50they'll be racing up these poles.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Some of them can reach the top in well under ten seconds,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55so it will be interesting to see how long it takes you to get up.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Well, that is all later on.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59To start with, let's go into this little arena here
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and see what is happening.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Well, the first wood-chopping challenge of the day
0:06:04 > 0:06:06is the underhand chop.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11The aim is to cut through your log in the fastest time.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The catch is, you have to stand on the log whilst you're chopping it.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I can't believe the speed that they are going through already
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and they are starting at different times so there is a handicap system.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25There's a handicap system. These are the front markers.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26These are on the lower handicap
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and then as we get through to the end, they are on the higher handicap.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Look at this guy, he's going through it like it's butter.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35He's got it stuck. He's got it stuck.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39He was the German champion up until a few years ago.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41This is Werner Brohammer.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43And there are no steel toe caps involved.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48There are steel mesh socks underneath those trainers that they are wearing.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49Right.
0:06:49 > 0:06:55- He's through!- Well done, Simon!- Yes! - Well done!- With a handicap.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- How far into it did Simon start? - Simon's handicap was 47.
0:06:59 > 0:07:0647 seconds after the first guy started. Here he is, the champion.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Wow. I could see how much that took out of you there.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14I mean, just talk us through how it felt and what was going on?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Yes, it was all right. Blew the cobwebs out little bit.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17MATT LAUGHS
0:07:17 > 0:07:22No, the log was soft. Using a big axe, so cut it faster.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Well, listen, congratulations. That looked mightily impressive.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- This is your tool. - Yes. That is the smaller one.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Events like Woodfest are helping put our woodlands
0:07:33 > 0:07:37back on the map, but our woods are under threat.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Since last year, millions of ash trees
0:07:39 > 0:07:41have been plagued by a killer disease.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Ash dieback may have gone quiet over the winter,
0:07:44 > 0:07:45but as Tom has been finding out,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49it's about to make a return with devastating consequences.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56Ash.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59As much a part of the British countryside as green hills
0:07:59 > 0:08:01and leaden skies.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05But this beautiful landscape now faces a terrible threat.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07The reawakening of a hidden killer.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Ash dieback, the deadly pathogen that had ravaged trees
0:08:12 > 0:08:17across Europe, emerged here on our own shores last year.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21It was identified as Chalara fraxinea.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25A lethal fungus brought to Britain on windblown spores
0:08:25 > 0:08:28and imported saplings.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32It's arrival sounded the death knell for our beloved ash tree
0:08:32 > 0:08:37and ash dieback became a household phrase.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41BBC NEWS THEME
0:08:42 > 0:08:43Britain's ash trees under threat.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46The Government's emergency committee meet
0:08:46 > 0:08:48to discuss the killer infection.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52A ban on the import of ash trees will come into force on Monday.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54We are all being urged by the Government to wash our dogs,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58our boots, even our children, if we venture into woodland this weekend.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02In the wake of the 2012 crisis, and in an effort to protect
0:09:02 > 0:09:05our trees for the future, the Government has taken the
0:09:05 > 0:09:10unprecedented step of making plant health as important as animal health.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15The trouble is it all seemed a little too late for the ash.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19So, what now?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Things have gone eerily quiet over the winter as the fungal spores
0:09:22 > 0:09:24have lain dormant.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28But with life returning to our countryside, the question is,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31is the advance of the disease now simply inevitable?
0:09:31 > 0:09:34We need to get down in the ground, dodge the nettles, and we are
0:09:34 > 0:09:38going to start hunting for fallen...
0:09:38 > 0:09:40they're called rachises.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42They are basically these bits. You see these bits here.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46What will have happened, you see, is last year, the infection would
0:09:46 > 0:09:49have occurred down here and then obviously, as it is a deciduous
0:09:49 > 0:09:53tree, the leaves fall off, they drop to the ground, the leaves rot
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and all we will be left with are little leaf stalks like this.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58They will have blackened up but it's not just them.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01We want the blackened up and the fungus growing out of it,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03the little mushrooms growing out of it. That is what we need to get.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07How big are these mushrooms? Something to make an omelette with?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09An omelette for maybe a hobbit.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13The signs of ash dieback are easy to spot on the trees,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17but to understand how it spreads, you need to find the
0:10:17 > 0:10:20highly infectious spores that come from the fungus itself.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23That's exactly what plant pathologists from FERA,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27the Food and Environment Research Agency, are trying to do.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31So the brown marks that you see on the bark of the tree, that
0:10:31 > 0:10:34tell-tale sign, that's not actually what's giving off the spore itself?
0:10:34 > 0:10:37No, not at all. That's non-infectious.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40The fungus is actually killing the tissue,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42producing toxins and killing the tree.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47It's really quite chilling to think something this small
0:10:47 > 0:10:49could end up felling something that big.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50It's amazing, isn't it?
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Paul and I are struggling to find anything
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- but one of Paul's colleagues has had some success.- Look what I've found.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02What have you got there? Hang on a second, Ian's got something.
0:11:03 > 0:11:10- Really small.- Hey, that's looking quite good. Have a look at that.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- This one here?- Right in the middle, have a look at that, Tom.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18- Put your hand lens on that one. Look at that.- Looks like a sort of...
0:11:19 > 0:11:23It looks faintly mushroom-shaped but it's very...
0:11:23 > 0:11:25You can see it actually growing out of the stalk.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- What do you think? - Can I have a close look?
0:11:32 > 0:11:34That's certainly the best we've found so far, Ian.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36- Good job, well done.- Ian's got it!
0:11:38 > 0:11:42The commonly-held view is that the Chalara fraxinea fungus IS now
0:11:42 > 0:11:47reproducing in Britain. That would mean nowhere in the country is safe.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51But no-one has been able to confirm those worst fears until today.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58My goodness. That's quite strong.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01You see, this is the sample we put in there. Look at that.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04It's coming up. If that goes up, that means it's positive.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07So it looks like we've got Chalara in that sample?
0:12:07 > 0:12:11We've got the sporing stage of this particular fungus picked up from the
0:12:11 > 0:12:16ground which has never been found in the UK before, so this is a first.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The first time we have found this infective stage of ash dieback
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- in Britain.- Absolutely.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24This indicates that this is the first-ever finding of it in the UK.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26In some ways, you don't know whether to be pleased
0:12:26 > 0:12:28or horrified with news like that, do you?
0:12:28 > 0:12:34Yeah, I mean, from a pathology point of view it's an exciting finding.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37That line is proof that we have infective Chalara in Britain.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41- So we've got a positive?- Yes, that's the positive control there.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Look at this.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- You found it.- Yes. Honoured(!).
0:12:45 > 0:12:49You don't know whether to be honoured or not, really,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53with something as dangerous as this, as lethal as this.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- It looks like it is here to stay. - Hmm.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00In any battle, the first stage in beating your enemy
0:13:00 > 0:13:03is to know your enemy. And now we know.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07As we've heard, it is here to stay.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09A slim hope that maybe the infection was just
0:13:09 > 0:13:12blowing in from the Continent has just evaporated.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18So, does this mean the march of infectious spores sweeping
0:13:18 > 0:13:22through our forests is now simply unstoppable?
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Professor Chris Gilligan from Cambridge University chairs the
0:13:26 > 0:13:31Independent Tree Taskforce set up in response to last year's outbreak.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34He's been keeping close tabs on its progress.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37We know something about the rate of spread across the continent,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42so we can use that to think then about how to model and predict
0:13:42 > 0:13:46what's going to happen to the spread throughout the UK.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48And you've got a little bit of the green,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52- particularly on this Kent and East Anglia area.- That's correct.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56And as we run it forward, you'll see the year changing up here
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and the intensity of the colour changes.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03With red indicating high probability.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07Wow. We've now moved nearly ten years hence to 2022.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10And you've got red area which is high risk,
0:14:10 > 0:14:15still predominantly in a south-easterly area.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19But some risk affecting all of England
0:14:19 > 0:14:22and quite a bit of southern Scotland as well.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25If predictions are correct, we ARE going to see the disease
0:14:25 > 0:14:29gain a stranglehold over the next decade.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32But there are still things all of us can do to slow its progress,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35from brushing off our boots and tyres, to monitoring
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and reporting damaged trees in our local area.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Generally, though, when you look at our intervention, are we talking
0:14:43 > 0:14:45about delaying the spread of this disease
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- rather than having a hope of stopping it?- We're not going to stop it.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50It would be very unlikely that that would occur,
0:14:50 > 0:14:55when as we saw, that spread right across the continent of Europe.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59So actually, delay is really important because it buys us time
0:14:59 > 0:15:01to find ways of fighting it?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It really is important to delay the epidemic where we can.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08I suppose it gives more time for our ingenuity to find
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- a way of fighting back?- Absolutely.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13The prospects don't look good.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17But as I'll be finding out later, the battle isn't over yet.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The North Wales coastline.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Rocky, weather-beaten cliffs hug the Irish Sea.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29A typical coastal scene on the face of it.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33But look a little closer and you'll find something quite bizarre.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34A living labyrinth.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Surely one of the most intricate things that
0:15:37 > 0:15:39mother nature has ever created?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42It might look a little bit like a sponge,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45but believe me, this stuff is really quite solid.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49And it's built by one of the finest ecological engineers out there.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55The honeycomb worm, or Sabellaria alveolata.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Their reef-like homes are predominately found on the west coast
0:15:58 > 0:16:02of the UK and are currently recognised as a threatened habitat.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05But a couple of marine scientists from Bangor University
0:16:05 > 0:16:08are undertaking some pioneering research to try and help
0:16:08 > 0:16:11regenerate reefs that might be struggling.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I'm meeting Dr Andy Davies to find out more about how
0:16:14 > 0:16:17they build these peculiar homes.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20How are you doing, Andy? It looks like a moonscape, this.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25The tunnels are built from sand and shell by the worm colonies,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27who favour safety in numbers.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32There are many, many hundreds of them, if not thousands in this area.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34And they all grow together in like a semi-detached
0:16:34 > 0:16:36and a terraced house, to form this honeycomb.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40So they are known as the honeycomb worm.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44As you can see, the tube is formed by individual worms here.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47The further down it goes, the more safe it is from predators.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53- You love these, don't you?- I do. I love them. Anything which is reefy.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Well, I've never seen them until today
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- and I might start loving them, too! We'll see how we go.- Brilliant.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05In the same way that coral reefs support a host of marine life
0:17:05 > 0:17:08in the tropics, these sand tunnels built by these humble worms
0:17:08 > 0:17:13are massively important for biodiversity on our shoreline.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Fellow worm fan Steve Newstead works alongside Andy
0:17:18 > 0:17:21at the School of Ocean Sciences.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25These marine-minded chaps love the worms so much,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28they are studying them in a way they've never been studied before.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31They are the first scientists to develop test tube worms,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34rearing larvae under laboratory conditions,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38to get a better understanding of their crazy tube-building ways.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- How are you doing, Steve?- Hi, Ellie.
0:17:40 > 0:17:46- What is it about these worms you love so much?- These worms are great.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48They form these fantastic hummocks,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52these sand formations that we find on the shore.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54They are habitat engineers, OK.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57What they are doing is creating niches,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00pockets for other species to live within them.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03They are providing an attachment site for possible algae
0:18:03 > 0:18:04to start growing.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08They are also providing some protection from some water
0:18:08 > 0:18:11movements, in maybe the lee of the water and so on.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14They provide this function that enhances the biodiversity.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Wow. So we can see them coming out now, they are under the water.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22You can see the little black hairy feelers that are coming out.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24That's them feeding when they are submerged in water.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27They will come out of the tube by a few millimetres.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29And they will extend their tentacles out
0:18:29 > 0:18:33and capture organic particles and filter feed that way.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35And then all of a sudden they will retract?
0:18:35 > 0:18:38They will retract in when a predator or something comes along.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43My big head, in this case. How do they build these amazing structures?
0:18:43 > 0:18:47They are unique because they excrete a biological cement, where
0:18:47 > 0:18:52they will collect sand grains from around them, from the water column,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55and they will excrete this cement and then stick them together.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59They are almost building like a dry stone wall around themselves.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04They will do that straight after their larval stages.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06And they will then build this tube for the rest of their life.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12To give the worms the best start in life,
0:19:12 > 0:19:17the boys grow them on slates in sea-like conditions in these tanks.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- Can we have a look at one? - I will just show you this one here.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24These little ones, around eight weeks old, are forming the first tunnels.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- Still quite delicate. - Really, still quite small.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30We have the settlement here, on the slate plate, OK.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33And these are the small hummocks and the small tubes we have got there.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38The aim is for these slates to eventually be attached to
0:19:38 > 0:19:41existing reefs, so the youngsters continue to grow
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and strengthen communities in areas where they may be struggling.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52But to find out which reefs need a bit of help,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Andy and Steve monitor them using a sophisticated bit of kit.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00A balloon on a string with a precariously-dangled camera.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02OK, Ellie, now we've got the balloon up,
0:20:02 > 0:20:08what we want to try and do is slowly walk the camera over the reef.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12What the camera is doing is it is taking images every four seconds.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14Once we've stitched the images together,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17we'll get this panoramic view of the reef.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21- You are basically mapping out where this honeycomb reef is?- Absolutely.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Once you've got that, what are you going to do with it?
0:20:23 > 0:20:27We want to try and see how the reef changes over time.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32We want to map this over the years and see how much it grows,
0:20:32 > 0:20:33how much it reduces,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36to try and get an understanding in the changes of the reef itself.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I love the way it is just a balloon and a camera.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- It is like super-accessible science. - That's it, very simple indeed.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- No lab coats required for this? - Not at all. No!
0:20:46 > 0:20:50So, aerial images to show scale, plus a bit of close-up counting
0:20:50 > 0:20:55- using this grid split into centimetre squares.- We just put that on there.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Should roughly equal how many worms there are in this bit of reef.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Simple. OK, five per centimetre square, I think.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06- Five per centimetre square?- Yes. - Perfect.- All right.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09So, five worms in one centimetre square works out
0:21:09 > 0:21:12as 50,000 in one metre square.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Multiply this by the total area of reef, 77 metres square, equals
0:21:16 > 0:21:24a rough estimate of 3,850,000 worms, all living in one amazing reef.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27So have you found, by doing this survey over time, that there
0:21:27 > 0:21:31have been more of them or less of them? Have they changed at all?
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Since in about the last year, we have seen the reef expand,
0:21:35 > 0:21:40about 20 to 30% in size. It can grow very quickly.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44By doing this, and mapping year on year, season on season,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46we can see how the reef expands or contracts.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51So things are looking OK here in North Wales at the moment,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54probably thanks to this pair keeping an eye on them.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57But the honeycomb reefs are at a constant threat of storm damage,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00cold weather, and human feet trampling on them.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It may not be as exotic as the Great Barrier Reef, but these
0:22:07 > 0:22:12amazing sand tunnels stuck together by biological cement, by the tiny
0:22:12 > 0:22:17honeycomb worm, are hugely important to the biodiversity on our coast.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31This week we are in north Wales and I am taking in the sights
0:22:31 > 0:22:34and sounds of Woodfest!
0:22:34 > 0:22:38For centuries, we have used timber for everything.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Enormous sailing ships, grand buildings, even the garden fence.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45But these guys are using wood in an altogether different way
0:22:45 > 0:22:47and their tool of choice - a chainsaw.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Right, I have just come over to witness the speed carve.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57These lads have just 30 minutes to carve something spectacular.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Off you go!
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Harry Thomas and his son, Danny, are professional chainsaw carvers,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08and every year they come here to wow the crowd with their impressive,
0:23:08 > 0:23:09if a little noisy, skills.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18I love the way they've just got all the chainsaws laid out.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Large, medium, small,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and then a blowtorch which I'm quite intrigued about.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Fascinating to watch.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Before becoming a full-time chainsaw carver,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Harry worked as a tree surgeon.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34With over 20 years in the business,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36he is one of the best carvers in Britain.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39And by the looks of it, his son isn't far behind.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44They are about halfway through now.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It's just mesmerising to see these figures appear out of the wood.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02That's the basic shape sorted.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Now Harry and Danny set about adding the detail.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08But time is running out. In the final stages now.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11More power tools have come out.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16There is a bit of grinding going on, a bit of sanding.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17Just beautiful.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21How quickly this has come together is mind-blowing, to be honest.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28So everything is just finishing up now and the lovely thing is,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30the public are all the way round the outside.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33They've watched all of these figures being created
0:24:33 > 0:24:34and now there's an auction so we can buy it.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36I might get my hand in my pocket here.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39The question is, how deep will I have to dig?
0:24:39 > 0:24:4350? Thank you very much, sir, £50 I have. Any advance on 50?
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Looking for 60. £60 in the ring.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50£80 in the ring.
0:24:50 > 0:24:56- £90. Thank you, £100. Going once... - I'll go 110.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58110 we have. Going once.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02Going twice... Third time...
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Sold to Mr Matt Baker. Thank you very much.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:25:10 > 0:25:11Delighted with that.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Having bagged my bear,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18it's time to meet the guys behind these magnificent carvings.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Lads, that was incredible, honestly, to watch.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25What you can produce in half an hour with what you would imagine
0:25:25 > 0:25:29is quite a "rrrr" sort of tool, is beautiful.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Have you got quite a few specialities?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I've got quite a few I can do in a speed carve, yes.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38And why would you say, OK, a bear this time?
0:25:38 > 0:25:40The reason I do a bear is because nobody else does a bear.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Owls are probably the most common speed carve
0:25:43 > 0:25:45because they are quite a simple shape.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Once you get to something like this, it takes a bit of practice really.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52And let's have a look at some of these tools then.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56That's specially made for carving. That's actually called a dime tip.
0:25:57 > 0:26:03- It's the same size as a 5p.- Well, listen, it was incredible to watch.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Vastly entertaining for everybody all around and what you produced
0:26:07 > 0:26:09in half an hour is really quite something, honestly.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Can you give us a lift to the car, does that come in the price?
0:26:12 > 0:26:13Sure I will, yes.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Well, in a moment, I will be meeting the men
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and women who shimmy up those poles in a matter of seconds.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23But before all of that,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26here's what else is coming up on today's programme.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29There are some hungry young mouths to feed down on Adam's farm.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32They eat a lot, geese, and because it's such a beautiful sunny day,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36I'm going to lift this hut off them and give them a bit more grass.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Mind your heads.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Inspiration for our photographic competition from the people
0:26:44 > 0:26:48who know best - last year's finalists.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Anyone entering this year's competition on living landscape,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54I just suggest you get out there and try.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58And for photographers and everyone else,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00there's the Countryfile forecast.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Now, earlier we heard there is little we can do to stop ash dieback
0:27:05 > 0:27:09all but wiping out one of Britain's most common trees.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12But does that mean the ash will disappear forever
0:27:12 > 0:27:13from the British countryside?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Here's Tom.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22The ash dieback epidemic that swept through mainland Europe is here.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25And there's no way of stopping this deadly fungus,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Chalara fraxinea, from spreading throughout the UK.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33So if we can't save our treasured ash, does it mean it will go
0:27:33 > 0:27:38the same way as elm in the 1970s and become a rural rarity?
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The Woodland Trust has other ideas.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46It's recently planted thousands of young trees at Pound Farm
0:27:46 > 0:27:50in Suffolk, right in the firing line of the disease.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54In the wood over there are thousands of infected trees.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58In fact, it was one of the first places where ash dieback was seen.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02So, with the wind blowing as it is, from there to here,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06it won't be long before infection is rife in this field.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09So, we can expect these young saplings to soon
0:28:09 > 0:28:11succumb to the disease.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18So why plant healthy saplings right next door to an infected wood?
0:28:18 > 0:28:21According to the Woodland Trust's Austin Brady, there is
0:28:21 > 0:28:23method in this madness.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25So this is one of your sacrificial ash, is it?
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Yes, if we take the vole guard off this young ash tree,
0:28:28 > 0:28:34you can see this is one of 25,000 trees we have planted on two fields
0:28:34 > 0:28:36and there are 11 different provenances of ash
0:28:36 > 0:28:39from all over the UK. We have deliberately brought them back here
0:28:39 > 0:28:42where we know the disease is present, to try and find out
0:28:42 > 0:28:45which of these varieties is going to be resistant to ash disease.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49It seems almost cruel, to put them in harm's way like this,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53- deliberately to expose them to a deadly fungus?- Exactly.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56But what we know is from experience on the Continent, maybe two
0:28:56 > 0:29:00or 5% of trees have natural resistance to ash disease.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03What we're trying to do is speed up that process and find out
0:29:03 > 0:29:06as quickly as possible which of the UK's ash trees might be resistant.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10What the Woodland Trust is doing may be a radical step,
0:29:10 > 0:29:16but its plans are to find replacement trees, not a cure for ash dieback.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21One thing that strikes me is this is still a sort of...it is a post-apocalyptic solution.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23It's not going to save existing ash trees, is it?
0:29:23 > 0:29:26You are exactly right. We are going to lose a lot of ash trees
0:29:26 > 0:29:29but we don't want to just stand by and watch that happen.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32We are doing what we can to try and breed some resistant trees
0:29:32 > 0:29:34- for the future. - The scale of the task is huge.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36130 million ash trees across the country.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40Are we seriously talking about potentially replanting that number?
0:29:40 > 0:29:42I think in some woods, if the ash disappears, there will
0:29:42 > 0:29:45still be a woodland and some of those woods will recover.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47In other parts of the country, the impact could be more serious,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50where ash is a dominant part of those woods and they are the
0:29:50 > 0:29:53areas where we really need to think about a different kind of response.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57If the disease is as serious as we think, we are unlikely to ever
0:29:57 > 0:29:59replicate exactly what was there before in terms of ash?
0:29:59 > 0:30:02The woodlands will evolve. There will still be ash but less?
0:30:02 > 0:30:04Exactly, but woodlands evolve and change, you know,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07life and death in the forest is part of the whole process.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Just what's happening here is something which is a bit too
0:30:10 > 0:30:13quick and a bit too sudden.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15This isn't the only plantation of its kind.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18Hand-in-hand with landowners and charities,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20the Government has planted a quarter of a million trees
0:30:20 > 0:30:25across the south-east, simply to see which ones can survive the onslaught.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29And that means standing back and watching possibly
0:30:29 > 0:30:34hundreds of thousands of young trees being martyred to the cause.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40While here they're letting nature take its course, there are those
0:30:40 > 0:30:45using a more technical approach to finding a tree with natural immunity.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48The basis for this work can be traced back to one
0:30:48 > 0:30:51miraculous tree in Denmark.
0:30:51 > 0:30:57The story starts just under 100 years ago on the Danish island of Zealand.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01In the 1920s, Danish foresters started selectively breeding ash
0:31:01 > 0:31:07for good timber. And they came across this in the forest, tree 35.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11They were so impressed by its strong form, that they decided to
0:31:11 > 0:31:16clone it along with 38 others to make sure they had good wood supplies.
0:31:19 > 0:31:2280 years later, in the middle of the last decade,
0:31:22 > 0:31:24ash dieback hit Denmark.
0:31:24 > 0:31:2890% of the country's ash trees were killed or badly damaged.
0:31:28 > 0:31:33Among them, the 39 selectively-bred clones.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Except that is for tree 35, which stood tall
0:31:37 > 0:31:39amongst all the devastation.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44There seemed to be something in the genetic make-up of tree 35
0:31:44 > 0:31:48which made it able to withstand the full force of ash dieback.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Now, this remarkable tree has led to a scientific
0:31:54 > 0:31:57breakthrough in the fight against the disease.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59At these laboratories in Norwich,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02just a few miles from the epicentre of last year's outbreak,
0:32:02 > 0:32:07scientists have managed to decode tree 35's resistant DNA.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13So this is how you unlock the genetic secrets of the resistant ash?
0:32:13 > 0:32:18Yes, the first step is to get some ash leaves which are frozen in here.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23What I'm going to do is take a small amount of this ash material.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25I'm going to put it into one of these tubes here
0:32:25 > 0:32:27so that we can break it up.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32The John Innes Centre is part of a multi-million pound
0:32:32 > 0:32:36international project working to create a formula for a
0:32:36 > 0:32:39super-tree for the future, based on tree 35.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46The project's head, Professor Allan Downie, is showing me how it's done.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51- OK, so, I'm making a sort of ash soup.- Just drop it in.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54And then you'll find a pair of long forceps there
0:32:54 > 0:32:57that you can pick it back out again with.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01The liquid nitrogen freezes the ash leaf soup
0:33:01 > 0:33:04so it can be pulverised into tiny pieces.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07- It's like a rather aggressive microwave!- It is a bit!
0:33:07 > 0:33:11So, now that leaf which was a leaf material, it's now a powder,
0:33:11 > 0:33:13and what we're now going to do is add a little bit of liquid
0:33:13 > 0:33:16to dissolve the DNA.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20The DNA is broken down further and purified before technicians
0:33:20 > 0:33:23at the Genome Analysis Centre set about the critical
0:33:23 > 0:33:28task of sequencing the billions of strands of DNA on a computer.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32This incredible and complicated process has allowed scientists
0:33:32 > 0:33:38to crack tree 35's DNA code, the first step in creating
0:33:38 > 0:33:41an ash tree from scratch that can live with the disease.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47We're the first to see these results.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49What is on here that is so important, so critical?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52We have all of the genomic information from the tolerant tree,
0:33:52 > 0:33:56tree 35, on this chip, so all of the DNA sequence is here.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59And we did it really quickly. We want to move things forward
0:33:59 > 0:34:04and try to understand the genetics of the inheritance of tolerance,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07and this is the first step that allows us to build a map
0:34:07 > 0:34:12and get an idea of why this tree has tolerance to the fungus.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15This has been a very high profile potential environmental
0:34:15 > 0:34:18disaster for Britain. We've seen huge coverage on this story.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22How does it feel to be maybe part of that solution?
0:34:22 > 0:34:24It would be wonderful to be part of the solution,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28but the problem is enormous, and really, it would be absolutely
0:34:28 > 0:34:31fantastic, but it is going to take a long period of time
0:34:31 > 0:34:33and the breeding is going to take time.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36For you at the moment, do you think the best chance is breeding up
0:34:36 > 0:34:38new resistant or tolerant, as you would have it,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41trees rather than trying to protect the ones that are there?
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Certainly, for the large population of
0:34:43 > 0:34:47ash in Woodlands, I think if we could breed for tolerance,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51and identify trees that can live with the fungus,
0:34:51 > 0:34:54then that would help greatly, and what we're trying to do here is
0:34:54 > 0:34:58trying to give nature a bit of a helping hand by identifying the
0:34:58 > 0:35:03right kinds of trees to take forward and do the appropriate crosses.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09Whether it's the natural immunity of the Woodland Trust saplings
0:35:09 > 0:35:11or a synthetically produced super-tree,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14we may be able to fill the inevitable holes that are going to
0:35:14 > 0:35:17appear in our countryside with something stronger.
0:35:19 > 0:35:25What should be a proud procession of ash is becoming a slow death march.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28And there's little doubt that a similar fate awaits
0:35:28 > 0:35:33many of our ash trees across Britain. But there is a glimmer of hope.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36The ingenuity of our conservationists
0:35:36 > 0:35:39and genetic scientists is speeding the arrival of a new
0:35:39 > 0:35:43generation of ash trees which will show the fungus who's boss.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54- ELLIE:- Whatever the weather, there's always plenty for Adam to do down on
0:35:54 > 0:35:58his farm, especially with all the animals he needs to tend to.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02There's no time for hanging around,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05it's just a quick cuppa before getting to it.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25Part of the farm income comes from selling animals to other farmers.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28And of course to produce those animals, you need to breed them.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30And because I've got so many different breeds
0:36:30 > 0:36:33and species on the farm, that takes some organising,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and today, I'm just sorting out the chickens.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39I've got about eight different breeds of chicken on the farm,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43various shapes and colours and sizes. These are my Welsummers in here.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44I'll just let them out.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50The Welsummer is a really lovely chicken. One of my favourites.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55Very smart cockerels, and the hens lay these beautiful, rich,
0:36:55 > 0:36:59dark-brown eggs and of course these eggs are fertile,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03because there's a cockerel in with the hens.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05And what usually happens is a hen would lay six to eight eggs,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08she would then go broody, which means she starts to sit on them
0:37:08 > 0:37:12and stay sitting on them to warm the eggs up and then
0:37:12 > 0:37:16the fertilised embryo inside would start to grow and develop.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Just to make things more efficient,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21I put these into a mechanical incubator.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27And that insures a higher success rate.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29COCKEREL CROWS
0:37:32 > 0:37:37The eggs are transferred into a tray ready for the incubator.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40This keeps them at the right temperature and with the right
0:37:40 > 0:37:44amount of moisture and also rocks them backwards and forwards.
0:37:44 > 0:37:45It turns the eggs.
0:37:45 > 0:37:51And these eggs now will hatch out in 21 days' time, which is pretty quick.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55So I'll take this tray, which has now been in seven or eight days,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58and I'll do what's known as candling them,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01to make sure that the embryo inside is starting to grow.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10It's called candling, because that's what they used in the old days.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Now I have a torch, so I'll just turn the light off.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Right, so you get your torch on and pick up an egg
0:38:17 > 0:38:22and shine it through the egg and you can see it's clear at the bottom
0:38:22 > 0:38:26and dark at the top, and that's where the embryo is
0:38:26 > 0:38:28forming at the top of the egg, and so that is a fertile one.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31If it was infertile, it would be completely clear
0:38:31 > 0:38:33and because it's in a warm incubator,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37the egg would start to rot, and that would poison the other growing
0:38:37 > 0:38:40embryos, so we would chuck it out, so that one's OK.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49You can see on some of them the blood vessels inside.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52The yolk is feeding the growing embryo.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55And we can eat fertile eggs, it's not a problem at all, until
0:38:55 > 0:39:00they have started to be incubated, and then the chick starts to form.
0:39:00 > 0:39:01Don't want to eat them then!
0:39:03 > 0:39:06So that's great news. They're all fertile and growing.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Once the chicks have hatched,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15we put them under a heat lamp to keep them warm and we feed them
0:39:15 > 0:39:21on these little chick crumbs and there's a little Welsummer that's
0:39:21 > 0:39:25easily recognisable, because of its brown back with two little stripes.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Sweet little chick.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32And then next door to those, we have some ducklings.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Duckling, very different to a chick.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36Different shaped beak with its little bill.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40It doesn't really matter what baby animals they are,
0:39:40 > 0:39:41they're all lovely.
0:39:41 > 0:39:42Go on then.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Poultry grow fast, and before you know it,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50they're ready for the great outdoors.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53I've got some special newcomers that are looking forward to
0:39:53 > 0:39:54stretching their legs.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58The ones I want to see are these baby geese, the goslings over here.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03They were only hatched out just over a week ago and are growing so fast.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Chicks or ducklings will live off pellets that we feed them
0:40:07 > 0:40:11and goslings do need pellets, but they will also graze.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14They eat a lot of grass, geese, and because it's such a beautiful, sunny
0:40:14 > 0:40:17day, I'm going to lift this hut off them and give them a bit more grass.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Mind your heads.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27They're so lovely. As soon as I've let them out,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29they're now grazing at the grass, pecking it away.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33And four adult geese will eat the equivalent to one sheep,
0:40:33 > 0:40:34so they eat quite a lot of grass.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37And these are a bit of a mixture, they're a farmyard goose.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39And I keep them for a number of reasons, really.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41I sell them to people who want to have geese to eat
0:40:41 > 0:40:45and they're great at laying eggs and some people keep them as guard dogs.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47They make a racket when people come round
0:40:47 > 0:40:50and are poking around your farmyard. They start squawking.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53And they're just lovely animals, they're great.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58The first few weeks of their life is vital.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00But not all my animals have the perfect start.
0:41:02 > 0:41:03A couple of years ago,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07one little lamb called Laurel was extremely close to death.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10My dog, Maud, found her by the stream.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12The poor thing was almost blind,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16but after a bit of TLC from my son Alfie, she pulled through.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Now, do you remember Laurel from a couple of years ago,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21- that pet lamb you reared? - Yeah, definitely.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Well, she's lambed now and she's in here.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25That's her down there with Alf written on the side.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27We've written that so we know that she's yours.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- Now she's got a little lamb in here, let's see if we can catch it.- OK.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38It's all yours, it's all yours! Wow! That's it! THEY LAUGH
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- What do you reckon then? - Yeah, she's a nice lamb.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Well it's a little ewe lamb, a female.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46So you've got to think of a name for it now.
0:41:46 > 0:41:52- Well, Laurel's a plant, isn't it?- Yes.- So, Fern, maybe?
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Yes. That's a good name. Fern. Little Fern.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58- So you worked hard, didn't you, to save little Laurel.- Yeah.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01And did you ever imagine she'd be giving birth here?
0:42:01 > 0:42:03She looked really weak when she was a lamb,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06so, and I thought maybe it wasn't going to survive
0:42:06 > 0:42:10and then she's had a lamb, so that was quite successful.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13Go on then, let's take back to her mum.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18There we go, she's just over there, that's it, let her go now.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23You'll make a good farmer one day. It's hard work, isn't it?
0:42:23 > 0:42:25- For you, but not for me! - THEY LAUGH
0:42:25 > 0:42:27- It's all fun for you now.- Yeah.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33While Laurel made a good family pet, my Belted Galloway bull,
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Crackers, will definitely not.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38Last summer, I visited Neil Heseltine.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42He's a farming friend of mine who breeds Belted Galloway cattle,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45high in the hills near Malham Cove in Yorkshire.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48His are some of the finest stock I've seen.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50And after looking at such a magnificent herd,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53I couldn't resist buying one of his bulls.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57- Quite like the look of that black one there.- Yeah, yeah.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00When he arrived on my farm a few weeks later,
0:43:00 > 0:43:03we soon realised we'd got more than we bargained for.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05He was a bit bonkers.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09I can see why you called him Crackers! He's looking good, Neil.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12And I soon realised,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15he commanded a different level of respect to the rest of my animals.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17Basically, I keep my distance.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21And here he is, a year on.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23To start off with, he was jumping over the fences
0:43:23 > 0:43:27and getting in with the wrong cows and causing a few problems there,
0:43:27 > 0:43:29but now, we've got him breeding with the right breeds.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32He's with his Belted Galloway cow and we're managing to keep him in,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35and he's quietened down, he's handleable, he's absolutely fine.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38I'm really pleased with him. I'm not sure what he makes of these
0:43:38 > 0:43:41little Gloucester Old Spot piglets, they're really cheeky.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44He certainly never came across anything like that on the moors
0:43:44 > 0:43:48of Malham. And what's very exciting is he's just had a calf born
0:43:48 > 0:43:50and it's in a field just across the way.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58And here's Crackers' little calf.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01It's a bull calf, a male, and it's perfectly marked.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05It's got a lovely belt on it. It's black just like its dad.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Out of my red cow, and the cows I've got are red, black and dun,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12the three colours that the Belties come in.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15And it's a wonderful little calf, and she's a very good mother.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18She's pawing the ground now, threatening me,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20saying, that's plenty close enough.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23I always carry a stick when I'm in with freshly-born calves,
0:44:23 > 0:44:25and the Belties, like the Highlands,
0:44:25 > 0:44:29are fantastic mothers, so you have to be very, very cautious.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31And I'm not sure I trust her.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34A couple of days after the birth of the Belted Galloway calf,
0:44:34 > 0:44:36we had a bit of a surprise.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40Thanks to Crackers' naughty behaviour nine months ago, he's left his mark.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45This is one of my young White Park female cows
0:44:45 > 0:44:48and she's recently given birth to her first calf,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51that should have the same markings as her, but if I just move
0:44:51 > 0:44:55her around...just walk around there, missus.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57Let's see your baby. Where is it?
0:44:58 > 0:45:02Just here is a little calf that just looks like a Belted Galloway,
0:45:02 > 0:45:05and there's only one animal that can take responsibility for that,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08and it is of course Crackers.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11We'll rear the calf on now until it's about two years old
0:45:11 > 0:45:12and then it will go for beef.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15And it's not ideal for my pedigree White Park breeding,
0:45:15 > 0:45:18but they're a lovely family all the same.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Next week, I'll be finding out about a new vaccine that will
0:45:25 > 0:45:28hopefully protect livestock from the virus Schmallenberg.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34This week, I'm at Woodfest, celebrating
0:45:34 > 0:45:37lots of traditional timber skills and I'm just in the process
0:45:37 > 0:45:41of being prepared to try and shimmy all the way to the top of that pole.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43Now, if all of that sounds a little bit too energetic for you,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45then maybe you'd like to enter
0:45:45 > 0:45:47our Countryfile photographic competition.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50If you would, here's John with the details.
0:45:52 > 0:45:57The theme for this year's competition is our living landscape.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01We want pictures that capture the beauty of the British countryside,
0:46:01 > 0:46:06all the wonderful life, the fantastic scenery that you find within it.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20The 12 best photographs chosen by our judges will make up
0:46:20 > 0:46:22the Countryfile calendar for 2014.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34We'll also have an overall winner who will be able to choose
0:46:34 > 0:46:39photographic equipment to the value of £1,000.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42And whoever takes the picture that the judges liked best will be
0:46:42 > 0:46:44able to pick equipment worth £500.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57One of last year's lucky finalists was Dave Foker.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00He took the photo you voted overall winner.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04I'd seen lots of photographs in previous years
0:47:04 > 0:47:08and I thought that after taking this photograph, it was slightly
0:47:08 > 0:47:13different, and it had a good chance of doing well in the competition.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16It was quite a lucky picture, but then it makes up
0:47:16 > 0:47:18for all of the times I've sat up a tree and had nothing.
0:47:18 > 0:47:24I thought, yeah, it's got a good chance of making it to the last, I
0:47:24 > 0:47:26don't know, 200, 300, maybe,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28but I was amazed when it got to the last 12.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33Another of last year's lucky 12 was Jimmy Robson.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38He made the calendar, thanks to his photo of five baby birds.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41The photograph was five swallow chicks.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43I set a little studio up, put a flash on it,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46and, you know, took a few pictures.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49I've only been taking pictures about three years now, yeah,
0:47:49 > 0:47:51but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Especially wildlife, that's mainly what I take, wildlife pictures.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57And it's fantastic, yeah, really good.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01When I got a call from the office saying you're in the final 12, I
0:48:01 > 0:48:05didn't really believe it, you know, I didn't really understand what
0:48:05 > 0:48:07she was saying, but she actually said that you're in the final 12,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11you are actually in the calendar, and I thought, it was great.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15Anyone entering this year's competition on living landscape,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18I'd just suggest you get out there and try.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Try shooting a few things. You know, it could be anything.
0:48:22 > 0:48:26It's usually something that you don't normally see, you just try it.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Just try it, get out there and take them.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31And if you take Jimmy's advice and want your photo to
0:48:31 > 0:48:34appear in next year's calendar, here's what you need to know.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38The Countryfile photographic competition
0:48:38 > 0:48:40is not open to professionals.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43And because we want every entry to be an original,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46they must not have won any other competition.
0:48:46 > 0:48:51You can send in up to four photos and they must have been taken in the UK.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53And please could you send in hard copies,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56not e-mails or computer files.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Write your name, address and a daytime
0:49:01 > 0:49:04and evening phone number on the back of each photo,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06with a note of where it was taken.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08Then send your entries to:
0:49:18 > 0:49:21The full terms and conditions are on our website, which is where
0:49:21 > 0:49:26you'll also find details of the BBC's code of conduct for competitions.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30Now, our closing date is Friday, 26th July.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33And I'm sorry, but we can't return any entries.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Whatever you decide to photograph, do it responsibly.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40Take care not to disturb any animals or damage the environment
0:49:40 > 0:49:43and always follow the countryside code.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Well, if that has inspired you to get out with your camera this
0:49:49 > 0:49:52weekend, then you'll need to know what the weather has in store,
0:49:52 > 0:49:54so it's time for the Countryfile forecast.
0:51:50 > 0:51:57.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14Throughout my day here in North Wales, I've been blown
0:52:14 > 0:52:17away by the skills and expertise on show at Woodfest,
0:52:17 > 0:52:20from chainsaw carvers to axe men.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24But there's one event I'm about to try for myself. Pole climbing.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35This climbing technique is used by forestry workers across the world.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38But it was the lumberjacks in the great forests of North America
0:52:38 > 0:52:39that first made it a sport.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48It came over to the UK around 20 years ago.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52Organising the climbing today is Terry Bennett, a former champion.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Right, so these are the key then.
0:52:55 > 0:52:58These are the key to getting you up that 80-foot pole.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01The sharp spike, there, is what does the damage to the tree.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- That penetrates into the wood to give you a platform to stand on.- Right.
0:53:08 > 0:53:09How high is this?
0:53:09 > 0:53:1280 foot we race to, from ground level to the top of that.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16- Is that high for you? - I'm not scared of heights at all.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19I'm scared of falling! THEY LAUGH
0:53:19 > 0:53:21The ropes are going to stop us from going anywhere.
0:53:21 > 0:53:22If you were in a rush then, Terry,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25how long would it take you to get to the top?
0:53:25 > 0:53:27For me, my personal best in my prime, 10.3 seconds,
0:53:27 > 0:53:31but the world record... 9.03 seconds.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36Time for a quick lesson.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39- OK, right, Terry, show me the ropes, quite literally!- Show you the ropes.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41This is the belay line, this is the safety line,
0:53:41 > 0:53:46- this is what's going to stop you falling to your death.- Thanks.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50THEY LAUGH Next bit of kit is also a bit of safety kit, but it's also
0:53:50 > 0:53:53the tool that you're going to need to stop you from falling backwards.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56This is what we call a strop. All I want you to do now is literally
0:53:56 > 0:53:58- just stand on the pole. - And then you go like that?
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Take two steps, one, two, not too big steps,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04around six to eight inch steps, one fluid movement, straighten your legs,
0:54:04 > 0:54:08and get that strop up nice and high. He's a natural.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12That's fantastic, Matt. Not too much, boys, not too much.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Well, the crowd are waiting, I've got the gear on,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18I've had the training. I guess it's time to give it a go.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23I'd like to try and get under a minute, if I can,
0:54:23 > 0:54:27- but anyway, let's just go. - OK?- Yeah.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31We'll count you down. Three, two, one. Go!
0:54:31 > 0:54:33CHEERS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Well done, Matt, keep that strop up, Matt, well done!
0:54:36 > 0:54:42Keep that strop up. Come on, Matt! Well done! Fantastic!
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Keep it up, Matt, that's it! Fantastic!
0:54:51 > 0:54:56He's better than the pros. Well done, Matt! Not far now! About six foot.
0:54:57 > 0:55:03Keep on going! CHEERING
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Wooh!
0:55:09 > 0:55:13Cheers, lads. Oh!
0:55:16 > 0:55:19- Do you want to know your time?- Oh! - Under a minute, you wanted!
0:55:19 > 0:55:22- Yes, I did.- 25.5 seconds. - You're kidding!
0:55:22 > 0:55:24- I'm not kidding you.- Wooh!
0:55:24 > 0:55:27- Well done.- Good training!
0:55:27 > 0:55:30While I leave the pole climbing to the professionals, there's
0:55:30 > 0:55:33just enough time to fit in one last event.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35But I'm going to need a hand for this one.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39Ellie, how are you doing? Come on in. We'll catch up later.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43- What's all this?- Just lunge and when I shout "pull it", pull it.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- I've brought my lumberjack shirt, so I'm all right.- OK. Ready?
0:55:46 > 0:55:48- Are you happy, Simon?- We're ready.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- This is Simon and Paula, they run the show here.- OK. All right.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54- All set? Can someone give us a countdown?- Axe men, are you ready?
0:55:54 > 0:55:59- Go, one, two, three.- You pull. - Me pull?- Yes.- To you, to me.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05'Long before the days of power tools, this is how wood was cut and
0:56:05 > 0:56:09'unsurprisingly, here at Woodfest, it takes on a competitive edge.'
0:56:09 > 0:56:12- In the zone!- Yeah!
0:56:12 > 0:56:15Oh, my... Matt, you wouldn't believe how far they've got
0:56:15 > 0:56:18- down with theirs!- Don't worry! Don't worry!- Come on!- It's focus.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20- It's all in the pivot. Pivot. - APPLAUSE
0:56:20 > 0:56:23Does that clap tell me that they've finished?
0:56:23 > 0:56:27- They have.- Let's just keep going! - Come on, we're nearly there.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30That's all we have time for this week!
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Next week, we're in Kent in a programme packed full with
0:56:33 > 0:56:37- British wildlife. - And I will be... Yay! - CHEERING
0:56:37 > 0:56:40Lay it down, lay it down, there we go.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44I'll be finding out how smuggling started with sheep.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47You can have that as a memento. There's your medal.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50- That's kind of you, thank you! Hope you can join us then.- See you!
0:56:50 > 0:56:51- See you! - THEY LAUGH
0:56:51 > 0:56:54- Oh, I feel a bit sore after that. - Oh, I need a drink!
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd