Resonance : plantings


Resonance is a living, growing artwork of seven small circles of seven silver birch trees; it brings people together to plant the trees, and join conversations about land use and land use change.

These circles of trees are small – a diameter of 3.5 metres – to allow a person to stand between two trees and touch both; and the trees will grow to touch one another. The circles form a constellation: 7 points on 7 radial lines, spanning out at 51.4-degree intervals from a single sycamore at the centre of the National Park. There’s more about the project here.

Dates for the Plantings:

February 25th: Grizedale Forest (with Forestry England)

March 7th: Ullswater Valley (with National Trust and tenant farmers)

March 12th: Ambleside Campus, University of Cumbria

March 19th: Grasmere Valley (with Friends of the Lake District)

April 8th: Langstrath Valley (with National Trust and tenant farmers)

Two more dates to be confirmed.

  • People at work with garden forks and spades on a grassy hill
  • Image shows a circle with lines on it demarking seven angles, and three people leaning down, planting a tree
  • several people lean against a wooden fence. They have cards in their hands and there are new trees planted in front of them.
  • Seven small trees dressed with orange ribbon and planted in a circle on a grassy hill
  • Image shows a wooden tree enclosure, and a circle of small trees each with a purple ribbon, and a green protective collar at the base
  • A close up image of a yellow ribbon tied around a small tree, which is surrounded by a metal cate
  • A small tree with a light purple ribbon around it

The planting days are a chance to get to know more about one location, and to get your hands in earth while chatting. Our focus will be sharing thoughts about relationships with land and different land uses, farming, trees and forestry, soil, peat restoration, net zero targets, biodiversity, and rural communities and cultures. The direction of conversations will be connected with poetic prompts, and steered by the people who join each event. And there will be cake! Oh yes, there is always cake!

To join, or any questions, contact Rob Fraser (rob.fraser@cumbria.ac.uk).

Where the trees come from

In November 2024, more than 50 people gathered to gently remove 49 young silver birch trees from Bolton Fell Moss, a vast lowland bog in northern Cumbria (Read more about this event and the conversations it stimulated here: the Big Dig Day).

The 49 birch trees have been ‘heeled in’ for the winter, and will be well tended for their relocation, to ensure they have the best possible chance of thriving. Some of their roots will be trimmed, and in some locations (depending on grazing pressures) the trees will be individually protected using Cactus tree guards.

Resonance and the LUNZ Hub project

Resonance has emerged as part of the PLACE Collective’s work within the UK-Wide Land Use for Net Zero, Nature and People LUNZ Hub, and in collaboration with several land management organisations, and the Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas.

Read more about the Resonance project here.

  • An orange ribbon tied around a young tree
  • A map of Lake District National Park showing 7 pink lines
  • Seven lines radiating from a central point
  • A group of people stand on grassy land. Two people have a bag each, which is filled with young trees.
An illustration of seven birch trees in black and white, with a robin in one of the trees