British & Irish Hardwoods Improvement Programme
The British & Irish Hardwoods Improvement Programme (BIHIP) is a consortium of many organisations aiming to co-ordinate forestry research and the forest industry in the UK.
The aims of the BIHIP are to:
The Northmoor Trust was a founding member of BIHIP which now includes the following participants:
Commercial
Woodland Improvement and Conservation Ltd.
Landowners
Research
Universities
Forest Services’ Research organisations (Forestry Commission, Coillte (Eire), Northern Ireland Forestry Service)
Horticulture Research International
Northmoor Trust
Industry
Woodland Heritage
Landowners
For further information visit the BIHIP web site.
The Forest Research Coordination Committee (FRCC) held a conference to discuss hardwood tree improvement in September 2000, hosted by the Northmoor Trust. Visit the FRCC website for the proceedings.
Current availability of improved tree stock
Cherry
Horticulture Research International has released a collection of cherry clones, the Wildstar collection (some of which have been tested at Paradise Wood), through its commercial arm, Hortitech. These trees are sold through three commercial outlets: Nicholson Nurseries (Oxfordshire 01869 340342),
Walnut
Some improved and selected walnut material, including new hybrids, is now available in Britain from the Walnut Tree Company. This company supplies stock which has been selected for late-flushing from overseas breeding programmes.
