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02-01-2009

onetree

Written by onetree
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OneTree Stick logo

Amongst the many initiatives supported by Woodland Heritage is ‘onetree’. This inspirational project was conceived and managed by Garry Olson and Peter Toaig, two dedicated furniture makers, who shared a passion for timber as a beautiful and sustainable material.

In November 1998 they felled a mature oak in the National Trust estate of Tatton Park, Cheshire. The tree was milled and seasoned before all parts were distributed to over 70 artists and craftspeople throughout Britain to create artefacts. These then formed the basis of a major exhibition, which toured five venues around the country, to show how much could be achieved from just one tree.

The aims were: -

To raise public awareness of the value of trees as a resource.
To promote the arts and crafts in Britain.
To show off timber as a beautiful and versatile material.
To raise funds for tree planting projects

These aims were met with resounding success. Over 100,000 visitors attended the exhibitions; widespread publicity was generated with features on television, radio, magazines and newspapers. More than 5,000 books accompanying the project have been sold.

“onetree”
by Garry Olson & Peter Toaig.
Merrell Publishers Ltd.
ISBN 1 85894 133 4

A budget surplus of £24,500 was donated to the Mersey Forest, an organisation responsible for increasing woodland cover in an area of NW England. They combined forces with the Woodland Trust and used onetree money as a start-up fund to buy 22 acres of land near the village of Dutton in Cheshire. Here they established a new wood either side of an ancient strip of woodland, which needed protecting.

Unexpected legacies of onetree have led to many follow-up projects around the world. This has reached double figures with the idea taking an on-going life of its own.