Mick Beeson receives Long Service Award for 50 years at Milton Estate
After starting his career hand weeding young plantations, Mick has become an invaluable member of the forestry team, shaping the woodlands of Milton Estate for half a century.
Mick Beeson, a long-serving member of the Milton Estate forestry team, has been presented with the RFS Long Service Award in recognition of his 50-year career.
Mick, now 67 and residing in Peterborough, started his first job at Milton Estate fresh out of school. With a love for the countryside, he approached the Estate for a job in the Forestry Department.
Starting as a hand weeder in young plantations, Mick’s strength and height quickly led to him being tasked with loading timber trailers by hand, as there were no cranes on the Estate at the time. He later moved on to interrow weeding with a tractor and swipe, a job that remains one of his main duties today.
Throughout his five decades at Milton Estate, Mick has been involved in all aspects of estate forestry. In the early 1980s, he played a crucial role in felling large amounts of mature Elm woodlands following the Dutch Elm Disease outbreak, subsequently replanting with ash and oak – trees he still tends to this day.
Mick has also been instrumental in maintaining the treescape within Milton Park, removing large cedars, opening up vistas, and replanting many individual trees in accordance with plans originally laid out by the renowned landscape designer Humphry Repton.
The Milton Estate boasts 530 hectares of woodland, with 70% hardwood and 30% softwood spread over a wide area. The bulk of the woodland comprises 120-year-old Ash and Oak, with some areas designated as Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland (ASNW) and Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS).
Reflecting on his long career, Mick said, “I have enjoyed all aspects of the job, except back in the days when I was thinning conifers in the summer heat. Being outdoors and in the countryside, seeing the different seasons and the changes in the woods – this life just suits me.”
The owner of Milton Estate praised Mick’s contributions: “Mick has been a valued member of the forestry team over the last 50 years; his experience and knowledge across the whole Estate is invaluable. He has great passion for nature, wildlife, archaeology and the countryside which has helped with the management of the estate land over the years and a great mentor to the younger foresters in the department. In addition, he is a very experienced entomologist and highly respected in this locality.”
