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The Singing Tree is all reassembled and back in the Museum after being partially deconstructed due to the need for woodworm treatment!

The branches were found to have wood worm during a condition audit, and the AIM Pilgrim Trust Conservation Scheme helped again with a generous grant for this piece to be treated.
It is imperative to treat wood when it is infected, to stop the spread of the woodworm throughout the rest of the Museum.

The Singing Tree was treated through a freezing process, where it was sent to a local freezing facility in Ludlow.
Only the smaller parts could fit in their freezers, where they were placed inside clear polythene before being frozen.
They are usually put through two cycles of freezing and thawing to ensure all and any larvae and eggs are eradicated. This process does not damage the wood.

The larger pieces that could not fit inside the freezers, were locally treated by carefully injecting a museum grade woodworm treatment into all the visible flight-holes that then run along under the surface of the wood, which the woodworm larvae are not able to digest.

The audit and in-situ woodworm treatment was carried out by Peter Meehan ACR Consultant Conservator, with help from Museum volunteers.

-Rosie x