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Hunting for Veteran Trees at Bel’s Wood

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I recently attended a visit to the Borrowdale Temperate Rainforest with Cumbria Woodlands. We walked through a wonderful landscape with many ancient trees including the Borrowdale Yews across the valley. These are the oldest identified trees in Cumbria at over 1000 years old. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/countryside-woodland/celebration-of-trees-in-the-lake-district We were introduced so some ancient Elm, Rowan and Ash trees. A rare mature Wych Elm Rowan growing on the side of the path holding onto the rock Birch - this has been coppiced over 100 years ago (giving the distinctive flat broad part with branches emerging from that height). This would have provided wood for items likes plates and cutlery. There are three or more trees growing out of a trunk from an older tree that has died. There is Holly, Birch and Rowan growing alongside each other here. There is a website that records Ancient  & Veteran Trees https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ We l...
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It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

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In that wonderful spell of sunny weather we had in April 2025, I decided to once again sleep out at Bel’s Wood in my hammock. I have got out of the habit of sleeping up there and also my tarp got ripped in a storm last year so I needed to do some prep.  After a few practices with my much larger tarp which I had bought as a rain shelter and replacing some tent pegs I chose a date. A couple of friends joined me for supper around the fire which was a lovely  way of starting my mini adventure! I kept warm in front of the fire as it went dark and the temperature began to drop.  The bird life quietened down for the night with just a few owl squarks and barks from the foxes in the background. The sky was clear of cloud but full of moisture with poor ‘seeing’ for star gazing. With a bright  moon only the large constellations and planets were visible. I walked around in the evening by moonlight, no torch required. Moon above the dying camp fire Orion looking large and stan...
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Trees Regenerating

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  It’s been 4 years since the land constituting Bel’s Wood was enclosed and grazing ceased. The deer fence was erected 3 years ago the wood became fully deer proof just over a year ago.  The land is visibly recovering with self seeded saplings appearing on the woodland floor and some of the mature trees are changing now they are not being continually grazed. New saplings are appearing - the most common are Blackthorn and Birch I’m not protecting the Blackthorn as it is so common and have their own thorns but I have moved some well established Birch into areas where some bought in saplings planted last year didn’t take and I am protecting those from smaller mammals such as hares and voles with spirals. I am particularly pleased to see these self seeded Ash saplings and I have left them where they are hoping that they estalish themselves and are Ash Dieback free. I found about a dozen of these tiddlers under a deep Hawthorn and Hazel canopy and realise these are Ash too. They ...
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