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Young Trees Growing Up Fast

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Over 4,000 saplings were planted in December 2023/ January 2024.  Apart from the Scot’s Pines they are deciduous trees so were dead looking sticks of different heights.  The focus in 2024 was to give the newly planted trees as good start.  By Mid January, after storms, floods and frozen ground, they had all been planted. The planters did a brilliant job under difficult circumstances.     The next job was to give each tree a mulch mat to surpress weeds, help with water retention, shading from heat and in time a source of nutrient for each tree. Friends helped and the job was done before the bracken appeared. With last year's persistent & heavy rainfall the saplings had a good start although by September those that had not made it above the height of their tree guards were beginning to rot! This year has been an excellent growing year too. There have been some warm spells with a dry period in May where the flow in the beck dried up briefly. The leaky dam that ...
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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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