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Getting ready for the change of season

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After a wonderful summer with sunshine, warmth and plenty of rain the trees have become well established. As the season changes signalled by the chill in the air, the colour of the bracken and on the leaves of the trees, it is time to get the wood ready for winter. I am working my way around all of the trees before the leaves fall. I am removing any dead ones including the guards and stakes. I have not removed dead trees before as I thought it was helpful to mark the areas where trees did not survive. The tree may have failed due to shallow or rocky soil or maybe it is too wet or windy/exposed is some areas. I have now decided to remove them and I will consider where best to add trees (self seed or purchased) in another year's time. I will let the trees around them fill in for now.  Some trees warrant closer inspection as sometimes a new shoot is coming up from the roots to where a shoot has been nibbled or broken. These are good examples below.  On the left a tiny Rowan visib...
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Trees 'Getting Away!'

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I first heard the term ‘when the trees get away’ a few years ago and didn’t really know what it meant. It was the answer to questions such as 'how long do tree guards stay in place?', 'how many years will I need to manage the bracken?' and 'how long to leave the deer fence in place’. Although I knew it meant in some way when the trees were established; all of a sudden I know what it means. I have been gathering footage of trees over the summer and here are a selection to show what is now a new woodland. Scots Pines planted in January 2024 growing up fast August 2025  Hard to get the scale  As conifers these are slow growing but have made great progress over the summer. Some are now really sturdy with branches. Others haven't quite got away and I laid new mulch mats on some of them and that seems to have helped. Their shape means they won't shade out bracken for a while yet. There are Downy Birch planted alongside them and will handle the bracken for the Scot...
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Wildlife Activity in the Beck

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The beck is always a good place to pick up wldlife activity on camera and w ith a long dry spell and so no longer flowing it has been even more fruitful. I have put a ‘leaky dam’ in place to hold up the water when the flow stops and this attracts wildlife. This has been followed by a great deal of rainfall and the wildlife have enjoyed washing in the dappled sun. Here is my top selection of stills and videos.  I love to see the Otter passing through which they do at this time of year. Once again this coincides with froglets appearing. I am frustrated that the otter is always running away from the camera! I shall persevere and will post a face to face one if I get it! Otters travel large distances and this one will go between Morecambe Bay, the River Gilpin and this beck alongside many others searching for food. Back in March I picked up tihs Grey Wagtail which is a first for the wood My most common footage is currently the Sparrowhawk  Drinking Washing Mating I nearly always s...
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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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