Plan gets more detailed

Planting areas in detail:-

Having looked at the aerial shot I was able to bring together some thinking about my plan for the site (see blog 'Improvement Plans Taking Shape for aerial shot, considerations and schematic of planting plan). Since then I have had more visitors and developed my thinking further. Planting trees will need deer fences and gorse clearance. The impact on the site has sunk in a bit and I have wanted to keep the ‘feel’ of the site and the areas I enjoy spending time in throughout the development phase. The fences need to be in place for 10 years. I don’t feel happy excluding the deer entirely as they enhance the area despite the fact they would just wreck the newly planted saplings. I have come up with a plan to leave a corridor for them to pass through. I have chosen the most well trodden runs for them to pass through. I also don’t want to plant on some of my favourite areas (the Maydor and the areas around the swamp which give a good place to hang my hammock, cook out and to watch birds). 

The Terrace

                                     Camp 1                                                  Fire making area

There will be butterfly rides in the newly planted areas and I also want to keep some of the established rides out of the new planting areas. A friend came with me last week to take detailed grid references for the fences and these are roughly drawn on the schematic below.

For a Countryside Stewardship Grant (CSG) for a new woodland I need to plant a minimum of 3hectares. The whole site is just short of 8ha and with this plan there are 4.5ha available for planting. Excluding area for rides and recognising that there are some mature trees in these areas it would appear that there is at least 3ha available which is good news.

Areas to enjoy while the new woodland is being established

Established woodland not counted in the 3ha new woodland 

Well used deer path will remain outside the new planting area

Density of Planting:-

From having visited other woodlands and recently talking to other woodland owners  who visited Bel's Wood, I realise that this is a really important consideration. There are lower and upper limits set for the establishment of a new woodland under the Countryside Stewardship Grant - minimum of 1100 trees per hectare and the maximum 1600 per hectare meaning that this scheme will lead to the planting of between 3,300-4800 new trees. These will be a mix of broadleaf deciduous trees and conifers such as Scots Pines and maybe yew, larch. I am enjoying the variety of trees on the site and won’t need to add oaks, hawthorn or blackthorn. I am finding more rowans and cherry trees as the leaves / blossom come out. Willows are thriving in the wet areas and maybe more of them would be helpful. But that detail is some way off yet. The desire to absorb more carbon means more trees are better but biodiversity may lead to a lower density. Excluding the middle strip helps with that already.

Lovely light coming through the trees - this is a winter scene so I need to check this 

when the laves have grown.

Timing:-

The shooting rights continue until September 2022 so the aim will be to clear the gorse and prepare the ground, erect the fences after these have lapsed in late 2022.  Then plant trees in early 2023. This leaves plenty of time to develop the plan which is good as there is quite a lot of work needed still on logistics, bidding for grants, gaining quotes especially for the work that I need to finance directly.

Next steps:-

I have a visit planned next week from someone with expertise in butterflies so I will see how the plan looks after that. Balancing the competing demands will continue to present challenges I am sure but this feels like progress.