Inspirations

Last Summer, when acquiring a wood was a dream, I took time to visit a range of woods that I could find on maps which are located in a sea of grazed land. I found it inspiring to experience the difference that a woodland made on a hot summer's day and to see the difference in biodiversity with different types of woodland. Since then I have read a lot and listened to experts. I need to develop a detailed planting plan so am trying to bring together my learning. 

Seeing other people’s planting plans coming into being is inspiring :-


I have been lucky enough to join the South Lakes Woodlanders who are a group of like- minded people who are improving their own land or that owned by others - widening biodiversity and nurturing land in the south lakes for future generations. Visiting other members' land has helped me to visual what is possible and learn about different approaches.


Planting successes


Trees planted in 2019 and photographed in 2021

Dog wood                               Spindle

Scots Pine

A variety of trees planted in 2020, photographed in 2021





Damson planted in 2020


Great looking cage protecting a pear tree from deer where there is no deer fence around the field - allowing in light and air


Bracken suppression can work....


The shot on the left has taken after 6 years of bracken bashing - with one bash a year. The bracken is now sparse and low growing. A picture of my land with me standing on a back path  at Bel's Wood and gives a contrast! Maybe getting two bashes a year will accelerate this change.


  


Below the woodland by the South Tynedale Railway north of Alston shows the successful long term approach to bracken suppression by creating a canopy and what I aspire to in 20+ years times!





Biodiversity

A typical view of Bel's Wood with bracken, gorse and an occasional valiant fox glove breaking through:-



Examples of rewilding changing the landscape and supporting invertebrates, birds and a variety of small mammals.


The South Tynedale Railway north of Alston has embankments next to the railway which have been allowed to flourish



Hemp                                                    Meadowsweet and rosebay 
                                       willow herb

Closer to home the verge outside Bel's Wood has red clover, meadowsweet and dog roses which I haven't yet seen on site but hopefully I will now that move inside with no grazing I hope they will hop over the fence and be present next year.






A beautiful local beechwood - giving protection from the rain. Beech has a solid canopy leaving no light for the development of an understory.




















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bel's Wood becomes a wood

Image
Today, Friday 26th January 2024 is a good day.  The planters finished the task of planting 4,200 trees. The last couple of weeks has presented considerable challenges with snow, rain, wind and storms. They were unable to get to the wood this week until today when they still had to overcome some challenging road conditions in Ambleside. Thankfully the days are slightly longer and so they were able to get the final 700 trees into the ground and to protect them with tree guards.                          These are the recycled guards and take a bit longer to wrap around each tree and stake as they have less spring than the new ones. I helped out with a dozen to help get them over the finish line! The entrance is part of zone 1 & has been the final zone to be planted:-   No time to stand an admire the handy work though! Each of the trees needs a mulch mat and these were delivered earlier this week.        They are being stored outdoors and so will get wet which may mean they start to br
Read more

Christmas and 4,250 trees are ready to be planted

Image
All of the trees have arrived and are safely stored at the wood ready for planting on 28th/ 29th December 2023. The weather has presented challenges this year and I have gained a small insight into the world of nurseries and the risks they juggle throughout the year. The list of trees that I wanted to plant was shared with nurseries over a year ago. There was some to-ing and fro-ing at that point as some of the trees I wanted were not available (black poplar for example). Having secured a grant from the Forestry Commission I need to match the plan they approved as closely as possible and so where a species of tree wasn't available I substituted a tree from the list they have agreed that was a similar size. Having flexed the plan I then found at the point of the order being prepared that some trees were not been available this season or were scarce ie not available in the volume I wanted and/ or expensive and often not available from the nursery I planned to use. These were the tree
Read more

Winter arrives and all systems are go

Image
The plan had been to plant the 4,200 trees in November 2023 but the warm wet weather meant that the trees did no go dormant as anticipated and nurseries did not lift them from the ground. The climate appears to be changing and compressing the season for planting. I received a message on 1st December, the first day of winter, that the trees are now being lifted but ironically the ground was now too hard for planting to go ahead! I took this photograph on 3rd December in Kendal when the roads were impassable and I was happy to stay at home. Thankfully the sun appeared and the roads were gritted (mostly) and with care I made it to the wood with friends to work on those final wood piles that needed clearing.  It was wonderful seeing the wood with fresh, deep, powder snow and noticing the changes in such a short time. Not a leaf remained on the branches. The hawthorn berries had all dropped from the branches Some of the paths were blocked as the weight of the snow had made the gorse collaps
Read more