National Tree week - introducing 3 mature oaks
It is National Tree week in the UK from from 25th November - 3rd December so I have decided to blog about some of my favourite trees telling some of the stories attached to them. This one is about the three mature oaks. I will blog about the three yew trees at the wood, a rowan tree that is special to me, praise the gorse on site and in my previous blog I told the story of Agnes the hawthorn tree. Check back in to see the other blogs which celebrate trees during Tree Week.
There are three wonderful mature oak trees at Bel's Wood. They are sessile oaks which are native to Cumbria.
Meet 'Cecelia the sessile oak' which I am measuring in this photograph. She sits at the top of the land and was the first tree I named as she can be seen from afar and acted as an easier reference point in my mind than saying 'the big oak at the top to the north'
This is Cecil-B, the same age as Cecelia sitting on the rocky outcrop to the south of the site. He provides a sheltered space for picnics in winter when the southwest wind blows. Both Ceclia and Cecil-B have a girth of 290cm.
Gandalf the oldest sessile oak and I originally thought it was a tree that was no longer living. Happily he is in the prime of life with a girth of 320cm.
Using the chart below from the Woodland Trust this would not put them into the veteran category let alone that of being ancient trees. But they must be some of the oldest on this piece of land.
They would be estimated, according to the Woodland Trust Ready Reckoner, to be between 100 and 150 years old. The reckoner was developed in the south-east of England and conditions in Cumbria will be more challenging with shorter growing season so they may be older than this.
https://duckduckgo.com/?va=d&t=hh&q=how+to+age+an+oak+tree&ia=web
Gandalf is the oldest tree but it is tricky to measure his girth as the trunk is embedded in rocks and the lowest branch comes out of the trunk without any trunk to measure.
Gandalf is a 'stag-horn' oak given this name as the outer branches no longer sprout leaves making it look like the horns of a stag.
Cecll-B tucked into rocky outcrop
Each has a holly tree growing within their crown space.
Cecelia's crown spans this photograph and the green in the middle is a healthy holly tree intertwined with roots sharing the same biome.
Cecil-B with holly - picture above and video below showing his height and span
Cecil-B has made a perfect protected and sloping space for a swing. My brother in law kindly made it for me and provided instructions on how to hoist it onto the tree.
Where it has given much pleasure...
Cecelia,Cecil-B and Gandalf in full summer leaf
Cecelia in the snow in winter. An offspring next door succumbed to Storm Arwen November 2021 despite being a lot younger. Reading the rings it is about 50 years old but had very shallow roots to protect it from a northerly wind while the prevailing wind is from the south west.
Gandalf in a winter's afternoon.
These three older trees enhance the character of the wood which will soon have 4,200 saplings planted. I am not planting any oaks as they have shown that they are seeding themselves well. I have been protecting new saplings I come across and will move them to suitable locations when they are established and the new trees have been planted.
I have been donated seven 3 year old sessile oaks from neighbours in the valley and these are thriving nicely. I collected acorns from Cecelia last year and 2 have germinated at home so they can be returned in time.
It is inspiring to me to think that one or two of these saplings could be gracing Bel's Wood in 2123 and beyond.
Look out for other tree blogs during National Tree Week.
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