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 is a blog about a rowan tree that I thought may succumb to predation before the deer fence was errected. This week I will publish blogs about the three mature oaks at the wood, a hawthorn I know as Agnes, in praise of gorse and recognise the hard working yews. Check back in to see the other blogs which celebrate trees during Tree Week.
This young, spindly Rowan has self seeded and been growing at the top of the site for a number of years. This is unusual as there is little sign of natural regeneration on the site which has been used for grazing sheep and cattle and has other mammals that suppress tree growth.
When I first examined this tree I saw the damage done to it by deer over its short life. The bark has marks on its trunk which has been nibbled over the years and the damage has grown upwards exposing new healthy bark which has then been nibbled. Lower leaves have been eaten meaning that the tree will have lacked nutrition. Since the deer had not eaten all around the bark it has survived.
Both Red and Roe deer are prolific in the Gilpin Valley and live on on vegetation including leaves on trees, bark and new saplings as they pass through. The red deer is the largest land mammal in the UK and has no natural predators. For trees to grow either through natural regeneration or planting, deer need to be controlled.
The deer fence. 1.8m high, was installed in September 2022
This rowan has thrived in 2023 with its protection in place and this summer had a full growth of leaves.
I now expect it to reach the height of some of the other beauties on site.
There has been some regeneration of rowans over time on the site and it is one of the most prolific trees. I haven't spotted many saplings though as I assume they have been grazed by mammals. I collected rowan seeds last year and have successfully propagated about 10 saplings.
Separating the seed is a messy job but the smell is divine.
The seeds are stratified over winter in a mixture of sand and compost. When the first signs of growth appear I printed these out into pots.
Then each seedling was potted up. I germinated about 30 seedlings but lost quite a few in June '23 when there was no rain for over 6 weeks and it was hot and dry. I watered them twice a day and protected them from the fierce sun but still many did not make it. I have about 10 healthy saplings and will use these to fill in for losses from the 225 newly planted rowan seedlings which will be going in shortly.
I hope in time these will naturally regenerate so there will be a mix of planted seedings from nurseries and these propagated from rowans on site. The deer protection will remain for at least 10 years which should give the new trees plenty of time to be established sufficiently to cope with deer returning although the high numbers living in the valley remains a concern.
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