Planting update January 18th 2024

 

I have been itching to write this blog to say that planting is complete. One month on from the revised, delayed, planting day (18th December 2023) and, as my wise planting contractor, says ‘mother nature shows us who is boss as always….’ Over 80% of the trees are in the ground and look great. The frost came again and the roots of the trees froze.To plant the trees these need to be separated which was likely to cause damage. Also the ground has been so wet that when the thaw comes, where the ice was formed can leave air pockets which will lead to the roots being damaged by cold air if planted into immediately. The contractors took the trees off site to their workshop which has no heating but has given some protection. They have said that the trees are of very good quality and look to be in good condition still so are not worried.

 

Last night the temperature really dropped after some more snow. This is my milk bottle from my doorstep in Kendal which will have been warmer than at the wood. Reports from friends from near my wood report -8ºc at 8am this morning.

            

Despite glorious sunshine the ground will remain frozen for the next couple of days. 

Rain and warmer weather is due at the weekend so I am hoping that planting will be completed next week. 

I have mentioned in earlier blogs my dilemma about how to manage the deer who roamed across the land when I first took over the plot. Deer are the largest land mammals in the UK with no natural predators. 

They eat bark and enjoy nibbling new growth on trees and saplings. There has been very little natural regeneration on the land with the level of grazing. Even after the sheep and cattle were excluded only hawhtorn, blackthorn and the occasional oak sapling have been found. This has increased considerably since the land was protected in September 2002 after the deer fence went in. These saplings were protected in spring 2023.

                                

I erected a deer fence partially funded by the woodland creation grant https://belswood20.blogspot.com/2022/09/deer-fence-goes-up.html

I knew that some of the deer would have been trapped inside the fence and have left the gates open during the day time hoping that they may leave. I closed the gates at night thinking I was more likely to gain more. When this did not work I invited a gamekeeper onto the site to either drive them out or shoot them. This basically didn’t work at they found that the deer managed to run away through the fence. Through using the cameras I picked up that different deer were coming and going and so I knew that there were gaps in the fence. Deer, especially the smaller roe deer, are really flexible and can get through the smallest of gaps. I put the deer fence in front of the badger doors that were in the stock fence on advice that these would be easy for roe deer to use (badgers manage to squeeze under the fence and haven’t done damage in those areas from inspection.) The door can be seen bottom right and was included as an exit route for badgers caught in the area that the young pheasants (poulters) were raised for shooting.

The numbers of deer in the land at this point were much lower than before the deer fence was erected but they would still present a problem when the planting took place. I am introducing a wider variety of tree and despite using tree guards some saplings will be taller than these tree guards which are designed to prevent smaller mammals nibbling the tree bark at ground level. Also I am planting Scott’s Pines which are planted without guards and being ever green would supplement the diet of the deer nicely once planted.  

  

The contractors that erected the fence returned and strengthened the fence in areas of weakness including adding wooden batons below the gates. There didn’t appear to be a single area where the deer were coming in and out but areas they were loosening the fence at the ground level. They can squeeze through very small spaces. I will need to keep a close eye on the fence to ensure that I do not get new visitors.

I continued to monitor the deer inside until I was confident there was no more movement in and out. I calculated that there were about 5 deer trapped inside. Two were fully grown female red deer who I often saw together. The other 3 were smaller roe deer - a fine male, a female and a younger one. 

Male roe deer

Two mature female red deer

By now the shooting season had closed so I needed to wait until November when it opens again. Tree planting was due to start in November but was delayed until December due to the mild wet weather. Eventually a stalker came after the planting had started. They were not successful on the first visit but having understood the difficult terrain they managed to shoot 3 on the second visit including the 2 large female red deer which were my biggest concern. The stalkers will return with the aim of shooting the remaining 2 roe deer. With just 2 remaining the trees can be considered safe. There will always be a degree of tree failure but with those large red deer I had already spotted some Scotts pines that had been grazed. Earlier this year one of the new damson trees was nibbled where it emerged above the tree guard. 

        

I am sure some people will find this concept upsetting. Having followed a vegan diet myself for 10 years I can understand that. But I also know that excluding the deer and pushing any remaining ones onto neighbouring land is not the answer. They have a negative environmental impact as set out clearly by the Woodland Trust in their statement in 2020 https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/media/47750/deer-position-statement.pdf

Impacts of deer on woodland ecosystems

Evidence tells us that high deer numbers are leading to significant negative impacts on the structure and biodiversity of many of our most valued woodlands. Pressure from deer browsing causes declines in characteristic herbaceous plants, birds, invertebrates and mammals like the dormouse because it removes the structural complexity of woodland by limiting the growth of many shrub and tree species, and preventing their regeneration (including coppice regrowth). One extensive study found the reduction in low shrub cover due to deer reduced numbers of willow warbler, garden warbler, song thrush, nightingale, dunnock and bullfinch.

Woodlands are becoming less diverse in their tree and shrub species composition over time, with deer browsing even influencing the composition of the canopy layer. In addition, tougher species like grasses and sedges are being favoured over more delicate woodland flowers.

Of course, some important habitats like wood-pasture rely on an element of browsing pressure to retain
their characteristic features such as open-grown ‘parkland’ trees, many of which can reach a great age, and for the wealth of biodiversity such as lichens and deadwood invertebrates that they support in their complex structures.

In the last week tree planting has continued apace and 3,500 trees have gone in out of the 4,200 due to be planted. It looks like the thaw will come this weekend and the final trees will be planted in one or two days. Work becomes slower later on in the planting as the big, easy areas to plant will have been filled up. Generally the planting plan has held up with just Zone 5 taking fewer of the larger trees (sweet chestnut, field maple, hornbeam) than planned. There are areas in Zone 3 and Zone 1 which will take these larger trees but this of course means that the planters are moving around the site rather than just working systematically across a zone. 

     

The good news is that the trees continue to be in good condition. If the weather had been warm and wet and the trees had not been planted this would have presented more of a problem but the trees are dormant and being protected. I am grateful to the planters who have coped with the frustrations well and put the good of the new wood first despite them being presented with a frustrating job to do. They have also planted really well against my quite complicated plan. Many woodlands are planted in straight lines have the same tree type. They have taken pleasure in planting the wide range of trees. They have noted that the wych elm are more mature than trees they usually plant and is an unusual tree for them to plant. They have blended the zones in a way that I struggled to describe and kept the views and paths that I wanted.

The next phase of the project will be laying the mulch mats. The first of two batches is arriving next week. To lay 4,200 before the bracken and grass returns means I need to lay about 250 a week. Frozen ground will create delays and working in very wet weather will be no fun but I know like any project getting started early is the trick - oh and ask for help!