It's been a busy summer. This has been the key year for managing bracken to give the newly planted saplings the best chance of establishing themselves. The bracken started to emerge in May just as the trees were beginning to grow. This growing conditions for both the trees and the bracken has been excellent this year. I started to clear the bracken in mid May. Trees were planted across 4 hectares of this 8 hectare site in January. Some areas have been bashed for 3 years now and in those areas the bracken growth is somewhat stunted. There are some rocky areas which have had less attention and the bracken has been established for a long time and so has once again grown densely and has reached about 2m. I prioritised the taller areas but have also wanted to stop the bracken becoming too established in those areas that had gorse before hand.
First growth in late May and fully established growth in June
These photos were taken on the same day and illustrate this summer perfectly!
I have been helped by friends wielding bracken bashers
A team of scythers (part of the South Lakes Woodlanders) have helped too which made a huge difference:-
I did most of the first round myself with an electric hedge trimmer
On the hot days the flies became and nuisance and the horseflies were. biting through clothing so I needed to work prepared!
I have reminded myself often that this is the whole point of the project. By planting trees they will shade out the bracken and allow a wider diversity of plant and animal life to thrive. But until then I need to manage the bracken for the trees to get away.
The areas I knocked back early produced a strong second growth. I realised I could not face another 4-5 weeks to complete the second bash and was lucky enough to have a local contractor recommended to me. Callum (Callum Simpson Forestry) has put in over 35 hours with a petrol strimmer which has cut through it nicely.
I have done the Scots Pines myself as they do not have tree guards and therefore would be at risk with heavy machinery. I have done these by hand again with help from friends. These are short trees and difficult to find. The presence of mulch mats has been critical to finding these trees this summer. The tree looks so like bracken that it is the mulch mat catching the light that is often the key to finding the saplings. I am going to add stakes to each tree over the winter to make this an easier task next year.
On Saturday 21st September, just in time for the equinox, we finished! I celebrated by sleeping at the wood and enjoying being there. Once again the wood had turned into a workplace for me and now once again a place of peace and calm.
I am grateful to everyone who has helped with the project - laying mats & bashing bracken has taken a huge effort since February. I am hopeful that with some of the trees now above the height of the bracken this job will get easier over the years. I have Callum booked in for next year - bash 1 & 2 already!
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