Bel's Wood

After a wonderful summer with sunshine, warmth and plenty of rain the trees have become well established. As the season changes signalled by the chill in the air, the colour of the bracken and on the leaves of the trees, it is time to get the wood ready for winter. I am working my way around all of the trees before the leaves fall. I am removing any dead ones including the guards and stakes. I have not removed dead trees before as I thought it was helpful to mark the areas where trees did not survive. The tree may have failed due to shallow or rocky soil or maybe it is too wet or windy/exposed is some areas. I have now decided to remove them and I will consider where best to add trees (self seed or purchased) in another year's time. I will let the trees around them fill in for now.  Some trees warrant closer inspection as sometimes a new shoot is coming up from the roots to where a shoot has been nibbled or broken. These are good examples below.  On the left a tiny Rowan visib...

I first heard the term ‘when the trees get away’ a few years ago and didn’t really know what it meant. It was the answer to questions such as 'how long do tree guards stay in place?', 'how many years will I need to manage the bracken?' and 'how long to leave the deer fence in place’. Although I knew it meant in some way when the trees were established; all of a sudden I know what it means. I have been gathering footage of trees over the summer and here are a selection to show what is now a new woodland. Scots Pines planted in January 2024 growing up fast August 2025  Hard to get the scale  As conifers these are slow growing but have made great progress over the summer. Some are now really sturdy with branches. Others haven't quite got away and I laid new mulch mats on some of them and that seems to have helped. Their shape means they won't shade out bracken for a while yet. There are Downy Birch planted alongside them and will handle the bracken for the Scot...