Bel's Wood

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 t...

This time last year we were experiencing drought conditions and the beck was at a standstill. I delayed planting for a year to try and get on top of the bracken. I’m not completely convinced that that worked but it means the trees went in the ground this January and there has been rain most days since then. Even on sunny days we have had a splash of rain overnight and everything has been growing well including the saplings. May 2024 and this dipper is loving the flowing water I am beginning to learn the 13 new species of trees planted. I am also learning the differences between species as to how quickly they grow and when they start.  The first away were the Spindle. These appeared above the tree guards rapidly and are easy to spot as they are planted in narrow bands along the butterfly rides and a few paths to give a bush sized plant before the big trees start.    Spindle April ‘24 Spindle June ’24 all above the tree guards and now in the sunshine  as the bracken ha...