National Tree Week - in praise of gorse
It is National Tree week in the UK from from 25th November - 3rd December 2023 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 gorse with which I have complicated relationship. Across the week I will publish blogs about the three mature oaks at the wood, a hawthorn I know as Agnes and recognise the hard working yews. Check back in to see the other blogs which celebrate trees during Tree Week. The extent of gorse at Bel's Wood has stifled regeneration and biodiversity. Areas where it was thick & tall had become a monoculture. I took the decision to lift about 60% of the gorse growing to create space to plant a wider variety of trees. Nearly 2ha was cleared - the pink areas below show where it was removed from:- Those open spaces are where the new trees will go which should give a good mix of new and old across the site. I have maintained quite a large amount of gorse as it does add to t...