Bel's Wood

  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 wa...

It is National Tree week in the UK from from 25th November - 3rd December 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 a rowan tree that I thought may succumb to predation before the deer fence was errected. This week I will publish blogs about the three mature oaks at the wood, a hawthorn I know as Agnes, in praise of gorse and recognise the hard working yews. Check back in to see the other blogs which celebrate trees during Tree Week. https://treecouncil.org.uk/seasonal-campaigns/national-tree-week/ This young, spindly Rowan has self seeded and been growing at the top of the site for a number of years. This is unusual as there is little sign of natural regeneration on the site which has been used for grazing sheep and cattle and has other mammals that suppress tree growth.     When I first examined this tree I saw the damage done to it by deer over its short life. The bark has marks on its ...

With the plan to plant a substantial number of trees it has been clear from the outset that a deer fence is essential. This smart new gate has been installed alongside the fence. Deer browse on trees & the newly planted saplings wouldn't last long if the deer continue to wander freely across the land. I captured this footage of a red deer browsing by the beck recently. More established trees can survive this but the smaller ones would not. This young rowan has been nibbled by deer in previous years and there is fresh evidence of damage this year. I took this footage in August and wondered if the fence would come soon enough. I checked the tree today and it still has some leaves and although it looks sickly, with protection from the deer fence it should continue to grow. Having a range of ages of trees on the site will really help avoid that feeling of just having rows of sticks in spirals for the first 5 years once the new woodland is planted. At this time of year the...