Mature Willow.

[wrsni]

There's a small area on the borders of our land which I've an interest in trying to buy. Maybe not even half an acre, certainly no more, totally land locked for present owner as it borders a main railway line and the crossing that served it was blocked off some time ago. We could access it under the railway by traveling about 30ft up a stream which borders both it and our own woodland.

 

It was planted with willow over thirty years ago and has never been touched in any way shape or form so height wise they are huge but from what I can see also quite well spaced.

 

How would you approach such an area? Coppice the willow and leave it at that, coppice them and maybe intersperse with something else, or remove the willow altogether and put something more worthwhile in, it's lowland with deep loam so capable of growing just about anything you fancy.

[agg221]

This is a question heavily influenced by what you want to do with it.

 

If it's firewood for a boiler then short rotation willow coppice. If it's logs then alder. If it's to potter about in then do you dislike the willow? If no, leave it; if yes replace it with something you like. There is a disused piece of land adjoining us and if I ever get it it will become a hazel copse under oak standards, bordered by a few coppiced sweet chestnut. The hazel and sc will be selected nut varieties for added interest.

 

Alec

[wrsni]

This is a question heavily influenced by what you want to do with it.

 

Yeah, sorry about that, sort of asked the wrong question looking back on it.

 

I suppose the hub of it is whether to or not 35 yr old willow stumps are worth keeping once cut back. On one hand they're willow, not the most exciting thing to have. On the other hand my "new" woodland, which it essentially adjoins, is two year old, I'm in my mid-fifties, the chances of me seeing anything 35 yr old in it are at best, very very slim, so this would probably be my only shot at having a bit of "mature" woodland.

 

Then again, is willow even a worthy mention as a woodland component, you still have to look long term even though you won't be there to see it so should the aim be to bring more hardwood up through the willow to ultimately replace it and take over.

[Peasgood]

If you cut a 35 yr old willow off at the ground it will very often die.

It might well throw shoots the first year but the massive wound is a very effective entry point for fungi.

If I were to cut them down and wanted them to come back again i would just push a load of cuttings in from the brash. As big as you like too.

[agg221]

Given your clarification, one way of viewing it could be whether you enjoy wandering around it now?

 

There's someone else on here with an area of poplar woodland (in Norfolk I think) and again, not the most inspiring species in some ways but if it's a pleasant place to be I don't think that matters. We have an area of willow at the bottom of our place and it makes a gently shaded site. It's only about 100'x300' but I let the nettles grow, cut paths through and enjoy the butterflies and grass snakes. The trees are quite widely spaced, so I have underplanted with hazel which is doing OK. I wanted to gradually transition it to sweet chestnut and hazel, but the sc is not doing well in the shade.

 

If you did want to change it, you could do it gradually, either by pushing back the boundary from your existing land a bit each year, felling a few trees and replanting, or by felling a few across the area to create gaps and planting these to get an effect like natural regeneration. This might give you the best of both worlds.

 

When she was in her late 80s my Great Aunt decided she would like a more varied selection of fruit trees in her garden and planted some apples and pears. She died last year at the age of 104 and had got fair enjoyment from her decision. If she hadn't lived that long, she wouldn't have regretted planting them (being dead an'all!) but if she had decided she probably wouldn't live long enough to enjoy them and not done it, she would definitely have regretted the decision. That's how I tend to to look at tree planting these days too. I'm in my 40s but if I make it to retirement I will be the first person in five generations on my Dad's side to do so. Even so, I'd rather look back in my 70s or 80s on things I had done than look back on things I hadn't. Anyway, if you get the same chance as my Great Aunt you will be looking at trees around 50yrs old!

 

Alec

[wrsni]

if it's a pleasant place to be I don't think that matters.

 

Excellent point sir regarding the presence of the willow. Will also take on board the other point that after being cut back at that age they may die anyway so not to take their regrowth for granted!

 

I'll go and have a good dander through it some day again in the next few weeks with a more critical eye and then have a long hard think. The present owner is a nutter, if approached on a good day he'd give you it, a bad day and you'd be roaded out of the yard at the end of a 12 bore, anything in between all equally possible. So trying to get it in the first place will be a task not lightly undertaken!

 

Nice story of your great aunt, definitely takes a very different, even slightly weird by present day standards, mindset to plan tree planting but I think it's a healthy one. You're forced to think outside of your own little personal sphere and that's a good thing.