Woodland Planting Advice

[Forever learning]

I love your enthusiasm,  and think it's great the thought going into this. 

 

One thing strikes me, you already have barn owls in the area, your plot is too small to make an influential woodland,  and planting as a woodland will almost certainly discourage the barn owls. 

 

Your wildflower meadow is far more valuable. 

 

How about keeping the wildflower grassland, plant a hedgerow around the edges, and some well spaced specimen trees, parkland style. 

 

A water source, as mentioned by others is so valuable. 

 

Make the most of the superb asset you already have. 

 

Cheshire has many pockets of small woodland, and also tree disease (Birch seems to be badly affected at the moment, the forestry commission are aware,  but no definitive answer as to which fungus as yet), wildflower meadows are few and far between. 

 

Just my thoughts. 

 

[Oly1]

43 minutes ago, Forever learning said:

I love your enthusiasm,  and think it's great the thought going into this. 

 

One thing strikes me, you already have barn owls in the area, your plot is too small to make an influential woodland,  and planting as a woodland will almost certainly discourage the barn owls. 

 

Your wildflower meadow is far more valuable. 

 

How about keeping the wildflower grassland, plant a hedgerow around the edges, and some well spaced specimen trees, parkland style. 

 

A water source, as mentioned by others is so valuable. 

 

Make the most of the superb asset you already have. 

 

Cheshire has many pockets of small woodland, and also tree disease (Birch seems to be badly affected at the moment, the forestry commission are aware,  but no definitive answer as to which fungus as yet), wildflower meadows are few and far between. 

 

Just my thoughts. 

 

To be honest, in the last 24hrs I'm starting to think the same way! I am aware that the wildflower meadow is really valuable, BUT in the next 5 to 10 years I may struggle to find anyone to cut and take the hay. It's simply too small for most contractors.

 

So, I'm thinking now about planting a few big specimen trees that won't interfere with the hay cutting too much, but will over time grow and start suppressing the grass (we get 120 small bales from 1.5 acres that has had zero input and grazing for nearly a decade!). That way when the hobbyist hay guys do give up its not too hard for me to manage and/or increase the tree planting/regen at that point. 

 

Hopefully a few, well spaced, big trees, with raised canopies will not worry the owls too much too. 

[Mr. Ed]

You're talking your way into a bit of livestock I think, so as to use your own hay . . . There's scything lessons to be had . . .

 

[Oly1]

I've found the below from the web. Can anyone tell me average growth rates of each species please? 

 

Ultimate height and spread

Beech 40m x 20 m 

Oak 10m x 20m

Field Maple 12m x 8m

Alder 17m x 6m

Small Leaved Lime 9m x 6m

Hornbeam 9m x 6m

Rowan 10m x 3m

Hazel 4m x 3m

[dumper]

1 hour ago, Oly1 said:

I've found the below from the web. Can anyone tell me average growth rates of each species please? 

 

Ultimate height and spread

Beech 40m x 20 m 

Oak 10m x 20m

Field Maple 12m x 8m

Alder 17m x 6m

Small Leaved Lime 9m x 6m

Hornbeam 9m x 6m

Rowan 10m x 3m

Hazel 4m x 3m

Shouldn’t worry about growth etc so many factors can change and putting bluntly none of us will be around to see them at full maturity plant what you like within reason and enjoy it while you can the bigger you plant the more watering it will need and the small whips will catch up and over take in size very quickly in your environment plus they are easier on your pocket 

[Oly1]

Any glaring issues with the below?  Total ~120 trees set at 4m spacing

 

Species	Number
Beech	2
Aspen (Poplar)	3
SweetChestnut	2
Hazel	10
Birch Downy	15
Rowan	20
Field Maple	25
Apple	3
Plum	3
Lime (small leaf)	5
Cherry (Bird)	15
Hornbeam	5
Oak	10

 

 

[dumper]

I would plant at 2m spacing no understory planting chuck in a few Holly Scots pine, hawthorn wayfaring tree, dog rose,gulder rose and maybe some privet (good for moths) 600mm to 750 tall, 

Maybe even go to 1.5 if you space to far apart the time to when the trees shade out the grass will be years 10 plus 

As a guide use your mower width to space rows

Far right plantation I would turn 90 degrees this will give areas of wind protection to the meadows which ever way the wind blows thinking about insects 

Don't forget the log piles even leave some haybales make good nests for grass snakes 

Don't mow all the grass see what the idiot did helps with reptiles and small mammals and inverts

Edited January 8, 2022 by dumper

[Oly1]

We're now thinking more along the lines of agro-forestry, making the most of the wildflower hay meadow we already have, so wider parkland/orchard  style spaced trees. 

 

Plenty of logpiles etc too

Edited January 8, 2022 by Oly1

[dumper]

Think about turning circles of balers etc would plant closer trying to weave between trees with a disc mower is a recipe for disaster(for the trees) I know I've tried it I would still plant closer together and have bigger meadows you can always top up the planting later to cover more ground still think you need shrubs /hedging 

[Oly1]

It'd be too tight for tractors so it'd still be cut with my mower, scythe or strimmer