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Has anyone got a tree size diagram for the native trees I am looking at to give me an idea of sizes, root depths and widths?

 

I am sure I have seen one on Twitter but can't find it now.  It looks a like this, but for native trees 

 

roots.jpg

Edited by Oly1
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I'm intrigued by the project, I think I'd go for trees that you see locally and then let nature change its course.

Many old woodlands are on the poor soils, that being one of the reasons they were not turned over to agriculture. This means the mix of plants you initially get may be unusual, thinking maybe lots of nettles will spring up.

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Here re a couple of resources that might help

 

Grants schemes etc -

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-planting-and-woodland-creation-overview

 

There's a guide to download on this page

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-planning-new-woodland-in-england

 

 

In the current climate with the prevalance of pests and diseases that are causing serious impact on particular tree species

eg ash dieback, oak processionary moth ...etc...  I'd be inclined to plant a mix of half a dozen or so species that are well mixed in the woodland...a woodland should also contain some open spaces...habitat areas etc...

if you need to produce some income from it so it is in effect at least cost neutral in the longer term then I'd also consider whether it is practical to add a couple of yurts, glamping pods etc into the mix...

I would make a visit to other woodlands local to you and make a note of the tree and habitat species to help with decision making.

The other alternative is a small christmas tree farm... 

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, aswales said:

Here re a couple of resources that might help

 

Grants schemes etc -

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-planting-and-woodland-creation-overview

 

There's a guide to download on this page

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-planning-new-woodland-in-england

 

 

In the current climate with the prevalance of pests and diseases that are causing serious impact on particular tree species

eg ash dieback, oak processionary moth ...etc...  I'd be inclined to plant a mix of half a dozen or so species that are well mixed in the woodland...a woodland should also contain some open spaces...habitat areas etc...

if you need to produce some income from it so it is in effect at least cost neutral in the longer term then I'd also consider whether it is practical to add a couple of yurts, glamping pods etc into the mix...

I would make a visit to other woodlands local to you and make a note of the tree and habitat species to help with decision making.

The other alternative is a small christmas tree farm... 

 

 

 

Great info & advice thanks. 

 

We've already run half as a CL, good, but a tie. This'll just be for us. 

 

Definately not a Xmas tree farm! 😄 

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All good ideas put forward so far. Just to fling more ideas out there; 

 

Could plant north west side of the blue service as a woodland and the south east side as an orchard. This would be less imposing around the northerly building as well as allowing you to keep an element of the flower meadow and fruit trees that will benefit pollinators with their blossom and you with apples for cider. Could probably find someone to mob graze it at the end of the summer to remove the grass growth once everything has gone to seed? Would need to guard the fruit trees for first few years against stock.

 

As for the woodland, look at those around you for what grows well, probably wouldn't pick more than half a dozen varieties as it is a small site. Being a small site it may be too small to attract grant funding. Planting whips will be easier and the trees generally establish better, just spend some time on the prep and initial care to get them away. Birch will help give some instant effect and draw up other trees, treat it as a nurse crop and remove after 15 years or so to leave other trees go and start to create some openings and mixed layers. Makes a good firewood harvest too.

Consider if you want/need a firewood source and something that will coppice well and locate it where you won't batter the rest of your good work whilst you harvest it.

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The old rule of thumb was roughly the root will extend similar to the size of canopy, and most trees don't really go down that deep.

 

We had some real massive Sitka blow on a site ( talking 3ft+ butts and getting 7x 4.9 logs of them, 1 paticularly big ugly log the harvester couldn't even lift the bottom 4.9 log)

and they were growing in quite literally 1-2" of peat on top off solid granite bedrock.

Truelly amazing they grew anywhere near so big,

 

As someone else just said have a wander round some local woods u like the look off or decide wot wildlife u'd rather attempt to attract, which would help if there is other similar habitat nearby.

 

Similar to above ur biggest problem will be the size, 1.5 acres is wot roughly 1.5 football pitches? by the time u have some open spaces and rides u might only have space for 3 or 4 groupings of trees.

So ur probably better having more of a few species that go well together and compliment each other than a 'noah's ark' of 1 or 2 of every tree species.

And possibly more of the smaller tree types purely as u can get more in, say a mature oak, beech etc could have a 10 or 20m canopy around that 1 tree

 

Again about ur size depending wot wildlife u want to attract, 1.5ac will not really be big enough to fully sustain much on its own, but if there was 3 or 4+ similar types of woodlands in ur general area all linked by hedges/wild life corridirs then ur small area would really be punching above its size as well as improving the other areas too.

So not a lot of point in trying to attract something not already in the area.

 

The above suggestion about an orchard and ur wild flowers is a good suggestion

 

Ur biggest problem will be reining in ur ideas to fit the space.

 

Just a final thing to mention, just be careful about encouraging bats, i have nothing against bats, infact quite like them as they eat midges but the legislation around them is a bloody nightmare.

If u ever want to do work on/extend ur house and u end up with a bat issue it could cost u a fortune and i'd be kicking myself f i had encouraged more.

If u want to stick bat boxes up, i'd use homemade timber (untreated) rather than those concrete type that last for years/ever as if a bat uses the box tree is protected but once ur timber box rots away tree no longer protected, so up to u to replace or move the boxes over time.

 

The legislation is all wrong too much stick with no carrot, imade a load of bat boxes to go up in my wood but when i got the prices in for bat surveys etc i thought #### that last thing i want to do is encourage more if it costs money in future

 

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If you want to grow " processor friendly " or saw log stuff then your spacing's need to be precise but if you want a natural looking woodland with " royal oaks " then you need more space and light . I'm thinking you want  the latter ?

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