What should I plant.

[Woodworks]

We need to replant some of our Devon banks. We had planned to put mainly ash trees in. We are fairly exposed 700 feet up on the west of Dartmoor so very wet and the soil is acid. We do want a bit of a mix but leaning towards species for firewood for the future. Most of our existing hedges/banks have ash, beech, sycamore and some hazel and thorns but I do not mind trying something new as the winters appear to have warmed here over the last 30+ years and something else might now flourish.

 

Thanks in advance

[Lee Winger]

Stick with what's growing on your existing banks/hedges

[hedgesparrow]

you say banks is this on the edge of fields. and would it be for coppcing for fuel , or do you want it to act as a hedge aswell.is it very wet all the time.

latter a mix hawthorn,blacthorn.hazel, others but not sure how they would get on maple, purging buckthorn.

i have looked at a hedge which was planted to divide a large field into two.

this is very wet and the thorns were struggling to grow to there normal size for age. they were all planted 12 years ago normal thorns would be 10ft plus some of them had only reached 4ft max. on speaking to someone who grows hedging. his views were that they are being starved of oxygen in the root system. and the field needed to be dried out. trust this of a little help.

[Woodworks]

Here a couple of pictures of our hedges to help. We did plant several hundred whips 2 years ago but the dry springs have meant most have died. The problem for any new tree on the hedges is they are short of water until their root system gets down to field level and then they have a virtually unlimited amounts of water in a year like this one.

[Gnarlyoak]

Could try adding some Alder to your existing mix. Fast growing, does'nt mind the wet. Makes very good charcoal, which use to be used for making gunpowder, so a reliable burner.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Bit of hornbeam in there too, I,ve got some on my bit which is clay and wet.

 

There also birch, alder, blackthorn and hazel, Bird cherry seems to do ok too

[hedgesparrow]

looking at bank you could lay a fair bit to make a hedge the taller stuff you could cut down and this may regrow to make more fuel at a later date. but no problem to lay it if you wanted to seen worse

[Woodworks]

looking at bank you could lay a fair bit to make a hedge the taller stuff you could cut down and this may regrow to make more fuel at a later date. but no problem to lay it if you wanted to seen worse

 

Ha ha funny you should say this as that,s what I have been doing this afternoon here is a pic of the first bit I did a little while back on the first hedge picture I posted. Please don't laugh as I am no expert at this but I am having ago and would happily receive some constructive criticism.

[hedgesparrow]

looking at first picture what you had to lay. the hedge you leave a lot of the branches on. you then need to depends on width of trunk eg 6inches start cut 18inches up and go down so leaving a bit of the stem intact the last bit you need to use a axe as a chain saw cuts against grain so can snap off. you should be able to whilst using axe as leaver lower stem down. if its cracking not cut enough. then with devon hedging not done it you use hazel stakes like a hook so one end is longer than other like a tent peg you knock these in which secures hedge on bank. also with this type you leave all the brash on. stand corrected by someone who lays double devon style. but seen it done and it looks good makes a very thick hedge. not much would go through it. if anything

[Woodworks]

Thanks hedgesparrow I do use crooks but not obvious in the picture. When you say I leave a lot of branches do you mean that the pleachers overlap too much? Would I be better to only leave one stem per section? My reason for doing it they way you can see is I am trying to leave the hedge stock proof without additional fencing but strait wood is as rare as hens teeth on this hedge. Thanks for the advise I want to get better at this. Here is another picture to show some crooks at least that's what I think the local term for them is.