small woodland management

[jonnyashworth]

Hi all. I am totally new to this so please be gentle. Forgiveme if I have posted in the wrong place or am covering a thread that has been covered before.

 

My wife and I have just moved into a new house that is aone sixth owner of a very small patch of woodland. No one has bothered with the woods for years now, It is totally covered in brambles and has mainly been used by the local residents for an easy place to dump the leaves they collect up in their gardens and the occational fridge etc.

 

We would really like to clear the woodland a bit to make it a nice place to walk the dog and for kids to play.

 

It is protected by an area order so any trees over 25 years old are protected and we aremeeting with the local tree officer today to mark the older trees. It is mainly oak and silver birch in the wood.

 

What I am after is basic advice as I am totallk new to all this... How best to clearthe brambles?? how much to clear?? density of trees?? logging advice?? is it okay to spread leaves collected in the garden on the floor of the wood?? litterally anything at all will be a help. Also any suitable websites to have a look at that might help us.

 

Many thanks.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

This website may be of interest.

 

Small Woods | Bringing woodlands to life

 

Good luck, and enjoy your woodland.

 

Paul

[Hiluxr]

For clearing the brambles on a small scale,would recommend a petrol brush cutter. Basically a strimmer with a metal cutting blade.

 

You wouldn't want to clear all of it though as brambles are good for wildlife.

[treedom]

Get a couple of pigs. Hide their food in it each day. Let them clear it for you

 

Sent from my "smartphone" so my spelling will be awful

[HCR]

Why do you want to clear brambles? They are a totally natural part of woodland ecology, though of course you might have perfectly good logistical reasons for wanting to be rid of them.

 

It sounds like the type of woodland that wants to exist there is the National Vegetation Classification W10 Oak-Bracken-Bramble woodland, so you might want to manage it with the appropriate species in mind ( Woodland Habitats - Mark Frater, Helen J. Read - Google Books )

 

Planting trees should be the less preferred option - natural generation is far better but it does sometimes need a helping hand. Small clearings in the bramble can help, but most trees can fight through them.

 

Think about the ground flora as well - look up what should be there and if it isn't there already check out somewhere like Shipton Bulbs or look on Supplier Directory | Flora locale for details of suppliers of guaranteed native origin plants.

[woodyguy]

Interesting question. The birch and oak means that it was probably clear felled some years back and has self-regenerated ie nothing planted. Because it is an isolated fragment it will be very slow for extra species to establish. If your kids wish to play in it then brambles are a good thing to get rid of. At this time of year, get a bill hook, a thick pair of gardening gloves and remove them. If you pull on them, the roots are fairly lose at this time, and you can cut through them with a bill hook. The new shoots are a pretty pink and you will remove the whole plants. Yes don't remove them all, but most for the kids to play. Get an old bill hook off ebay not the modern rubbish that don't hold their edge.

 

You can also use this to cut back the few that get away or you leave. As to new species, you will need to plan what you wish to plant. Buy a few Tubex tree guards, 75cm long with stake off ebay. Go to cheviot trees for small quantities of alder, field maple, hornbeam, hazle, wild cherry, sweet chestnut, beech and small leaved lime. All of these will establish if you thin the birch a little.

 

Look at the oaks and remove those that are crowded or crossed or deformed. You are aiming to produce trees that will be good to live with for the next 50 years+. So decide your management plan, but it may well include increasing the range of species, making it more fun for the kids and planting a succession for when the birches will all die from old age.

Have fun and feed back.

Please feel free to ignore any of this, but I've got the same challenge for a 7 acre wood of birch and oak so I have given this some thought and even a little experience.

[SiW]

I currently have a client with a tpo'd woodland, she is in the process of devising a woodland management plan, once passed this if I understand correctly, and if am wrong there will be lots of people correcting me, this takes precedence over the tpo,

The local tree officer is actually happy for this to happens there are no trees of any real quality and as long as the woodland is maintained he feels his job is done. Get a small mulched for the brambles,

[Tagger]

If you've got a local Wildlife Trust, then they may well have someone who gives advice on management for nature conservation.

 

If you've got big blocks of bramble, a long-handled slasher is the easiest option if you're not using power tools. Alternatively a "Turk scythe" fitted with a short bramble blade (a normal scythe blade is liable to snap under the stress of hacking through brambles). But expect to get scratched and end up with loads of thorns in you by the end of the day.

 

Brambles are a good wildlife habitat for birds and small mammals, so it's nice to leave a few blocks of them. You can also eat the blackberries in the autumn!

 

Avoid destroying bramble blocks during the bird nesting season. Either do it now before spring has started, or later in the autumn.

[RobArb]

Interesting thread, I am reading with intrigue:thumbup:

 

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[silky fox]

Me too!

[Treemover]

If you don't fancy slinging a bill hook or strimmers; hire a mini digger. If you have s big enough area, it will be cost effective, especially if you pay per hr, and the chap lives just up the road.

 

A small tractor and bucket will also work.

 

With regards replanting, natural regeneration is by far the best option, but can be tricky to get going. Also you have to look at wildlife and control browsing.

 

I'd remove bramble yr one, and break the plot down into smaller coupes.

 

You then can plant in some of the weaker areas, and any with regen occurring, assist it along.

 

Get yourself a chainsaw cert and grow a beard!! Good luck and enjoy!