Trees - Our Botanicultural Heritage

[David Humphries]

Have seen and worked on some far greater examples of Veteran Trees.

But these two Oaks have struck a chord with me.

 

Having worked here at Hampstead for nearly a Quarter of a Century, I have a fair understanding as to how Man has changed the Landscape and Flora at this 800 acre Urban Green Space, especially from early Victorian times up to and beyond the last War.

 

But it's not until you get a reality check on the visual of this change, that you really get a taste of the time scape around you.

 

Back in the 1830's, Suffolks most famous son, John Constable (sorry Mr B) lived and painted around the leafy environs of (what was then) this little Hamlet.

Although I'm yet to find any of his work that shows these particular Trees, he nonetheless spent a vast time creating some of his well known Tree & Landscape studies, close to this actual site.

 

Here are the Trees, firstly from the 1880's, and secondly from the 1860's.

Both immeadiately followed by shots I took from where I believe the originals were taken.

 

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Edited February 21, 2009 by Monkey-D

[David Humphries]

As is obvious from the shots, structural decay & competition for light is what now ails these trees.

 

With this mind, we've carried out a light Haloing on the adjacent younger trees canopies, toward the south and west.

 

Hopefully increasing light levels and space for the trees to naturally regenerate a more vigourous internal canopy, wiill then give us the opertunity in a year or three to carry out a retrenchment, to help aleviate the structural issues.

 

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[David Humphries]

Before and after Haloing.

 

 

 

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[cerneARB]

Excuse the lack off knowledge.....whats haloing monkeyd?

[David Humphries]

Very basically, we are talking about opening up light levels to the target Tree/s, by reducing back the light competing branches from the younger more dominant adjacent trees.

 

 

 

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[cerneARB]

Very basically, we are talking about opening up light levels to the target Tree/s, by reducing back the light competing branches from the younger more dominant adjacent trees.

 

 

 

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surley you must have to do that quite often every couple of years. Its basically a crown reduction then.

[David Humphries]

The removed branches are on the North side of their canopies, and developed whilst the trees were young and dynamically searching for light.

 

These reduced areas are now in heavy shade conditions, so regrowth will be small if not virtually non exsistent.

 

Whereas the Vets Canopies will hopefully become dynamic as they will now have better access to sunlight.

 

 

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[Mesterh]

Brilliant to see trees like this being helped along in there old age

 

Ay ideas on the age?

I guess 300-350 ish

[Stephen Blair]

The removed branches are on the North side of their canopies, and developed whilst the trees were young and dynamically searching for light.

 

These reduced areas are now in heavy shade conditions, so regrowth will be small if not virtually non exsistent.

 

Whereas the Vets Canopies will hopefully become dynamic as they will now have better access to sunlight.

 

 

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have never thought of it like that before dave,hope the knee is on the mend:001_smile:

[David Humphries]

Ay ideas on the age?

I guess 300-350 ish

 

Quite hard to judge.

They're by no means massive, but do have large trunk base.

Haven't got the dbh's.

 

I'd say that they are possibly 100-150 at least in the 1866 shot below.

So would guesstimate around the 300 mark

 

The immeadiate area is called Sandy Heath, hence the errosion showing the exposed root flares.

 

The common grazing stopped here roughly 100 years ago, this is why they are now smothered within an Oak & Birch woodland.

 

We errected a dead hedge around the mound 4/5 years ago as the gap between the trunks was used as a desire line, and was causing compaction and errosion issues.

 

Alas, some bright spark, decided the Dh would make a good bonfire

 

Luckily no canopy damage, but now no hedge.

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