Trees and the future, what should we plant?

[corylus]

I always try to get across to people that our woods and associated wildlife have come about/ developed BECAUSE they were a factory floor. We basically managed/decided how and where things grew. Our woods and their trees need to continue to pay their way as they have done for millennia.

 

Difference now is global trade and record population.

 

Is there still room for the " plant natives" argument?

Edited February 23, 2014 by corylus

[se7enthdevil]

dont think we need drought resistant trees considering the weather we've been having:lol:

 

 

 

i'm a firm believer in going native to be honest. we've buggered up this world enough by introducing foreign species just because they look nice and sometimes the consequences aren't realised for decades.

 

stick to things that helped make this country great before we imported from around the empire.

 

 

we should plant,

service tree, field maple, oak, beech, hornbeam, ash, rowan, elm, apple, poplar, elder, sycamore, aspen, willow, birch, alder, hazel, pear, whitebeam, cherry, hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, box, walnut, yew, scots pine, larch, juniper, strawberry tree and lime.

 

did i leave any out?

[corylus]

 

 

 

stick to things that helped make this country great before we imported from around the empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Such as a large part of our population?

[Gavint]

I think that in your case in the UK, being overly concerned with the 'are you local' approach to plant selection can be seriously limiting, especially when it comes to being somewhat self sufficient in food. Western Europe, and Britain in particular have very few native tree and shrub species relative to similar climate zones in Asia and North America. This is because of the series of glaciations the world has seen for the past couple of hundred thousand years. Every time the glaciers rolled down over Europe, a few more tree species couldn't make it over the Alps, and went extinct, where in Asia and North America, they simply moved south. Many exotic types of trees planted in Britain could be viewed as reintroductions from this standpoint, within reason.

[darrin]

Mangroves

[csservices]

I would stick to natives but planting a selection according to local soil conditions etc, agroforestry is an option for the future which has not been greatly explored in this country, this is a means of providing two crops from the same ground with benefits to the trees from the crop and to the crop from the trees, according to a book I have, Farm Woodland Management (Farming Press 1987) most farms can accomodate 5-10% of the land under trees without affecting yield and in some cases tree cover upto 25% has increased yield, presumably due to reduced leaching of nutrients and reduced soil erosion, wind damage etc.

[woodyguy]

service tree, field maple, oak, beech, hornbeam, ash, rowan, elm, apple, poplar, elder, sycamore, aspen, willow, birch, alder, hazel, pear, whitebeam, cherry, hawthorn, blackthorn, holly, box, walnut, yew, scots pine, larch, juniper, strawberry tree and lime.

-hate to mention that elm, apple, sycamore, pear, walnut, larch and strawberry tree are not native to England. Kind of makes my point about not being too precious.

[tomw]

Trouble is if you plant a tree then its no longer yours because the jobsworths go and put a TPO on it. I wouldn't plant a hedge either for the same reason.

[corylus]

Trouble is if you plant a tree then its no longer yours because the jobsworths go and put a TPO on it. I wouldn't plant a hedge either for the same reason.

 

 

Not had a good day then?

[se7enthdevil]

-hate to mention that elm, apple, sycamore, pear, walnut, larch and strawberry tree are not native to England.

 

 

depends what you cal native. when i asked the ancient tree hunt what counted they said anything over 400 years growing in this country.

 

my collins nature guide to trees of Britain and Europe states that the strawberry tree is a native plant but i do agree that not everything on that list is strictly native.