woodyguy

David, an albumin print in 1890 ie a photo not a drawing, shows a typical thin birch wood around it with very big gaps between the bigger trees. Looks like the older oaks were there but without any larger oaks between. Very different to how it is now.

Was cutting a fallen oak branch the other day when it suddenly emptied a pint of chocolate sauce all over my right boot. Horrible stuff but not that smelly. Had a rotten inner full of goo.

Excellent and well done! Don't forget a picture in June when the leaves are all out. Your back should have recovered enough by then to lift a camera.

I often put three of a species in a triangle. At 2m spacing, in 20 years time they'll need thinning to the best one but helps them grow straight and gets canopy closure quickly.

Personally I'm a fan of planting fairly close. You get quicker canopy closure and hence less weed competition. Those that take off will grow straight and tall. Yes you'll cut a few down, but these will probably coppice anyway. Gappy plantings can take a lot of years to look like a wood.

Pretty hard on your back I know. Think how proud you'll be when they all flush green in a few months time!!

Not sure that beyond 400 years means anything biologically, the drawbridge of the channel flooding went up 7000 yrs ago. Strawberry tree is native to Southern Ireland, where it is beautiful. The point is that many non-native plants fit in well in our woods and ecosystems. Several of our vital true natives are being wiped out. Including a small number of well established non-native trees that thrive and are used by nesting birds and insects seems a sensible insurance policy to me.

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.

I enjoyed the previous discussion and although I've planted about 97% native in my wood, I also have a number of more future proof trees. Global warming is here big time and trees like Italian and Grey Alder and Pseudoacacia are likely to do well as it warms. Its hard to be sure what our climate will be like in 70 years time when the trees I planted this winter will be mature. It certainly won't be the same as now. People accept sweet chestnut and sycamore (and english elm) in the landscape, yet they were new once too. So a mix including hardier more drought resistant trees has to make sense to me.

Just out of interest, roughly what price do you end up paying by using Morewoods? I've done everything without grants as I wanted the freedom. Interested to know for future though.

Know what you mean. I've got 1200 in the ground of over 100 varieties this winter and I'm looking forward to some leaves so I can tell what the hell they are. Started late Sept and forgotten where many of them are now. As you say though, wet is better than frozen.

Wow, looks impressive. You're sure starting late! I planted my last 50 this morning. Last year the ground was frozen solid for 5 weeks, so I was still planting in April. This year, things are growing already as I plant them end of Feb. Strange climate. You'll get much quicker as you go, so I'm sure you'll get it finished. Accept any offers of help though!!

Chinese Hackberry??

We all do things which aren't in the manuals. Sometimes you have to. Sometimes you can't be bothered to trek back to get the winch. The problem I have is the suggestion that these techniques can be regarded as safe, however high your skill level. Cutting down trees has an element of risk in it however high your skill or however many years you've been doing it for. Trees and chainsaws are dangerous items. Training is about minimising this risk. So sure, share the skills, which I value learning, but don't pretend that there isn't a risk.

Looks good. How many days planting at that rate?

Looks like portuguese laurel to me (not Griselina). This like normal laurel does contain cyanide but only a problem with leaves not logs. So no worries.

No gaps. That's where the voles get in and chew the stems. So down to the ground. Leaning is fine.

"RHI recipients will need to source fuel from a supplier registered on the upcoming biomass supplier list" Does this mean that those who burn their own home grown fuel or arbs burning wood from jobs will not get the RHI??

I've got a serious bill hook collection. Only the old ones are worth bothering with. Don't touch the new ones they're not a patch on the old ones. Loads on ebay with some serial sellers. Yes it will need reprofiling/sharpening but then you've got a tool for life for £30.

Survival of the fittest for your trees is fine but then why use tree guards? An oak grown in a proper tree guard will be six times the volume of one grown without protection (assuming it doesn't get eaten by rabbits). Keeping a metre weed free competition area around it has a similar effect. I'd got a few dozen straggly oaks that self seeded and survived. But 70 years later they're not much. Those that grew within an established wood are impressive timber trees. Sometimes a little helping hand to nature in the beginning can make a world of difference to the ultimate tree and whether it produces canopy closure in 10 years or 20 years. Remember that naturally oak trees grew in oak woods, as they still do in France. Since American Oak Mildew arrived in the UK in 1908, they rarely establish naturally in woods and have become a pioneer species. So a helping hand makes sense to me.

A. Glutinosa coppices very well, red alder not so well, grey alder when young and Italian alder when young.

Yes certainly wouldn't wish to put in the level of work I've done this winter every year. Planting must be the hardest input part. Time to break out the hammock.

Yes, see your point. Presumably once you've taken the grant, you can top up with whatever you fancy. Trees are cheap, guards are expensive. I love planting though and producing something for future generations. Planning in 4D is a very different thing!

English oak is generally on heavier soils with sessile on sand. But if they grow locally in your conditions, then go with it. Putting on the mats later will certainly speed things up and I understand your wish to avoid chemicals. Certainly if you've got lots of surrounding trees for nesting then I'd not use the leylandii or laurel. I find the "natives only" debate really difficult. Yes you need to plant a lot of native trees both standards and shorter lived stuff. But non-natives don't have zero wildlife. It's difficult to be confident that in 70 years time, all of our natives will be growing happily. We've lost English Elm in my life time and now Ash over the next few years. So I personally grow 10% non native as an insurance policy. Many of these like Italian Alder grow quickly and can be harvested for logs if the natives are doing fine. With their fast growth they also quickly produce woodland and suppress the brambles. They provide nesting sites for birds. If you choose nitrogen fixers like alders then they help neighbouring trees to grow and besides I like them!

If you over do it gripping hard for hours then the tendons will swell. Resting them and icing them with an icepack for 15mins 3x per day helps. They will then settle but recur if you overdo it too soon again.