The sound of chainsaws - we have had contractors in our wood this last week, felling pine trees and creating a cleared area of approximately a quarter of an acre in size. The pines were planted as a cash crop in the 1970s. They have never been thinned and as a consequence have grown tall and lanky in search of the light. Little survives underneath them in the gloom so in terms of wildlife the area is of little value, and many of the trees were already dying. We should really have felled the trees when we first bought the wood and they were easier to handle, but we did not. But now without attention they will outgrow themselves and will potentially fall prey to strong winds. Management was called for !

With the trees down we will be able to replant the area in the autumn with different species like oaks and hornbeams which will be better for wildlife and of better value to the wood as a whole. Once the light can reach the ground the whole area will spring into life too. Heather and birch seeds which may have been dormant for many years will germinate and even after one growing season the area will look very different.......at the moment it looks a bit bare.

In another area of the wood where the pines have been thinned and there is a richer ground flora as a result, we know that deer are occasional visitors. They are spotted by our wildlife camera from time to time looking for tasty things to browse.



the pines are packed tightly together and little light reaches the ground



the felling has produced a lot of timber but unfortunately pine is of little commercial value

Some of the more mature pines at the edge are keepers


brash and timber stacked along our boundary to make a habitat for wildlife




                                    A fine Fallow Deer stag caught on camera


The pattern on a Fallow Deer's rear is distinctive !

Comments

Popular Posts