Planting woodland - heavy going!

[spandit]

Using standard guards but we've got more time to remove them!

Got the last one in the ground today - such a relief! Just hope they grow - hard to believe looking at a bunch of dry twigs that they'll amount to anything

 

[British Red]

Fantastic job Spandit - I am deeply impressed!

 

[spandit]

Fantastic job Spandit - I am deeply impressed!

You're very kind but there was little skill involved, just a lot of hard graft. Wife & mother-in-law got up early & planted 56 this morning and then father-in-law planted another 40. Left me with about 130 to do which I polished off just in time to go to the theatre to celebrate!

Looking forward to seeing them grow now. Feels a bit odd that for hundreds of years, people could have stood in that spot & looked up at the sky but I'm changing all that. It's my legacy for future generations as I doubt I'll see the benefit of the 125 oaks I've planted.

Hoping the 375 alder and 200 hazel will keep me busy in a few years. The other stuff can just grow in peace until someone comes to chop it down...

 

[British Red]

In my book you have done a lot, you have given your money, time and sweat to building something that will be of benefit to wildlife and future generations of people.

Be proud!

 

[Clouston98]

In my book you have done a lot, you have given your money, time and sweat to building something that will be of benefit to wildlife and future generations of people.

Be proud!

What he said!

Fabulous thing you've done! Good job!

 

[spandit]

Thanks, chaps - it's a vanity woodland really but hope it will attract the odd bird or two. Goodness knows there were loads of voles scattering away from the mower I hired - should bring in the raptors...

 

[British Red]

Get a few owl boxes up - the barnies particularly love voles (or so we find). I don't see it as a vanity woodland - merely one man doing something interesting and constructive with his land - proper stewardship. It really makes me smile when I see people developing their land and working towards a dream as you have

 

[spandit]

I've been told by several people that planting woodland will devalue the property - apparently grazing land is more valuable. Let's hope I get carried out feet first before it needs to be sold!

 

[British Red]

It wouldn't for me ...I long for a decent sized wood lot with some coppice and pollard trees for wood and some larger timber trees......I reckon 10 acres would do me nicely.


And a Morgan +8


And a pony and trap......


Hey, a guy can dream

 

[spandit]

It wouldn't for me ...I long for a decent sized wood lot with some coppice and pollard trees for wood and some larger timber trees......I reckon 10 acres would do me nicely.


And a Morgan +8


And a pony and trap......


Hey, a guy can dream

Having planted about an acre, I'm in no rush to plant any more! I'm with you, I'd love my own mature woodland to play in and I'd find it a great benefit on a property.

Can't help you with the Morgan but assuming the other is rhyming slang, then my dogs can provide plenty!

 

[sgtoutback]

Great effort both on the planting and the tree diversity.

 

[spandit]

Great effort both on the planting and the tree diversity.

Thanks! Forgot to add I've also stuck a few hundred willow sticks (of different varieties) in the ground too - nice to see how firmly they're anchored so must have rooted.

Have a few stakes & tubes left over so might plant some non-natives - red oak, black locust etc.

 

[British Red]

Wild Service are nice, so are Bullace (make spectacular vodka)

 

[spandit]

Wild Service are nice, so are Bullace (make spectacular vodka)

Wild service looks like a good option. I think I'll see what takes this year and plant some next year to replace those that have died, which will probably be most of them seeing as how wet the ground is

 

[Kong]

How long have you been working on planting those? I reckon I could plant 300 hedging plants in a day at a push. Can you post pictures?

I have been doing double rows 2 foot apart and staggered 1 foot apart been using a recking bar to make holes as it is lot of Flint and grass roots still and 2 oaps 1 to plant and heel and 1 to stake and wrap. We only do 5 hours a day but can get about 360 done in that time less if the weather is bad. Got to put some hunt jumps in to
Do not know how to do pictures and that is a shame as it is a nice view

 

[tim_n]

How's the woodland going Spandit?

 

[spandit]

How's the woodland going Spandit?

Funny you should ask, I've only just finished "beating up" (replacing the trees that didn't make it). Out of the 1,500 or so I planted, about 60 died so I replaced those with sweet chestnut and wild pear, neither of which I'd managed to order initially, despite being on my wishlist. Got a bit trigger happy when I was ordering so also got 25 robinia pseudoacacia and 25 salix triandra (16 of which are planted in a high density plantation to hopefully provide some nice straight shoots for weaving).

All in all, I have 1,596 trees in my database, which doesn't include most of the willow rods I've stuck in the ground (about 200) or two of the three hawthorn hedges (another 150).

The tallest of the trees is about 8 foot (after one year) - the wild cherry I planted along the drive did very well, probably because they were all mulched with carpet, whereas not all of the other ones have been. The alder is doing well in most places and I have some very tall crab apple too. Some of the other species are being quite slow but the sweet chestnut and robinia were a little more advanced when they went in, so they should all be about the same age. The osier viminalis rods maxed out at about 12 feet (in 8 months!) and they've all been cut into pieces and replanted elsewhere.

1 - alder (alnus glutinosa)	325
16 - hazel (corylus avellana)	195
15 - hawthorn (crataegus monogyna)	156
27 - wild cherry (prunus avium)	130
20 - oak (quercus robur)	127
5 - beech (fagus sylvatica)	108
11 - field maple (acer campestre)	96
18 - hornbeam (carpinus betulus)	77
25 - sweet chestnut (castanea sativa)	52
7 - blackthorn (prunus spinosa)	49
4 - aspen (populus tremens)	44
9 - crab apple (malus sylvestris)	44
24 - spindle (euonymus europaeus)	43
30 - black locust (robinia pseudoacacia)	26
21 - wild pear (pyrus communis)	26
32 - black maul (salix triandra)	25
23 - scots pine (pinus sylvestris)	25
6 - birch (betula pendula)	15
31 - dogwood (cornus sanguinea)	11
0 - unknown (n/a)	9
3 - ash (fraxinus excelsior)	4
2 - apple (malus domestica)	2
28 - almond (prunus dulcis)	1
10 - damson (prunus institia)	1
12 - goat willow (salix caprea)	1
17 - holly (ilex aquifolium)	1
19 - medlar (mespilus germanica)	1
29 - mulberry (morus nigra)	1
26 - sycamore (acer pseudoplatanus)	1

 

[tim_n]

Good variety! Did you know you can get trees artificially inseminated with the truffle fungus? If you've got room might be a cash crop...

 

[Harvestman]

Fine list of species. I presume the fact that it is weighted towards alder and so on reflects your soil rather than anything else?

 

[spandit]

It's very wet - lots of springs so wanted trees that like wet ground, hence alder, cherry & pear. Could have just planted willow but we've got quite a few and wanted some variety