What's the deal with Cornish trees?

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Gotte

Nomad
Oct 9, 2010
395
0
Here and there
I've recently moved to cornwall, and love it here. I've been taken by the landscape, especially the trees. I've noticed that there seems to be a strange quality to them - all of them, except the few pines near us, seem to have a strange corkscrew quality to them. They seem to twist round from base to tip.
It's unlike anything I've seen before, and not reserved (generally) to species. For example, there's an oak forest near us. We had oaks back where I used to live in the North West, and they tended, like most trees, to favour growth on the south. But I don;t see that here. All I see is this wierd twist to branches and trunks.
What's the cause of this. Is it the wind, some peculiarity of the sun?

Anyone know?
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Generally the wind - very strong and often salty - results in stunted twisted trees.

Its a beautiful aprt of the country - I miss it
 

Expat

Forager
Feb 9, 2012
248
0
Dorset for good...!!
They used all the straight ones for pit props, curly ones were the only ones left to flower and seed :D

I believe you have 'Enry the 8th to thank for the proliferation of oaks - planted to provide ships timbers for what
was proposed to be the largest and strongest navy in the known world at the time - took a bit of a knock when
his new flagship ank shortly after launching.... :rolleyes:
 

Gotte

Nomad
Oct 9, 2010
395
0
Here and there
There are loads of oaks here, though it seems a peculiar place to plant them, as they all seem quite small, and twisted as hell. We were in Tehiddy (sp? ) woods at the weekend, and out of the wind, they were a decent size, though still twisting all over, but on the rise, which was exposed to the coastal wind, they must have been all about ten feet tall.
THERE was one Beech tree which I was going to take a picture of because it looked like someone had grabbed it and twisted it right round from root to tip. Didn't have my camera, though. Will go up there later in the week and take my camera so I can post it.
Noticed a lot of Yew, as well.
 

Sweden

Member
Oct 5, 2012
13
0
Cornwall
It is to do with the straight ones having been used for construction etc. We do have some straight trees in cornwall. If you want to see odd looking trees you should paddle up the river Fal.
 

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