Tree Managment at Wilderness Wood

Bramble thicket - an unexpected consequence of woodland management

26th September 2023

I arrive anticipating a felling/ecological walk around the wood with Jake and Dan, but it has been postponed for a couple of hours. I therefore decide to do something useful in the interim and grab a pruning saw to do a bit of coppicing in preparation for my next leaky dam building session.

On arrival at the selected site I realise nature has been unkind to me. All the coppice stools have a fine border of nettle and bramble around their bases. Fortunately one stool is very close to the path, which allows me to access the poles with the minimum of scratches and stings.

A coppice stool unexpectedly buried under stinging nettles and brambles

I talked about coppicing last week, but to remind you; from an early age the tree is 'pruned' at its base every few years to get a crop of poles. New ones grow in their place and are in turn cropped a few years later. 'Cut-and-come-again' you could call it.

I have a pruning saw with me since the base of the poles will be too thick for loppers. Pruning saws are a strange looking tool, curved almost like a Samuri sword, although in the opposite direction. There is actually a brand of pruning saw bearing that name. The curvature evidently helps with the cutting action, whilst the narrow tip enables the user to access between the poles being cut off the coppice stool. The mix of teeth long and short also works well with green wood. I've used a rip saw in the past and it is far trickier to use for coppicing.

A pruning saw - ideal for cutting smaller coppice shoots

15 minutes of grunting later and I have 20 poles of varying sizes, measuring perhaps 10 or 12 feet in length. I next drag the coppiced poles, leaves an’ all, along the path to a secure hidie-hole where I'm hopeful that wayward den builders won't assume they've been cut just for them!

Pruned coppice stool

Pruned shoots safely stored away ready for leaky dam building

Dan and Jake appear and I follow them to the bottom of the Christmas Tree Field to to examine an area of coppiced trees. Since their last coppice cutting 5 to 10 years ago the chestnut poles have grown enormously and now cast deep shade over the young Christmas Trees. Christmas Trees are an essential crop for Wilderness Wood, providing the income for us to do all the conservation related stuff.

Christmas Trees starved of sunlight on their south side

It is decided to take the tree line back several metres to ensure the young Christmas trees get all the sun they need. Dan suddenly spots a big rabbit in amongst his Christmas crop and we soon trace its burrow just inside the supposedly rabbit-proof fence. Rabbits are a real nuisance since they chew the tops off newly planted trees. Jake shoots a few of them every week, but its mostly about control rather than eradication.

We move on to Hemlock Valley where Dan and Jake discuss proposed changes to a bit of the softwood plantation. Most of the pines, cedars and spruce trees at Wilderness Wood were planted some 40 or 50 years ago by the previous owner Chris Yarrow. These too are an important crop for building purposes or as firewood. One area of coppiced chestnut is in a poor state and so it is thought worth replacing it by extending the conifer plantation.

We arrive at the new ponds and I get into a timely discussion with Dan about where he anticipates creating his new 'super-pond'. He appears to be suggesting the earth dam that will be built to hold back his pond will spill over into the upper of the three ponds excavated last year. I suggest he moves the pond a few metres further upstream. Who said woodland management was easy? But I'm pleased to have had this chance to address that particular issue.

We all agree that a band of birch trees and others should be cut to reduce the risk of leaves from overhanging branches falling into the ponds. This over-enrichment of nutrients from the rotting leaves is called eutropication and is bad for the pond's health. We don't want to remove too many trees though since their shade also reduces critical pond evaporation during the summer months. We can review this strategy in a few years time.

At one time the Wilderness Stream was channelled in a deep straight cutting, which removed any water quickly from the wood. However, retention of water in the wood is now seen as a key benefit for wildlife, as well as for tree growth.

Just downstream of the new ponds is an area of largely alder trees, typically termed ‘alder carr’. This type of wet woodland is fast disappearing since until recently it was perceived as being wasted farmland and was subsequently drained.

Our discussion revolves around developing the alder carr as an area of natural wet woodland capable of supporting wet-loving, shade-tolerant flowers such as marsh marigold, purple loosestrife, yellow loosestrife and yellow flag.

Wet woodland downstream of the new ponds

It will not be a difficult change to bring about, with the stream already being encouraged to pass through the wood by way of numerous small channels, thereby saturating the woodland soil. This will not only favour wetland plants, but equally will not suit the invasive brambles currently attempting to take over the woodland floor.

We will need to coppice the alders to ensure enough light reaches the plants beneath, but that will not be a problem for the alders or the animal species associated with them. The lower part of the valley will be a fascinating mix of habitats in a few years time, complete with a boardwalk to enable visitors to enjoy its wildlife and lush plant growth.

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