In late August/early September 2015 I took some photos to monitor a few areas of the wood prior to the Scots Pine thin in late 2015, and again directly after the thin. These are paired with photos taken this year from roughly the same viewpoint to record the slow but sure recovery of the wood during the subsequent 3 years.
October 2018 with bracken removed and pines thinned, a more diverse flora is starting to flourish.
Look closely and it can be seen that the 'after' photos show more growth . The ground doesn't look nearly so brown now, whereas in 2015 it was thick with pine needles, with bracken just about the only visible green growth on the woodland floor. The Scots Pine thin has meant fewer needles covering the ground with a thick brown blanket, and this, combined with bracken removal, has allowed much more ground flora to come through, in particular, ferns, heather, grasses, and also a vigorous under story composed chiefly of alder buckthorn, hazel, and willow; Progress is quite slow but there is noticeable improvement.
When the 33% thin was done in late 2015, the forester said we should do the next one in about 5 years time, that is, in late 2020, but this now seems too soon. We are aiming for 'continuous cover ' at Old Copse. This is the management of forest and woodland without clear felling (removing all the trees either in one section, or overall), but instead, to use a programme of thinning the trees to encourage regeneration and allow for under planting. The trees we planted in gaps between the remaining pines after the thin, need to grow taller and make more shade before we remove further pines. We intend to gradually re-plant more broadleaf trees each year. and must monitor the light levels in order to create and maintain a balanced light situation. Too much light and the wood gets swamped with bramble and bracken, both of which inhibit the growth of ground flora; too little light and most plants fail to grow. Bringing Old Copse into better balance isn't going to happen quickly; it's a long, careful process to return the wood to full health and bio-diversity.
September 2015
September 2015
September 2018
There are more 'before' photos in previous blogposts. See 'Another year at Old Copse: A Summary 29/12/2015,' and 'In praise of the humble mattock: 30/01/16'
Ground flora
September 2015 The only green on the woodland floor is bracken
When the 33% thin was done in late 2015, the forester said we should do the next one in about 5 years time, that is, in late 2020, but this now seems too soon. We are aiming for 'continuous cover ' at Old Copse. This is the management of forest and woodland without clear felling (removing all the trees either in one section, or overall), but instead, to use a programme of thinning the trees to encourage regeneration and allow for under planting. The trees we planted in gaps between the remaining pines after the thin, need to grow taller and make more shade before we remove further pines. We intend to gradually re-plant more broadleaf trees each year. and must monitor the light levels in order to create and maintain a balanced light situation. Too much light and the wood gets swamped with bramble and bracken, both of which inhibit the growth of ground flora; too little light and most plants fail to grow. Bringing Old Copse into better balance isn't going to happen quickly; it's a long, careful process to return the wood to full health and bio-diversity.
In the pine plantation - looking east
September 2015
September 2018
In the pine plantation - looking south
September 2018
View up the timber extraction track (looking east)
December 2015
June 2018
Extraction track
December 2015
October 2018
August 2018 View from top of Extraction track
OC2 Main ride looking south
December 2015
July 2018
OC1 Main ride looking south
February 2015
September 2018
There are more 'before' photos in previous blogposts. See 'Another year at Old Copse: A Summary 29/12/2015,' and 'In praise of the humble mattock: 30/01/16'
