Deluge at Ashridge

I needed an ark. But, still, trees.

It was really about managing woodlands for timber... not as monocrop plantations, and no clear-felling, instead a sustainable, continuous cover type of planting, using native species. i suppose rather as was often done in the past. Still, the people were knowledgeable and passionate about trees.

Let me go through those pictures - left to right and taking the rows top to bottom.

They are veteranising trees - which means inflicting damage to create hollows (!). The reason is that the site is noted for the invertebrates that specialise in old trees and while they have quite a few old (300 years) trees, they don't have any that are really getting old. Most are under 100.

The tall thin trees were planted as a, well, plantation, and were not properly thinned so they are like matchsticks. Since they have started thinning, and managing deer, there is a lot more undergrowth, like foxgloves.

One picture shows a nice rounded oak. Then a wound in some conifer, with all the duff created by beetles or what-not. The thin tree on the right of the middle row is an old beech with many cavities. Tawny owls live in one, the others will be used by woodpeckers, tits, squirrels, bees and so on. It's like a multi-story tenement building!

The bottom row shows two examples of standing deadwood - important for the habitat - and then a poorly oak, which I have reported.

I mentioned thinning the woodland... and I always rather like the shapes of cut stems.

Finally, the staff told me about a veteran oak. I considered missing it due to the rain, but I am glad I bothered to find it! And no, despite those first two pictures (showing how wet it was!) it is not dead!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2iQPWLK8Yk