FORESTRY WISDOM
Wisdom from our Forestry Team here at Nicholsons
Forestry Wisdom
‘Summer Branch Drop’
Article prepared by Sam Hargreaves, Arboricultural Services Manager The hottest June weather on record will not have been so welcome to our teams on the tools, in particular the guys and gals suiting up in chainsaw trousers, boots and helmets to undertake the strenuous work arboriculture requires of them. But for the vast majority, the warm weather has been a chance to get outside and enjoy the many delights their gardens haveRead more »
Forest Tree Series: Western Red Cedar
By Katie Stevens Welcome to the fifth blog in the Forest Tree series. This blog will focus on the densely tall Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), shortened to WRC: a non-native conifer. Its foliage is flat and spread out into fairly even, alternating twigs of scale-like, oval leaves. It has a very glossy, dark green colour with a whitish underside. As its name suggests, the bark is a deep reddy-brown colour, deeply fissured and ridged. LikeRead more »
Arboriculture & Development
Over the last 30 years, trees have been incorporated more and more into the development process and are now widely recognised by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) as a key consideration when deliberating over planning applications. Changes in legislation brought about the Tree Preservation Order (TPO) as a means of protecting valuable trees suspected to be at risk of damage or felling, often as a result of development. Trees were also incorporated into Conservation Area legislation, requiringRead more »
Forest Tree Blog Series – Hornbeam
By Katie Stevens Welcome to the fourth blog in the Forest Tree series. This blog will focus on the versatile Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus); a native broadleaf. It has soft, bright green, oval-shaped leaves that are deeply creased; although they are similar to beech leaves, they are much smaller, have a pointed tip and have a fine-toothed edge (beech have wavy edges and rounded tips). Its bark is initially smooth and a pale grey colourRead more »
Land Management Incentives from DEFRA
Following the launch of the DEFRA Prospectus in early February, Justin Mumford, Director of Consultancy, has prepared a short briefing note outlining a comprehensive list of land management options available through ELMs in 2023 and beyond, including details on the plans for the evolution of Countryside Stewardship and the Landscape Recovery Scheme. The Sustainable Farming Incentive This has extended from three existing standards to nine, complete with a £20/ha management payment capped at £1,000/annum. TheRead more »
Forest Tree Blog Series – Wild Cherry
By Katie Stevens Welcome to the third blog in the Forest Tree series. This blog will focus on one of the minor productive tree species, the Wild Cherry (Prunus avium). A deciduous tree, it can grow up to 25-30m tall and has an average life span of 60-100 years; in the right conditions, it can live up to 250 years! It has a deep reddy-brown bark with a slight shine to it and distinctiveRead more »
Continuous Cover Forestry
By Francois-Xavier Procureur Continuous cover forestry (CCF) is a broad term covering an array of silvicultural methods where the objectives are to permanently retain some form of canopy or forest presence. One of the primary methods used to achieve CCF is through shelterwoods systems, a method widely used for small-scale forestry in lowland England. Establishing shelterwoods involves creating clearings throughout the woodland (no bigger than 0.25 ha). Within these openings, seed trees would be selected toRead more »
Forest Tree Series: Douglas Fir
By Katie Stevens Welcome to the second blog in the Forest Tree series. This blog will focus on the toweringly tall Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii); a non-native conifer. It has soft, green needles with grey-white undersides; the bark is reddy-brown in colour, deeply fissured and cork like. Douglas fir is monoecious, meaning both male and female cones are found on the same tree. Female cones are reddy-green and grow at the tips of twigs, whereas maleRead more »
Forest Tree Series: Beech
By Katie Stevens Welcome to a new Forestry Wisdom blog series called 'Forest Tree'. Each blog will focus on a productive tree species that is commercially managed and grown in the UK. This simply means that the main objective for the woodland is to grow and manage trees to a good enough size and quality that they can be used for many different products, such as fence posts and beams for houses. Read more »