Found Alders Near Hartland

Today  was the first tee-shirt day of the year.  This means panic for me, as this early weather may cause the trees to bud, which would abruptly cause an end to tree planting season, which would be a  disasterious thing to happen mid project, as it would be the end of all activity here for another year and who knows where I will be in a year from now.

Today I decided to comb the small wooded Valleys allong the Coast here, beguining with Hartland.

The valleys here are very clogged, in places with evergreens and Sycamore, it didn't look good.

Then I noticed the Alders in the above picture and the mud-dump right under one of them.  I had a closer look.

To my amaisment there were many little Alders, many of which I hastily collected.

Great. Now all I need is Oak.

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Proper Primrose Planting

Today I have been planting Primroses on hedge-banks along the country lanes around my new home.

I collected these from my old garden on Dartmoor, just before I left.  They have been in the bag for quite a while, whilst I have been settling in; but Hopefully they should be alright.

Past Primrose Planting experimentations have shown that they will grow well in a remarkably diverse variety of habitats, but do best half way up a bank or wall and seed themselves best into mossy grass.

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Planting Oaks in Thick Brambles

Last Night of Tree Planting on Dartmoor

Two more bags of trees, collected today.  one to be planted and one to be stashed for a more tricky site in the day time tomorrow.

Tonight I aim to get this very brambly patch, along-side the leat planted up and mostly with tough little Oak trees.  The site is a good mile away from my home and getting to the particular bit I want to do, involves much climbing and balancing between unfathomable bodies of water.  

Brambles

One reason why I had put off planting this bit, was because of the brambles.  They are difficult to walk through, difficult to tell what is land and what is not land and they are not all that easy to plant things in, although they do offer anything planted amongst them a great deal of protection from any potential grazing creatures, provided that such trees are taller than the Brambles and won't get smothered by them.

When planting anything in Bramble clumps, especially at the dead of night; it is virtually impossible to do so, without acquiring some kind of lacerations.  After tonight I shall probably be removing splinters of their thorns from my hands for the next month.

Oaks

Because of the Oak's big tap roots; they need nice deep, but narrow holes.  So long as the roots are not dried out and/or the tap roots are not too badly severed; they should ought to grow.

All planted!  Hands scratched and bleeding; I head home with my empty bag & trusty handleless spade for the last night-time planting mission as a Dartmoor resident.  Tomorrow I will be in a totally different place and a totally different era of my life.

Stay tuned.......

Frozen Aqueduct

Interesting Ice

The water must have been quite high, when this aqueduct froze.  It has been very cold and well below freezing for quite some time now, but it has also been dry, so the water has dropped considerably.  The result is various layers of ice, well above the current water level.

This aqueduct brings water from the neighbouring Cowsic (Pronounced: Cowzik) River.  The leat that brings it, winds around the moors and fields, all at a slight tilt from about 390 metres above sea level.  After crossing the Black brook, the waters from this leat join the waters of the other leat and go through my woods and adjoining field systems and then it goes off onto the moor, to who knows where.  I followed it for about eight miles once, but there was no sign of an end.

These two leats wind around hills and valleys, strictly following the 390 metre contour line.

 Trees

All around this aqueduct are trees I have planted at different times.  Many are getting quite big now.  I have been careful as not to put any trees right next to this structure, so as not to damage it with their roots, but close enough  to shade it, with their leaves and branches.

Many Beech trees already shade one end of it, there are also quite a few established patches of Spruce.

I hopefully have added a good balance of trees here, with lots of Oak and Hazel, a few Alder, Willow and Broom and a massive glade of Birch.  This aqueduct is a major focal point in the woods, so I want the fauna here to be quite special.

Tree Planting in the Snow

Night Time Snow Planting

Snow creates obvious difficulties for me, during tree planting season.  Mainly it makes it impossible to collect on my motorbike, when the roads are all covered in snow and then there are a number of issues when planting trees too, which are:

•  There is more digging to do.
• It is easy (especially at night) to mistake snow for soil and fill up the holes with snow.
• Its usually very cold.  I have no gloves.
• Everything you touch is wet and cold.

Fortunately this time I had already acquired quite a big stash of trees, so I was OK for materials, but short of Oaks and Alders.  

Tonight I made my way to my 'behind the houses site' with mostly small Willow an Birch.  When I had finished planting the first bag, I stashed my spade and went home, to get some more trees, but then it started to rain heavily and it's still raining now.  I'm still waiting to be able to get down there before it gets light.  I can't possibly plant it during daylight hours, because its too close to loads of houses and I would be likely to attract attention.

One advantage the snow dose bring is that; even at night, I can see even my smallest trees clearly, as the snow flattens the undergrowth, like dried grass-stems and the remains of summer perennials, leaving only the little trees clearly visible, for me to see.  The two Hawthorns in the picture on the left were only put in here last year.

Snow Method

Firstly I scrape away a patch of snow, from where I want to plant. I scrape away enough snow to have enough space to dig a hole and enough bare earth to put the soil on, so that it doesn't get mixed up with the snow.   Everything else is pretty much the same.

This snow was totally unexpected.  It is melting quite quickly, so perhaps the roads will be clear tomorrow, if it doesn't freeze. 

I should have heeded the warning of this morning's fiery red sky.

Action Acorn

Under ground Acorn Planter

Tonight I used up the last of the acorns, which I had collected with the help of some friends, earlier in the year.  I put them just half buried in a little thumb print, on the tops of banks, in the short grass between and in amongst Hawthorn hedges.  Tonight's batch went in and around the tourist car parks in the centre of Princetown.  

The aim is to introduce the Oak, also to get Oak trees to pop up here and there in these hedges before the Beech, Ash and Sycamore get in there, these trees are prevalent in people's gardens up here, once they seed in to the hedges they will become dominant and Oaks would find it allot more difficult to get a foot in the door.

Wild Daffodils

Since this site is one of my 'show-piece' Wild Daffodil plantations; I did not want to disturb the ground at all, so planting acorns is really the best method here.


These hedges divide up the tourist car park into sections and anything I have planted in here will undoubtedly be seen, by many, as Princetown is a very popular tourist destination.  Which ever way they come here, they will see Wild Daffs in the hedgerows and woods, which ever way they drive, and then when they come here and park their cars in the car park; they will be able to get out and see them close up.  The Oaks will help to ensure the success of these Daffs, as they do not grow well under Beech. 


The desired effect
I do not aim to have avenues of Oak trees here, just the odd one.  A second generation of them should be able to seed themselves here naturally.  Once this first generation reach maturity, which for Oaks can be as little as eight years, until they start becoming laden, with copious amounts of acorns.


I also want other species of trees to seed into here as well.  Many exist within seed blowing distance, so eventually these little car park dividing banks should be nice little strips of diverse deciduous woodland.  

Night Planted Trees around the Edge of a Village

The Beginning of My Woods

The biggest woods I have planted on Dartmoor, sits right on the edge of the small village of Princetown.

It begins in this small boggy valley (above), by the remains of the village pond  and proceeds down to the larger Black brook valley below and then up stream on that valley, for about a mile or two.

I have been adding to these woods for the past 11 years and now it is nearly complete.  There are just little patches left for me to do, which still remain unplanted.

The parts shown today; are amongst some of the dodgyest bits, I have planted.  This is due entirely to the close proximity of the village, to where I have to work.

Planting trees is quite noisy, when there is no sound, for miles around.  These bits have not only had to be planted at night, but also when its windy, misty and/or raining as well.  As I do prefer to work unnoticed and to keep a low profile and not to draw any more attention to myself, than I do already.

Having said that though; many people in this village know all about my activities.  I have been told about committee meetings, where questions have been asked in relation to all the little trees appearing on various bits of disused land and then someone telling them and then them saying something like "Oh Him!" So I have been told.  Apparently they call me "Jonny Apple-seed".  I guess it could be allot worse.

Out in the Storm

Last night, whilst most of you were tucked up, warm, in your beds; I was out in the howling wind & lashing rain, to bring you this:

Balanced precarious between a leat and a ditch, planting a woodland edge hedge.

When the lazy farmer repaired his fence, he just left the old one, which must have been some kind of metallic mesh, lying on the ground.  It is now tangled with weeds, impenetrable with the spade and only leaves a very thin strip between it and the ditch, into which I can plant things.

What I have planted along here are mostly suckering shrub trees, to include Blackthorns, Spindle, Wild Privet, Dog Roses, Holly and Hazel.  This is so Hopefully the trees will be able to spread to the parts I cannot plant, due to the fallen fence.

The caption above shows me disguising some newly planted shrub trees, with some grass.

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Swampy Field Corners

Swampy and Grazed
 Downstream by side the leat, there is a field, full of Cows & Sheep.  One corner of which; is very steep, overgrown and boggy.

Many years ago, I put in a few trees here, as an experiment and they have done very well (see blog post below).

Today I am adding another phase or generation of trees to this site.

As with other sites on Dartmoor, the ground moves as its walked over and when I dig a hole, it takes only a few seconds to fill with water.

Swamp trees, namely Willow and Alder definitely love the conditions here, but I decided not to try any other types of tree here, such as Hazel or Blackthorn.  Its just too boggy.

I want this unusable field corner to become a tangled mini wilderness.  Obscuring the wind from the leat-side footpath and adding some native trees to this part of Dartmoor.

Here's Some I Did Earlier

Success of Past Experimental Plantings


These trees were the experimental prototypes, for planting the swampy site in the above blog-post.


The Alder in the middle has had ten years growth, since it was planted.  The other trees on this site, have had about five.


It would seem that swampy ground, even when in a field stocked with grazing creatures, as this one is; offer good refuge for trees, so long as adequate spiky undergrowth is present, to protect them.


It really dose make me feel great, to see my little trees, starting to become big.

Planting Behind the Houses

Welcome to my World!

This part of the future woods, backs onto a housing estate.  It is waste ground and the local authority (the Dutchy) want to put an allotments on half of it, which they have been talking about for years.

When I suggested to them, that I could plant woods on the other half; they said "Oh, that would look nice!", which is the closest to a 'Yes!' that they've ever given me.

There are a number of ways into this site, but due to the fortunate bad planning of the 1950's; there is no road access.  One of the access points is this rickety make-shift bridge, which can be a bit slippery and difficult to master, especially at night.

Last time I was planting at night, on this site; A man came out with a torch.  He was pertending to walk a dog, but all the time was shinning his torch into various patches of undergrowth.

I was lying, flat on the wet grass, commando style, viewing my options.  Fortunately he eventually went away.

Tonight things all went smoothly and I didn't disturb any of the residents of the houses.  There was a bit of noise-muffling wind, and as you can see from these photos; the visibility was very poor.

Hiding from the Farmer

Planting part of a massive swamp was disrupted today, by the farmer circling, in his tractor; where I was crouched hiding, behind a clump of reeds.

I'm glad I saw him before he saw me & I got all the trees and the spade stashed safely.

I made my way into the conifer clump and sat their quietly.
Eventually he went away.

This is one of my newest woods.  The site is less than 10% planted and it is more than 90% swamp, which in many parts; are so saturated that the whole ground quivers, as it is gingerly crossed.

The whole site is covered in thick reeds, except for a rather sickly looking clump of Spruce, growing close to the side with the road.   Beyond the other side is 15 miles of uninhabited moorland, going all the way to Okehampton and not crossed by any roads.

It is strange planting trees on a site so swampy.  When I dig a hole, it instantly fills with water.  In some parts, all I have to do is cut a slit in the quivering ground and push the tree into the saturated peat, with my foot. 

I cover over any obvious signs of disturbance, with some sort or rotting vegetation and/or grass (collected on site);  I don't want anyone to see the trees yet, or even to notice that they have been planted.  I want them to emerge gradually, from the swamp, over the next decade and to look and be; as natural as possible.

Of course there are only a few species of tree suitable for a site, like this one, but things seem to do well here, protected by all those sharp Spiky reeds.

That wretched farmer is a big problem, though.  I'm going to have to suss his routine.

I want to plant this whole swamp.

You can see in this picture; the odd test tree, which I have put in here years ago.

The odd cow dose wonder in here, but doesn't seem to do too much damage, perhaps; thanks to the  protection of the Reeds.

Trees under a bridge

When they sliced through my first woods, with this foot and cycle path, in around 1992; I stuck a few Willow cuttings right  underneath it.


Twenty years on almost, it has produced quite a good effect.


When people cross here; they can walk right through and touch the canopy.

Looking down, from the bridge, as it crosses the swamp.

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