Sunday 22 April 2012

Good-bye to Forty-acre woodland.

This morning on his early walk with the two dogs, the farmer saw a female deer in the pasture.   She watched from a distance as they came into the field and then jumped the wall and went off down the fields towards the lane.

The rut takes place around October time and the fawns are born around May, so the females will be beginning to get restless.   Added to that, the place where I suspect many of them give birth has been felled.   Yes Forty-acre wood has been sawn down.

The farmer remembers the trees being planted and thinks it was between forty and fifty years ago, so it is time the trees were felled and the whole area was replanted.  When we passed this morning on our way to the Garden Centre for our vegetable seeds we stopped and saw that all the rubbish which had been left when the trees were felled had been put through a 'chomper' and was now a nice layer of tidy wood chippings.   Now I expect they will replant the whole area.

The woodland on the other side of the lane has been left intact - I suspect for the breeding of the pheasants and also for somewhere for the deer, so it is not all coming down at once.   But I am sure it will have unsettled the deer who spend most of their time in that area.

It's always sad to see trees felled but these pine trees do have a life span and no doubt the money received from the sale of the pine trunks in the photograph will go a long way towards paying for the replanting.

The visit to the Garden Centre is always a pleasure.   This is a family owned and run place and the quality of the plants is superb.   I nipped into the greenhouse to see the tiny seedlings of peppers,, cucumbers, tomatoes etc. just beginning to grow, and as usual the smell was that delightful healthy, damp, growing smell.  I love it.   Every season sets out with hope - then along come the pests - the slugs, the aphids, the mice, the rabbits etc.   Still, you win some, you lose some - but always fun trying.

Tanya of Lovely Greens sent me a handful of red kidney bean seeds to try - I shall put them in when we return from our short holiday in Northumberland and when all danger of frost is past.   Hope springs eternal,

10 comments:

Heather said...

I hate to think of a whole wood being felled but as long as it is replanted and wildlife has alternative accommodation handy, I suppose it's alright.
Good luck with your seeds Pat - I always plant with hope, but it's a good job we gardeners are optimists!

it's me said...

Have witnessed much of the woodland around me being harvested--sad to lose them knowing it will not regrow in my lifetime--just hoping it will grow for another generation--at least I got to appreciate for some of my years.

steven said...

it's always difficult to see a tree taken down - for whatever reason - but nature does that all on her own anyway and so it makes sense that if a woodland must be planted by people, that it should be managed by people . . . however, the deer don't know that and i wish that they find another home for their babies!! steven

ArcticFox said...

hahahah I don't like pine trees anyway.... kill them all!!! Not really of course.... I don't like pines though.... much prefer a lovely mixed native woodland.... beggars can't be choosers though. Good luck to the deer!

Anonymous said...

I mostly agree with Arctic Fox, native mixed woodland is far better. When I was a child the Forestry Commission planted the top of my Welsh mountain with the darned pines and they looked awful.

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

I am so wanting to begin gardening, but, alas, it is quite cold again here in northeast Ohio and we expect some snow tomorrow...

H said...

I hate to see woodland being felled, but better that than allow it to decay and fall by itself. It's just a pity that trees take so long to grow back!

I've prepared my greenhouse for growing tomatoes. I'm going to cheat and buy some baby plants from a local nursery.

Cloudia said...

Thank you for sharing this lovely reflective post. Let us know about the beans!


Warm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

> < } } (°>

><}}(°>

rkbsnana said...

One of the things mom loved to do was go to a greenhouse and just look around.

Unknown said...

With a wood around for 40-50 years it's easy to forget that it's a type of 'crop' that just needs a bit longer to harvest. But fortunately it sounds like sustainable forestry is at work and that there's another forest for the deer and other wildlife to shelter in :)

I do hope those beans grow well for you!