Warming up a wood

[Blakloks]

I have a hardwood up on top of a hill that requires cover on the floor to help make it a cracking drive Ive already planted some snowberrys any other options available that are quick growing

[stubby]

I have loads of bramble in my wood, you can come and dig that up for free

[Kes]

One of the quickest (albeit artificial) ways of warming a wood, is to put up 4-6 feet height of Paraweb at the windward edge - its reasonably priced and you can shoot it immediately. Plant a line of leylandii behind it and cut them down when they reach 6'.

Cheers

[Paul223]

What you need Is a farmer with old mouldy round bales, lots of them and make a wind break or two

[scotslad]

Or piles of brash. Piled in wigwams or run some plain fencing wire at knee ish hieght and pile brash against it using line as a ridge. if run at 90 deg ideal for flushing or 180 can run birds down into a flushing area

 

Wot age anfd type are the hard woods?

Get in with the chainsaw and get some light in or possibly coppice if species allows

 

U could also plant some sitka as a hedge and top at 4-8ft like the leyandi, probably need the top trimmed less and cheaper if not free

[Blakloks]

I'm not a fan of using brashing I'd rather plant something more sustainable to be honest

[Dead-Eyed Duck]

Not all that fast growing, but holly is good.

 

I have a 75 yard range in a wood, and have planted it with holly along its entire length. Makes a huge difference when the wind is blowing....

[Blakloks]

Not all that fast growing, but holly is good.

 

I have a 75 yard range in a wood, and have planted it with holly along its entire length. Makes a huge difference when the wind is blowing....

I was thinking of that how far apart were you planting?

[kennett]

Holly is too slow growing and picky, depends if you want keep it native or.not. Hazel is quick.growing and cheap and can be laid and coppiced when older. Mahonia provides good cover bit isnt native

[al4x]

The issue with hardwoods is that in summer no light gets to the floor so little grows. Your best option is to try and thin areas and let bramble grow. Either rides or clearings will both let regeneration happen and you will be surprised how fast it does grow

[Blakloks]

The issue with hardwoods is that in summer no light gets to the floor so little grows. Your best option is to try and thin areas and let bramble grow. Either rides or clearings will both let regeneration happen and you will be surprised how fast it does grow

It's on crown estates we ain't allowed to thin it out

[scotslad]

The problem u might have is finding shade tolerant plants, althou will depnd wot stage trees are at. Big problem quite often hard woods planted at either 2 or 3m centres, fine for establishmnet but far to close for later in life, to much comp, the trees would benefit from being slecetively thinned

 

Brash might not be ideal but it gives u cover instantly, if any bracken if u pile the brash afore it grows the brash will hold the dead bracken up.

 

Have the Crown allowed snowberry? as can be quite aggresive and not native.

 

The other 1 is honeysuckle (think its the jap evergren 1 u want) i planted some rhoddies and luarel this year, rhodies done ok but luarel hasn't really established, but many landowners wouldn't allow u to plant either as both quite aggresive/invasive

[Blakloks]

I was thinking of planting brambles at the wood edge then maybe creeping brambles behind that as they are meant to be shade tolerant as is box hedging and maybe plant something else up either side of the fence to act as a wind barrier I only need 20-30 yards of cover to make it work I reckon

[webber]

Brambles and brash.

 

webber

[Dead-Eyed Duck]

Holly is too slow growing and picky, depends if you want keep it native or.not. Hazel is quick.growing and cheap and can be laid and coppiced when older. Mahonia provides good cover bit isnt native

 

After 3 years my holly 'hedge' is up to 5' tall - it all depends on the size of the saplings that you plant.

 

I obtained the saplings from parts of the shoot, and planted them initially 2' apart.

 

The advantage of holly is that it is evergreen, and very dense - so an excellent windbreak. I take out the tips of the growth twigs every 6 months or so to thicken it up. I also treated it with fertiliser, and it does grow well over 1' a year.

 

Hazel is quick growing, but in the depths of winter the lack of leaves make is fairly useless as a windbreak.....

 

I initially used rhododendron, but the farmer was not keen as it is a pervasive, non native species, so at the farmer's request I pulled it all up (rats!).

[ollie]

If you pile the brashing, I am sure that brambles will grow up through the brashing. The only thing I would be worried about is letting the brambles get out of control; there is one of the drives on our shoot that you can't walk through before January as the brambles are too high and they wreck beaters and dogs.

[Ttfjlc]

I have loads of bramble in my wood, you can come and dig that up for free

 

I'll second that!