Under Cover

[Sprucey]

Morning All! 

I'm a member of a shoot where we need more cover in our Woods.

The Woods are more like Ash plantations that the owner 'forgot' to thin out etc.... Hence the trees are all a good 20-30ft maybe more high. this = One Huge Canopy. 

I understand the best way forward it to do some felling and open it up..... Which is the plan for this weekend coming.

My main question is, What could we plant underneath to encourage ground cover. (By mid winter the Woods are bare)  

 

We do have other blocks of cover crop so not all dependent on woods, but just need to improve, improve, improve.

 

Thanks All

 

 

[Tadorna]

Don't know about ground conditions but as an extra use the brash to make piles and dead hedges. 

[scotslad]

I'm guessing trees off that size u won't have to tell many before u need a felling licence. Possibly ur just small enough to get away with it.

Also take it u have someone that knows wot there doing felling, not massive trees by sound off it but easy enough to get into trouble and get a few hung up or worse any leaning trees could easy barbers chair on u, esp in that size of tree as not a lot of space to do the correct cuts

Again trees might just be wee enough to get away with.

 

Any of the plants on the other thread would do depending on soil conditions etc

[Scully]

You may find you don't have to plant anything to encourage ground growth once you have thinned out the trees. If the canopy is such that it blocks out the sun then little will grow; open up spaces so the sun can get to the ground and all manner of growth occurs. 

[Dougy]

[Sprucey]

Thanks Dougy, Think i'll leave the crane at home this weekend.

 

Thanks for your replies guys, Maybe I'm over exaggerating the size of trees. The trunks are only 1ft wide at most.

Scully, I think you are right, get some light in there and see what happens 

[Scully]

We have a lot of woods on our rough shoot, consisting of conifers and some mature Ash and Beech, but the majority are immature Ash which because they reach for the light have grown extremely tall but thin. They then all create an enveloping canopy which makes the wood very dark even in the height of summer, with very little undergrowth. It is these tall thin ashes we have cleared over the years, and we now have all manner of flora on the ground, including Foxgloves, brambles and a huge variety of grasses; all previously never seen as they had very little light source. 

The pheasants now have loads of cover in the brambles, and sunny glades to scratch about in as we created rides through the woods. 

[islandgun]

19 hours ago, Scully said:

You may find you don't have to plant anything to encourage ground growth once you have thinned out the trees. If the canopy is such that it blocks out the sun then little will grow; open up spaces so the sun can get to the ground and all manner of growth occurs. 

thats it tbh,  allow natural regeneration from the existing seed bank, nature will fill it up

[scotslad]

I'm sure ull be fine spruucey, but that's the size off trees that can be tricky, just enough wieght in the trees to be dangerous but still wee trees

Usually a combination of complacency or the mucking the cut up due to small stem size.

Leandra can be ackward at that size as not enough room to do a proper cut.

By rights at that size depending on tree numbers u might need a felling licence if ur over the exemption quantity.

 

[Sprucey]

On 18/04/2019 at 11:18, Scully said:

We have a lot of woods on our rough shoot, consisting of conifers and some mature Ash and Beech, but the majority are immature Ash which because they reach for the light have grown extremely tall but thin. They then all create an enveloping canopy which makes the wood very dark even in the height of summer, with very little undergrowth. It is these tall thin ashes we have cleared over the years, and we now have all manner of flora on the ground, including Foxgloves, brambles and a huge variety of grasses; all previously never seen as they had very little light source. 

The pheasants now have loads of cover in the brambles, and sunny glades to scratch about in as we created rides through the woods. 

Scully, This is exactly our position. Ash trees reaching for the light so very thin and leggy, they're Not very healthy either may I add. 

It's going to take a few years to get to where we want, It would be 6 months work for a Tree Surgeon  easy! 

Did you plant anything or was it all natural after you opened the woods up? 

[Scully]

3 minutes ago, Sprucey said:

Scully, This is exactly our position. Ash trees reaching for the light so very thin and leggy, they're Not very healthy either may I add. 

It's going to take a few years to get to where we want, It would be 6 months work for a Tree Surgeon  easy! 

Did you plant anything or was it all natural after you opened the woods up? 

No, we haven’t planted  anything in the woods. All the ground cover was obviously just lying dormant waiting for the sun to get it going. It’s quite lush in Summer now.