We can’t hope to supply all our own firewood, although we are doing surprisingly well so far – we haven’t bought any wood for three years, using what was here already, wood from demolition projects etc, fallen trees, pallets (we have a pallet mountain, and could get more if we only got through cutting this lot up), and wood from hedge laying.
We crave a little woodland though. Finances and space do no allow. So we thought we would do what we could here. So that means continue to use scrap wood, try and get the hedges back into health, and plant some trees. The bottom of our two fields are both very very soggy. This is where the fields meet the leat that is the boundary, and well, it rains a lot here and all that water ends up at the bottom of our fields. The bottom edge is always wet, very little grass grows, it’s not good for our sheep (think foot rot and fluke), so we thought we would move the fence back a few metres and plant a few native trees.
We were chatting about this to a friend, who happens to be a local tree warden, when he asked if we had applied for the tree grant. The local council were offering grants to plant trees. It seems this was almost confidential information – certainly there was nothing about it on their website.. but we tracked it down and applied. We only got the whips on the grant (not the new fence!), but it all helps. So this winter we have some Ash, Willow, Alder and a couple of sweet chestnuts to plant. All whips -but they are supposed to do just as well as older saplings in only a short while. Obviously we wish we had got on with it as soon as we moved in, the willow sticks, left over from making the willow tunnel, we shoved into a gappy bit of the hedge are really big now…but plans have to develop.
Before they go in, we have to move the fence back and fell a tree. Not long after we moved in a large ivy clad alder fell down and there are still two large (ivy clad) trunks of the same tree there. A big branch fell off a couple of months ago, and we decided the tree has had it, and was dangerous and best if it was brought down before it fell on us, the sheep, or our new planted trees. Because we live in a national park, we had to apply for permission.. the local tree warden came, and agreed it should definitely go.
So all we need to do now take down the old fence (saving as many of the little saplings that have grown into it as possible), cut back branches from next doors field (more light please!) and fell this alder (we shall get help in.. it’s too dangerous and too much for our little bow saws), put up a new fence, collect the new trees.. plant them all.. and keep the undergrowth down and …..wait….