Wednesday 29 January 2020

Perhaps the Government can't see the wood for the trees!


Trees, indeed virtually all plants, play an important role in the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Through the biochemical process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is taken in by trees and stored as carbon in the trunk, branches, leaves and roots.

The Committee on Climate Change’s own analysis outlines that 32,000 hectares of net woodland increase is required annually, for the next 30 years. This would move the UK from 13% to 17% woodland cover and help to achieve the legally binding target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This equates to a million new hectares of woodland cover - some 1.5 billion trees.

The increase in planting is going to have to be huge - for the past 25 years no more than 10,000 hectares of new woodland has been planted in any one year across the UK. 

Plenty of organisations have been quick to shout about their plans. For instance, the National Trust wants to create 18,000 hectares (44,478 acres) of new woodland across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2030, planting some 20 million trees.

All of this might well be fine if it is all properly thought through.

We live on a relatively small piece of land here in the UK and our growing population is already placing huge pressures on the land we have available. If tree planting is targeted at places where the trees will not only help with carbon sequestration, but also help to prevent soil erosion and potential flooding, (by holding back water), create new habitat for wildlife, while also giving places for people to get some fresh air - then great!

But will this be the case or does the clamour for planting many more trees, simply result in them being plonked anywhere? If that is the case, does it actually matter?

Well yes, I think it does.

If you have an “open” river flood plain that is lucky enough to still have declining breeding species such as Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank and Snipe nesting there, then tree planting would quickly see these species move away. They hate trees, because that is where avian predators sit and watch their ever move.

Parts of the country that have wide open vistas with few trees attract species that favour that sort of landscape. This is why an area such as the Salisbury plain is potentially good for Corn bunting, Grey partridge, Stone curlew and Quail. Once again tree planting would, over time, move these species away.

Also, what about feeding ourselves? Do we really want to plant trees on good agricultural land? Surely, we want to try to become more self-sufficient rather than importing food from around the world with the corresponding carbon footprint that follows such a scenario.

Can’t we also be a bit more imaginative? Presently, we densely plant half a dozen tree species across the country, in a forestry style designed for timber production. (By the way – you need to do this to get the grant!)

A new, grant aided, densely planted small woodland in rows - in my view unimaginative, boring and not that great for wildlife

Many of the new tree planting areas, especially if they are on steep slopes, wet ground or are relatively small, oddly shaped woods, will never be realistically used for timber production. So why these ridiculous planting guidelines that must be followed?  Indeed, why trees at all – what about shrubs?

Give me a couple of hectares (5 acres) and let me plant it up with species such as Hawthorn, Buckthorn, Guelder rose, Wild privet, Dogwood, Spindle, Hazel, Holly and maybe some Crab apple. I would leave around 10 to 20% of the area un-planted, to create open glades within the shrubbery, which could be planted with native wild flowers. 

Within 5 years this would be the most wonderful wildlife haven, providing pollen and nectar and of course berries, fruit and nuts come the winter. A very different scenario from the 5 year old wood made up solely of trees, which planted so closely together, would be offering little to wildlife at this stage. Shrubs grow much faster than trees and are also powerful carbon sequestration systems in their own right!

Plus, what about Agro-forestry, where a farmer might plant only 100 trees a hectare (instead of well over a 1000 per hectare in a forestry plan) and continue to graze the pasture under the trees with livestock? Don’t forget that permanent pasture is also a great sequester of carbon!

The French Ministry of Agriculture has a target of ‘50% of farmers using Agro-forestry by 2025’. 

Sheep grazing amongst newly planted trees - Agro-forestry

The UK needs to increase its woodland cover, but we are also losing many trees through Ash die-back disease. It is reckoned that we may well lose over 95% of Ash trees, one of our most common trees in the landscape.

It is worth noting that with current tree planting pledges, the UK’s existing tree nurseries will quickly run out of native sourced and grown trees, so there is a supply chain issue. The ash die-back fungus was almost certainly introduced through imported sapling trees for planting in the UK. 

So, the Government needs to do much, much more than just announce impressive sounding tree planting targets. It needs to overhaul its grant system so as to much better fund Agroforestry and grant aid the planting of shrubs – something I have banged on about for what seems like a life time!

They also need to give better guidance as to the best places to plant new woodland and importantly, where might not be the best place. Finally, they need to fund more tree and shrub nurseries in this country and meanwhile, put in more robust controls over imported saplings, so that we do not introduce further diseases.     



Tuesday 21 January 2020

Despite it being mid-winter, there is still lots to look out for!

Nature often gets ready for spring way before spring arrives. Walking in my local wood yesterday reminded me of this. 

Yew trees are dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers grow on separate trees. The picture below, which I took on my walk, shows a male tree covered in loads of little round flower buds, waiting to burst open in the next few weeks and release masses of pollen into the air. Meanwhile the female flowers on nearby trees will be waiting to intercept some of this pollen as it floats through the air. These will develop over the summer months until eventually they will produce the bright red fruits that we all know.

Also in the centre of the picture you can see the clustered leaf formation of the Yew gall midge (Taxomyia taxi), often known as the Yew artichoke gall - for obvious reasons! I reckon this gall is actually quite common, but suspect it is often overlooked as it so easily passes off as a new growth shoot. 

Inside the gall will be the little orange coloured larvae that can mature after one year, but will very often stay put for two years, hatching eventually in July as an adult flying midge.

So check out your nearby Yew trees - there is always something happening in every month of the year.



A Yew artichoke gall (centre) surrounded by male flowers on a Yew tree, waiting to open in a month or so, in order to release loads of pollen 

Thursday 16 January 2020

Listening fungi - you must be joking!

Jew's ear fungus


A couple of weeks ago, I came across some small, rather shrivelled up fungi in my local wood. I assumed that they were probably Auricularia auricula-judae, commonly called Jew's ear, Jelly ear or Wood ear fungus, as they can quite often resemble an ear!

I know that these fungi can dry out completely or freeze solid, becoming shrivelled, dry and brittle. However, when the rain returns, they can reabsorb water and “flesh out” once again. So yesterday following a very wet few days, I returned to where I had found them and was rewarded with some spectacular fungi!

The term “Jew’s ear” might seem a rather peculiar name, but it certainly was not intended to be anti-Semitic. It is a reference to the fact that Judas Iscariot is believed to have hanged himself from an Elder tree, because of the shame he felt after betraying Jesus to his executioners. This fungus is most often found (but not exclusively) growing on Elder and it is thought that the ears that emerge are visible reminders of Judas’ tormented spirit.  

The flesh of the ear is purple-brown in colour and has quite a gelatinous feel to it when touched. Although I have never tried them, they are apparently quite good to eat and are popular in some eastern countries.

It just shows that even in the middle of winter, there is plenty to find in the countryside if you keep your eyes, and dare I say it “ears” open too!   

Tuesday 7 January 2020

Catch 22

Just before Christmas this little chap - a male Sparrowhawk - started rushing through the garden, causing chaos and fear amongst the other garden birds. You can tell that this is a male as he is much smaller than the female and has quite a rich rufous coloured barring on his breast, whereas the female has a much greyer colour to the barring.

To begin with I only saw him occasionally, perhaps once every three days or so. But then he got lucky and managed to catch himself a blue tit, which he plucked and ate while sitting in the same little apple tree as in this picture. Now, he reckons our garden is a good bet for a scoff, so he is visiting us two or three times a day!! (I suspect he goes around all the bird tables in the village!)


A Sparrowhawk - such an amazing hunter!
Now here is the dilemma. I feed my garden birds from November until at least the end of April - even longer if it is a late spring. By mid-winter, I have built up plenty of regular visitors, covering a wide array of species, which in turn of course, attracts my "little Exocet missile friend!"

People often say to me "we have a bloody Sparrowhawk taking birds from our garden - what can we do about it?" My reply usually follows the lines of "well, firstly enjoy him or her coming to your garden as they are stunning birds!" This does not always endear me to people, as they are quite understandably fairly protective of "their" lovely little garden birds!

So, I go on to suggest that they feed the birds near to "escape cover" in the form of a thick hedge, bush or tree, so that when some bird raises an alarm call, they can all dash for cover! I say, "when a bird raises an alarm call", because most attempts by Sparrowhawks to catch their next meal, are thwarted by a shout of "danger". Most small birds will react to any other species alarm call, not just their own species.
 
This brings me to the safety in numbers policy. If I have twenty birds feeding in the garden at any given time - that is forty eyes looking out for danger. If I am a bird feeding on my own, I have just the two eyes and these also need to look for food at the same time! So, this same scenario is why many species gather together in flocks over-winter, as a predator avoidance policy.

Therefore, by feeding birds, I am attracting lots of them to my garden, which in turn attracts regular visits from the Sparrowhawk. But are they safer in my Michelin star restaurant garden, or in another "non-fed" garden elsewhere in the village? You, like the birds, will have to decide!





 













Wednesday 1 January 2020

Remembering, but also looking forward

Happy New Year! 
I am restarting my blog once more, and intend writing quite frequently over the coming year - so check it out now and again! I hope you enjoy it! Do also get back to me with your thoughts, as I am always interested to hear from you! 

A friend in New York sent me these photos of a pigeon taking poppies from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier War Memorial in Canberra, Australia. What on earth was it doing with them?  
Well, it turned out that this pigeon was in the process of building one of the most beautiful, yet rather poignant nests ever built! Not just the choice of nesting material was extraordinary, but the positioning of the nest was amazing too, as you can see below, it was right beside a stained glass window.
The poppy of course represents the remembrance of those who have fallen in conflicts from around the world, chosen because this plant sprang up across the churned up battle fields, turning them into a blaze of red. The poppy seeds had been lying dormant under ground, waiting for something to disturb the soil above. Tragically, this time it was the horror of war that gave them the opportunity that they had been waiting for, to spring into life once again.
This pigeon I feel, also reminds us that after death, new lives will spring forth. These poppies represented those who are no longer with us, but they then went on to support a new beginning as well, cradling the pure white eggs that this pigeon will lay.
Rather wonderful I think!