Hazel leaves can often hang on through to January or February in more western areas, often still staying green right through........
Sunday 29 November 2009
Friday 27 November 2009
Short break before Christmas?
How about an alternative to the 'rat race Christmas'? Comrie Croft Hostel, near Crieff, is offering a chill out time on the run up to Christmas and an opportunity to support charities at the same time. All the takings from bookings on 12 December will go towards their three chosen charities including Scottish Native Woods. Please support us and have some good fun at the same time. See http://www.comriecroft.com/ for more details.
Monday 23 November 2009
Working Farm Woods
We're doing some work on a Farm Woods project for the Argyll & Bute Agriculture Forum just now. Here's one of the farmers involved in the project with some six year old ash and oak that he planted.
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Growing Up With Trees - Stage One
Autumn is time to collect more tree seeds. This Holly has a lot of smooth leaves rather than the normal spikey leaves that deter browsing. Only the female Holly produces the well known red berries.Growing Up With Trees - Stage One
The compost has to be not too moist or too dry. The squeeze test is the best way to find out.Monday 16 November 2009
holly berries
Holly is one of the characteristic species of Scotland's Atlantic rainforests. It survives under the canopy of the oak trees, and the green foliage becomes ever more striking as the other trees drop their leaves.
Thursday 12 November 2009
People's Postcode Trust
Fantastic News! The People's Postcode Trust are supporting our work at Flisk Wood in Fife. We will be repairing and laying paths and building bridges over the streams. This will enhance the Fife Coastal Path and Flisk is a beautiful wood to visit with its views over the Tay estuary.
Small cow wheat
The Birks of Aberfeldy is an ancient woodland site and an SSSI. This flower, called small cow-wheat, is extremely rare in Britain, and the Birks is the second most important site. It requires the damp conditions provided by the falls.
VIDEO- The Falls of Moness
Robert Burns referred to the falls in the third verse of his famous poem, The Birks of Aberfeldy:
The braes ascend the lofty wa’s
The foaming stream deep roaring fa’s
O’erhung wi’ fragrant spreading shaws
-The Birks of Aberfeldy
"Shaws" are hawthorn bushes/ fruits.
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Community Woodlands Association at the Hanging Tree
The Community Woodlands Association Annual Conference at Drumnadrochit included a site visit to The Cover, a woodland where Scottish Native Woods have been working to reduce the impact of Invasive Non Native Species such as Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam.
On the way to the wood we stopped to look at this old Sweet Chestnut, which is known as the Hanging Tree. Until 1747 Highland Lairds often had the power of "pit and gallows": the right pass judgement and to hang male and drown female wrong doers. In 1057 King Malcolm passed legislation requiring those who had this power to maintain a tree for the gallows and a pit of water for drownings. Hanging trees are still found around Scotland, whereas the pits seem to have disappeared.
Monday 9 November 2009
Scots Pine Regeneration
There is a mixture of Scots Pine and larch regeneration here. The trees have been progressively thinned out to let in more light, and deer & rabbit numbers lowered to acheive this. This is a form of continuous cover forestry, known as femelschag.
Thursday 5 November 2009
Horse Chestnut leaves
Horse chestnut, while widely planted and well loved, is not a native in Scotland.
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