A close up of oak bark with lichen.
In the moist conditions of a river gully, this alder trunk provides a habitat for an abundance of mosses & ferns.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Woodland Tapestries
With all the leaves off the trees it is a great time to enjoy the diversity of shapes and colours on the tree trunks.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
TWCP now on sale
Our TWCP report is now on sale for £7.50 from the Watermill bookshop in Aberfeldy, or direct from Scottish Native Woods. (£10 if postage is required).
1 Crieff Road, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2BJ)
We will be looking to open up some other outlets as well.
Below is a link to article in Scotsman yesterday.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/Explorers-find-source-of-the.6698848.jp
Friday, 21 January 2011
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Out & About After the Thaw
The slow thaw is underway in the North East and allowing access to the woods again.
The quantity and longevity of the snow fall so far this winter has resulted in a variety of damage to our woods.
In a number of young native woods planted over the last few years, the heavy & drifting snow has pushed over tree stakes and broken tree ties.
To ensure the years of tree growth are not wasted and before this summers growth, it is important to undertake remedial work such as replacing & firming tree stakes or renewing tree ties.
During the winter months in periods of deep snow mammals such as rabbits & roe deer survive by feeding on tree bark exposed above the snow.
In the case of this young willow tree, the base has been protected from browsing damage and it will regrow or coppice from the base.
The quantity and longevity of the snow fall so far this winter has resulted in a variety of damage to our woods.
In a number of young native woods planted over the last few years, the heavy & drifting snow has pushed over tree stakes and broken tree ties.
To ensure the years of tree growth are not wasted and before this summers growth, it is important to undertake remedial work such as replacing & firming tree stakes or renewing tree ties.
During the winter months in periods of deep snow mammals such as rabbits & roe deer survive by feeding on tree bark exposed above the snow.
In the case of this young willow tree, the base has been protected from browsing damage and it will regrow or coppice from the base.Monday, 10 January 2011
If you go down to the woods today...
There's not a lot happening at the moment with the white stuff everywhere and just after the hols, but in November we had the last of our Forestry for People taster days. This was a celebration of the project so was a cook-out over an open fire, with toasted marshmallows and chocolate bananas. Lashing sticks together
With a couple of simple knots this can be used as a precursor to shelter building.
Putting the fire out
The most important thing is being able to put the fire out again. This gives the children a sense of responsibility as well as confidence in their own skills.They are always surprised how much water it takes even to put out a small cooking fire, but individual sticks can hold heat for hours and could start the fire again so they need a good soaking.
If done correctly this will be a "leave no trace" fire and it will look as though we had never been.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Deer fences or no
The issue of woodland regeneration with or without fences has suddenly become very topical. This is a complex issue which we are really only now beginning to understand and to articulate properly. There are many areas in Scotland where we are indeed getting good regeneration without the need for deer fences, such as above, near Tyndrum in Highland Perthshire. Below are some other examples.
Expect this issue to run for a bit now over the following few months. It is probably the early snow bringing deer down in to shelter sooner than normal that has caused this issue to come on the Agenda just now.
Woodland creation behind fences
Friday, 31 December 2010
Tay Western Catchments Report
Scottish Native Woods yesterday received confirmation of a very welcome donation that will allow us to print another 2000 copies of our TWCP survey report for wider distribution from mid January onwards. The report will be sold in hard copy for £7.50 plus P & P.
You can download a free low resolution copy by linking here: http://www.scottishnativewoods.org.uk/index.asp?lm=60 and scroll down to TWCP Final Report pdf.
More information on outlets and ordering will be available in a few weeks when we have worked out the details.
Salmon Life Cycle
The TWCP survey was focused on improving the riparian environment for fish. This excellent ilustration of the salmon life cycle has been produced by Robin Ade for the Atlantic salmon Trust.
Monday, 27 December 2010
Through the branches
These photos taken on Boxing day along the Tay. This is late in the afternoon and everything has a blue tinge to it.
The Black Wood of Rannoch
Here are some photos today from the west end of the Black wood of Rannoch...here on Finnart Estate. It was very overcast today, not good for photography. This photo was taken at 1 pm, looking almost black & white.
A wildcat sighting......
I seen a wildcat cross the road today on the way across to Rannoch. Although it is hard to tell 100%, it was certainly big enough, and had the characteristic big bushy tail, flattened at the end.
Nearly a good picture......
This would have been a well framed picture if there had been a bit more light as the roe doe is very alert and looks well against the winter woodland backdrop
Oh deer, blurry again......
This is a red deer calf from this year...again, light not good and a bit blurry.....
Friday, 24 December 2010
A cold Christmas Eve
Here is a series of photos taken by the Tay today, on Christmas Eve.
Merry Xmas everyone.
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