The areas of woodland at the farm are some of the most interesting, especially since they're developing in a very natural way, without much conscious planning. Also very pleasant to explore!
A couple of years ago at the start of our farm project, we had an idea to develop the area to the back of the site for more fruit and veg, possibly even putting a polytunnel along the line of the fence. We never got round to doing any of that, so the area started to grow out into scrubland, regenerating naturally towards woodland. This is such a fascinating process in itself that we decided simply to let it happen, using it for teaching and demonstration, and making paths into this area to link up with an area of existing mature woodland and the existing wheelchair-access paths made by the Westbank project.
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| The top of the wheelchair-accessible walkway built by the Westbank project |
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| Looking down towards our new enormous polytunnel |
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| Very interesting to see that there can be life after Spruce... light getting in and a thriving under-storey |
THE MORE YOU LOOK THE MORE YOU SEE
There's so much going on in there! Looking around as you walk along the
pathways you can see regeneration and succession in process, how
different light levels effect what will grow, what grows in and around
the different trees, the effect of a full canopy and how it's different
to the woodland edge, the difference bewteen the North and South sides,
the abundant and varied under-storey, various edible plants and
berries, loads of insects, birds, squirrels... and that's just a
start...
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| Also mature broad-leaved trees... |
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| Loads of elder, great for flowers as well as berries |
WOODLAND YIELDS
We have a rough plan to continue to allow the area to develop naturally, with minimum management, so as to gain a variety of yields while allowing its general diversity to develop. Yields, not just of berries and other food but also of poles for woodwork, medicinal herbs, blossom to support the bees on the site, and mushrooms to name just a few, though it's main yield will no doubt be as a teaching/demonstration asset.
Our idea is to show how abundant local woodland can lie at the heart of a sustainable, local, natural, healthy economy and support this with a range of courses on the necessary skills such as treecare, foraging and green woodwork.
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| I've already been using poles from this area of willow for furniture |
BY THE WAY...
Much of my personal input for the woodland development comes from a visit way back in 2008 I made helping on a project in Wales where a large area had been allowed to regenerate back into woodland, Tir Penrhos Isaf. The result was a fascinating journey of observation for the owners, Chris and Lyn Dixon. Being permaculture teachers, the woodland became an excellent teaching resource for them. Chris says, "Doing nothing produced our best yield".
