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Knox Wood - first impressions

Knox Wood – first impressions

by Alan, 19 February, 2024, 0 comments

We purchased Knox Wood in August 2023, part of Boltonmuir Wood, an old woodland site on fairly boggy ground in East Lothian. Our five acres are split 50% almost pure birch (Silver and Downy) regenerating [about 20 years old] and 50% mature Scots Pine that is well thinned over mixed natural regeneration.  All of the site has previously been used for commercial forestry so there is plenty of natural regeneration from Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Silver Fir and Larch. Some oak, rowan, hawthorn and beech regeneration is also present. Roe deer use the site but are not having much impact on the trees, just ticks to be aware of.   Plenty of mosses, ferns and bracken that indicate acidic soil conditions. Our plan is to improve the site for biodiversity and use some birch for green wood working.  So far we have been taking out non-native conifer regen, leaving a few that are suitable for bird nesting and to provide a bit of evergreen shelter. A few Rhododendrons to eliminate as well, easy enough using the lever and mulch technique. We will create some standing deadwood and add to the fairly good level of deadwood from previous birch thinning that is now well rotten.  We will add a few native species, such as Aspen and maybe more Willows for weaving.   Also hoping to grow some edible fungi on site, there are wild mushrooms and I am sure plenty of people already roam around there collecting them.  As Alien Spoons, I teach green wood working so will thin out the birch for spoon carving, shrink pots, bowls and other treen.  Maybe make some besoms and other products with it as well.    [caption id="attachment_41045" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Birch regenerating[/caption]  
A besom or a witch’s broom ?

A besom or a witch’s broom ?

by The blog at woodlands.co.uk, 25 March, 2023, 0 comments

A besom is a bunch of twigs tied to a handle to make a broom. In fiction and children’s stories, a witch is often depicted as flying on such a broom. However, a witch’s broom* can also refer an abnormal growth of twigs in a tree. A number of trees and shrubs (evergreen or deciduous) can develop these ‘abnormal growths’, but in the UK they are more likely to be seen on Birch.  When high up in the canopy, they may be mistaken for a bird’s nest or a ball of mistletoe.  Mistletoe is a different organism, a partial parasite, growing on the tree, whereas a witch’s broom is part and parcel of the tree itself. Normally, the buds of a tree develop in a predetermined sequence that is governed / controlled by plant hormones.  On a twig or stem, the apical bud is dominant and the lateral buds are ‘held back’.  This is under the control of the growth regulator - auxin (indole acetic acid).  Auxin slows or inhibits the growth of the lateral buds so that the apical bud is favoured.  If auxin production is impaired the regulated development of the twigs is upset so that many buds open and develop, and a multitude of closely packed twigs is formed.   Many things can interfere with auxin production, for example, physical damage to a tree, which may allow the entry of micro-organisms - for example, infection with the fungus Taphrina betulina. This fungus can affect dwarf birch, silver birch and downy birch.  Different species of Taphrina can infect hornbeam and cherry resulting in witches brooms on these trees.  Sometimes, a witch’s broom can form as a result of a mutation occurring in a growing region (meristem).  Such brooms are more often seen in certain conifers, sometimes cuttings of these are propagated to make attractive dwarf or colourful new cultivars (for example Picea abies 'Clanbrassiliana Stricta’). * or hexenbesen in German. Thanks to Torquil and Helen for images.

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