Trees for the Chop

We’ll be recycling some trees this year into firewood and wood chip. A bit of a forced decision, truth be told. Started using my manure mountain in one of the new deep raised beds.

The Three Sycamores

Trees for the Chop

We’ve got quite a lot of trees scattered around our land, mostly planted by us. However, when we moved here, fifteen years ago, there were four large sycamores running in a line across the slope that leads down to the walled vegetable plot.

They’re pretty tall, and they do shade the vegetable plot a bit of a morning, but they house some crows and are rather impressive. I know the sheep farmers don’t like crows, but I’ve not seen them harm any lambs here. They’re very intelligent birds and quite friendly.

The trees don’t look like normal sycamores. They’re tall, thin and almost two-dimensional. Their odd shape is due to a power line running near. Every couple of years, the power company come along and trim the trees, so the lines do not touch the tree.

More accurately, they cut back the new growth so that it does not grow to touch the line. Tree surgery near a power line is a very specialist task, an electric shock will ruin your whole day.

A couple of years ago, one of the trees came down in a storm. Basically it was rotten, which allowed the wind to snap the trunk. I’ve been concerned about the remaining three trees. I can’t see any rot, but I couldn’t see any rot on the one that fell until it fell.

Electric Suppliers to Fell the Trees

Anyway, a chap from the electric turned up and explained they intended to cut the three trees down. They’d cut them down, then cut them up to manageable pieces that I can process for firewood. The brash will be chipped, another very useful product for me.

I wasn’t keen on the idea. For a start, they’re home to the crows and I rather like the crows. And, I like trees. But, getting them attended to myself would be very expensive and with the number of storms we get now, I think it’s more a matter of ‘when they’re blown down’ rather than ‘if’.

Now my plan is to replace those trees by planting more trees around the holding. At least another six sycamores, for starters. Italian alders and goat willow do well here, so they can go on the list, as well. I’ll have to give some thought to exactly where they’re going, but that can wait a while.

Now I know sycamores and Italian alder aren’t ‘native species’ but both are common and established in the UK and the wildlife don’t mind. Better than acres of monoculture conifers. I’ve got some conifers, and I don’t particularly want any more. Leylandii grow incredibly quickly, but they’re not exactly a great addition to the ecosystem.

Manure Pile Covering Survives!

Tarpaulin Over Manure Pile

As I mentioned in my post about the huge mountain of manure, I bought a tarpaulin to cover it. With the winds we get here, it seemed best to weigh it down as best I can. Lots of rocks, planks of wood and some metal poles. Seems to have worked, so far!

Raised Bed Filling

Filling Manure into Raised Bed

One of the new raised beds had been filled with hedge clippings and potato haulm. It was decomposing slowly, but the wood from the clippings had only really started to break down. Tipped a few barrow loads of the manure on the top, which compressed the clippings below. The manure will help the clippings break down too. I need to go over the bed with a spade and chop up the clumps and lumps.