weather recording

Coppicing and hedging …

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After last month’s collective sigh (from both the forest garden and from me!), December has been a very active month, and a large part of it has been spent on coppicing the Goat Willow (Salix caprea) on the north-eastern boundary.

  • Goat Willow overdue for coppicing
  • Three stems left for photosynthesis after coppicing. Note the space now between the willow stems and the surrounding oaks
  • The coppiced stumps
  • From left, stakes and small wood, poles, firewood
  • Biomass piles for spreading in the Coppice area
  • Where willow stems were removed, saplings of other trees are revealed leaning towards the light
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René, the cèpes, and a busy month!

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Forest cèpes (Boletus spp.)

There’s been so much going on this month, it’s difficult to know where to begin, but I think my neighbour René and his cèpes deserve pride of place. (You’ll have to imagine what he looks like as he doesn’t want his picture to appear on ‘The Internet’, and I respect his wishes).

For me he epitomises the spirit of still being able to gather what Nature has to offer us, and he does it in a sustainable way, on his own, using his local knowledge of where and when a pigeon will be flying over, or the forest mushrooms will appear in the undergrowth. A modern-day hunter/gatherer, he takes just what he needs for himself and I get to share some of his bounty!

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