We walked across the land from Brian’s house, Field Cottage, on a glorious October day, to Steve’s wood. Down what was once a boundary lane, through a practical lean to, into the wood. The 2 acres seemed so much larger, and remarkably diverse. Planted in 1987, the year of the storm, it is therefore the same age as Gallowsfield wood. It was planted by David Appleton’s father, as a place for nature.
The most stunning for me was to see was the growth in the hazel over a year, well over a meter and a half, which Steve had effectively layered, creating protective areasa, along with some dead hedging. He is propagating wild flowers, (ladies bedstraw, campion, wild carrot etc) the ground (clay) feels fecund and rich, expressing so many fungi at this time of year.
The other stunner was the effective treatment for Ash dieback. By stressing the tree (digging a hole into it) and pollarding it, seemed to save the ash.
Around the pond, he’d made a firing pit.
It was inspiring to see all Steve had done in 2 years, to feel his dedication to the wood, and careful management. When I’ve finished with the blessed computer stuff, I’ll return to my wood with these fresh eyes.
Kaliwood 