Heathland haircut

 

I've mentioned in the past how the forest is a far from natural environment requiring endless maintenance to preserve the status quo; a couple of weeks past, piles of young conifers, Scots pines, were testament to this continuous process; removed to conserve the open heathland environment. Today they were gone, evidence of their presence reduced to ash; the illusion of the timeless unchanging forest preserved in aspic is perpetuated. I imagine a couple of decades with no human interference would create a forest landscape unrecognisable to us; it wouldn't take long for woodland to encroach upon  and colonise the open heathland. Reminds you that, for the most part, woodland would be the dominant environment without out interference.