Dames Slough drain

 

The remodelling of Dames Slough drain some years ago has had the desired effect, the environs of the reinstated forest rivulet are significantly wetter for longer. As a consequence a broad band of adjacent trees have found it impossible to tolerate their new habitat, succumbing to the damp conditions. This is a reoccurring phenomena wherever waterways are restored to their former pre Victorian courses. Reminding us that the forest was once a much wetter landscape all round.

Dames Slough

After a brief downpour, the sun returns, instantly evaporating the aforementioned downpour, and the cycle begins again.   

Timber

 

The quantities of timber that have been extracted from the forest this year is staggering. Forestry tracks lined with stack after stack of cut and graded timber. The face of the harvested parts of the forest has been transformed, with all the coniferous wood removed, leaving only the occasional isolated deciduous clumps and individual trees, it's difficult to orientate yourself. The purpose? Beyond the harvest, which will be very lucrative in itself, is to restore the forest to its' more open nature by reintroducing pockets of heathland and open woodland grazing.

Heathland restoration

 

The face of the forest is changing at quite a pace as restoration programmes undo the works of previous generation in pursuit of a more balanced and environmentally sensitive forestry.  I've been pleased with these programmes so far and am excited to see the current ones develop. That said, change still takes a time getting used to, and if honest a bit of me mourns the loss of the forest I've known. All is transient though, only change is eternal.

Floods

 

Not a sight we've seen as much as we should've, a forest stream overflowing into the forest around it. It was a particularly dry winter and continues a particularly dry spring too. And although a force nature today, Black Water will be back within banks by tomorrow; the water's running off the land so quickly not because the ground is saturated, rather it's so dry.

Fall

Most of the leaves have left the trees and litter the the ground around them. Lying in the water filled ditches reflecting on where they came from. Fall is almost done.

Speckled Jim

 

There's a certain region of the forest where I find a lot of 'Old Speckled Hen' cans. I'm going to suggests that they're being deposited by the same individual, the modus operandi appears consistent, similarly crushed, usually deposited at the base of or wedged in a tree; an individual I'm going to call 'Speckled Jim', after the beer and Melchettes' boyhood pigeon from Black Adder; pigeons are usually referred to as filthy aren’t they? Jim's a filthy man-pigeon.

Drainage

 

Without drainage much of the 'forest' would be wholly unsuitable for growing timber, too wet you see, hence the extensive drainage networks and the Victorians straightening of lengths of forest stream. Times change though, as do priorities. Today many sections of the streams have been returned to their pre Victorian courses, and all over the forest the filigree of drains go for the most part unmaintained, often filling with debris to the point where many are becoming redundant. The forest is returning to a more natural boggy state.

Dames Slough

Dames Slough

Dames Slough

The flooded stands of Dames Slough still look decidedly Louisianan. Long stretches of the forests' stream environs remain under water as repeated downpours help to replenish the waters; the restoration of the streams was supposed to hold water in the forest, and it works really well. The geology of the forest helps too creating a landscape which soaks up water like a sponge, even the raised areas of woodland are sodden and yielding underfoot.

Cauliflower

 

A perfect example of a young Cauliflower fungus (Sparassis crispa) on the edge of Dames Slough; often they'll grow through sticks and bracket, the lobes and folds becoming filled with debris, but these folds were clean and pristine. Listed as 'edible good' they're a tasty mushroom; this one would be a good one for cooking as usually their a bugger to clean.

Southern bayous

 

I hadn't expected things to get wetter this quickly. Through Dames Slough the woodland adjacent to Black Water has the look of a bayous too it; making our walk quite exciting. The nearby raised forestry track and bridge are in risk of being overwhelmed; the bridge has scant space remaining beneath it and the track is already ankle deep in water for 40m or so towards Burly Old and higher ground. When the forest's like this it reminds me of what a forbidding landscape it must've been to traverse prior to fair roads and bridges.

Oak stand in Dames Slough

Oak stand in Dames Slough.

Dames Slough

Dames Slough. Even the forestry drains have a certain beauty to them.

Cash crop

Reminders that the forest which I love so much exists only at the whim and hand of man; created by, managed and manicured by man, and that it remains a going concern are common.  This block in Dames Slough enclosure which was clear cut harvested a few years back is being replanted; I don't know yet whether it'll be a deciduous or coniferous block, but it's being quite tightly planted, only a fraction of the plot has been staked and already there are hundreds of stakes; when we passed the was just one guy working on the project too.

Wetter

 

I return to blogging after a covid hiatus to find my forest roams in a similar state to that which they were before I left, wet. Well, to be honest it would be more accurate to describe them as wetter. This is the highest the water's reached at the Dames Slough bridge for a while. Days of what's seemed like near endless rain sees the forest's stream corridors inundated, becoming broad linear lakes snaking between the stands, whilst the rivulets and drains that feed them have all broken their banks their wet fingers spreading out amongst the trees, even some of the forestry tracks have been made impassible or at least difficult to negotiate due to lengths of running/standing water. What I'm try to say is the forest's bloody wet.

Here comes the rain again

The rain ran down the forest's trees in streams this morning, a testament to it's intensity. The video's on it's side (I couldn't work out how to reorientate it), but you can see the persistent flow.

Black Water

On this morning's walk it was a relief to see Black Water flowing again; what a difference a couple days make, eh. Geoff certainly approved. Of course, it's nowhere near maximum flow, and still easy to cross via numerous gravelly patches, but still, good to see.  

Dames Slough drain

It's not only the forest streams that have been restored to something like their pre-Victorian courses, the project has also included some of the larger drains, themselves originally small brooks and tributaries. Through Dames Slough enclosure, below Dames Slough Hill, what was another near straight drain now meanders gently between the stands as it would've 200 years ago...or maybe it was open wet heath back then? As a consequence, and like other restored forest watercourses, the trees in the direct environs are having to adjust to a much wetter environment; as with the other sites, some oak and beech handle it better than others, although eventually most, if not all, will drown, to be replaced by carr woodland species.

Natural arch

Natural art or natural arch; both or neither. What are the chances of three trees interacting like this? Which poses the question did they? They certainly looked a natural happening, though I was so busy thinking 'hey cool' that I may have been had; looking at the photo now, I'm questioning it's natural authenticity. Not that it matters really, it's cool either way.