The broad arrow

 

Traditionally the mark of government property, the 'Broad Arrow' is the most common form of graffiti you find in the forest. A symbol in use from the end of the Middle Ages right up until the 1980's. The 'Broad Arrows' of the New Forest represent 'Admiralty Marks' or 'Kings' Marks', marking trees for future use by in Royal Navy shipyards. Times changed though, as did the needs of the shipbuilder, and by the middle of the 19th century iron had replaced timber and these marked trees never made it to sea.

Barrow Moor track

A view along the track running through Barrow Moor along the edge of Woosons' Hill enclosure. I know there were forestry trains running through this part of the forest transporting timber to the nearby sawmill at Millyford Bridge during the First World War. I'm not sure whether this track was the route of one of them, but it has a certain something to it that makes me feel it might have been.  That aside, look at the vibrancy of the mosses, how green everything is, this is being replicated in pockets all over the forest. Though not marked on maps highlighting remaining islands of British temperate rainforest, a number of areas in the forest exhibit many of the identifying features and species, and that appears to be increasing every year.

Wooson's Hill

 

Wooson's Hill

Straight drain

Although many of the larger drains have been remodelled, or their depth greatly reduced, there are still plenty of straight drains in the forest. Saying that, you sometimes wouldn't think so what with the forest as wet as it is.

Wooson's Hill graffiti

At first glance this graffiti on a veteran beech at Wooson's Hill is reminiscent of the forestry marks you commonly see around the forest, and it could be, I suppose, although, these forestry marks are usually more superficially carved and have a greater degree of fluidity in style. And, as I say this is 'reminiscent' of, though not the same. I think this graffiti means something else, it's been carved with a different intention. What that intention is, I don't know. It was deeply carved, and although it's really hard to date graffiti on trees without some indicating feature (there are so many variable factors to take into consideration), I reckon, by the way it's healed and scared it was created some years ago. Another forest mystery. 

Tree-pee

A lot of shelter skeletons out in the woods this year, it must have been a good year for building camps.