Gorse burning

 

Continuing my regular theme of the curated forest; another vital yearly maintenance activity is burning the gorse (Ulex). Around the forest gorse and heather are burnt ostensibly to generate new growth that'll benefit conservation projects, and to reduce the risks of wild fires; but also to keep in check colonisation by gorse, which would become invasive if left to their own devices. 

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.

Nature / nurture

As I've mentioned previously, the landscape we see and enjoy in the New Forest, like the landscape of much of these isles, is far from the natural environment we imagine. The hand of humans agency has been at play for thousands of years since before the first farmers settled. Many of the landscape types we're used to, such as chalk grassland or here in the forest, both woodland and heathland, are the direct consequence of human intervention and subsequent continuous management. Looking around the Duck Hole landscape this morning it was clear to see that left to her own devices nature will quickly return to her natural form. Every year, for the last few years, more and more saplings have become established over the heathland, predominantly conifers there are also numerous birch and fruiting shrubs, and in the wetter hollows willow too. I wonder how long it'll be before the forestry will clear them, or whether they will actually clear them, or just let them be. It's interesting to think that a reduction in EU funding may impact on the forest appearance, people really didn't understand what the EU 'did for us'. Further on our walk, now crossing Ober Water near Rhinefield, evidence of the forests current management programs is clear. Along the bank of Ober Water the thicket of willow, hawthorn and blackthorn has been cleared, opening up the stream-side woodland...purely cosmetic, to keep the 'nature' of the New Forest picturesque scenes. It's as if we don't like nature in her natural forms.

Blackbird

A Blackbird (Turdus merula) egg, I think? This one didn't make it to hatching, probably stolen and consumed by a predator. I didn't know Blackbirds will raise 3 broods a year, sometimes 4. You'd think you'd see more of them about, and if other birds reproduced as prolifically you'd think the canopies and sky would be packed with birds. It's not though, is it. That should be food for thought, really.

Spring cleaning

They've been doing some land management work along Red Rise Brook, clearing invasive shrubs and trees, opening up vistas and reconnecting areas. It's easy to see the forest as natural landscape, and forget that all it's constituent parts, heath, wood, lawns, are all the consequence of a constant cycle of management, and far from natural. That said, I love it.

Misinformation

A petition came up in my Facebook feed to 'protect our forest stream', of course it caught my attention. It told of plans to destroy a 'natural' stream and 'ruin' the 'natural' environment, it had photos which it said reflected previous 'failed' projects. Moving stuff. Except, it was all disingenuous bollocks, probably done with the best of intensions. It just so happens I'd come across a blog post by a local MP from which the petition derived heavily, and which was so inaccurate and ill informed it beggared belief, although being from an MP had an air of authority, but was little more than nimbyism with an anti EU sub text.  The Bog woodland restoration project is a higher stewardship project partly funded by the EU, and it's been running for over 20 years now, I reckon. I'll admit that when I first came across the diggers in the forest remodelling streams I'd grown up with and loved, I was horrified. Although with some research my fears and doubts were allayed, and as the restored streams and their environs healed any lingering fears and doubts were dispelled. The truth of the matter is, all too often what we perceive as natural, is in fact far from it.  Many of the forest streams (pre restoration) were nothing more than Victorian drains to aid forestry, much of the streams environs were plantation woodland too, not natural. The Bog woodland restoration program has returned these streams to the pre Victorian meandering courses, restored a more natural woodland environ and through those actions benefited nature greatly. The Victorian straightened streams were quite sterile, or at best had limited diversity, the waters ran too fast and the drained environs inhospitable to the forests natural flora and insect life.  I didn't know that at the time and though it was how it should have been. Now though along the restored and well healed sections of meandering streams the increased diversity in flora and insect life is clearly visible.  The once empty streams teem with aquatic flora, a huge variety of insects are now present, fish have begun to return and with them an increased number birds such as Egrets, which I don't remember seeing pre restoration. The stream banks, now free from the scouring of fast flowing waters, host a myriad of plants, which also attract increased and diverse wildlife. The environs too have changed markedly, whereas the  straight drains (streams) channelled the water from the land and swiftly out of the forest, the restored streams slow that process down making the environ and the forest in general seasonally wetter, preventing flooding in the adjoining urban areas and increasing the fertility and diversity of the woodland. So, far from destroying a 'natural' stream and ruining the 'natural' environment, this restoration program is enhancing and to a degree (a tiny degree, mind) re-wilding a environment much diminished by human activity.

And, I say all this not being a big fan of conservation per se, what with it myriad inherent problems, born of its species and arbitrary period specific methodology.  Want to know what I'm going on about? Check out 'Feral' by George Monbiot, he explains it better than me. 

Anyway, my point? Question everything, never take things on face value, no matter how emotive or well meaning they may appear. Misinformation in our information age is rife. But hey, don't take my word though.

Bog Woodland

For about a couple of decades or maybe more now the forestry types have been engaged in reinstating areas of bog woodland lost to drainage during the admiralty years. The straight drains and straightened streams which were for the most part the norm in the forest when I was growing up have been remodeled and where possible returned to their earlier meandering courses. This work has begun to change the face and nature of some areas of the forest. Areas which would only have been wet during the winter are now commonly wet throughout the year and other areas which were never usually wet are now seasonally impassible; the nature of the low parts of the forest landscape are changing. Though, I'm increasingly conflicted about conservation and the more I read the wider my concerns become. What's it all about?  The species selected for conservation or the period in which we set any selected landscape in aspic, appear arbitrary, as therefore are those species we don't conserve; it's certainly not returning said landscape to its natural state. No, it's almost landscape reenactment... just choose historical period. But who chooses and what's the criteria? Rewilding's the direction we need to move in and then allow nature to find her equilibrium