Debris

 

Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) have been busy.

Ringed pine

Something new, I've not seen this practice in the forest before; a loose spread of just over a dozen conifers set amongst the mixed deciduous stands of the lower reaches of James's Hill have had their trunks broadly ringed by the forestry. Known as 'ring barking' or 'girdling', the aim of ringing a tree is to kill it, or sometimes to stimulate coppice growth, it this case I'm saying the former; removing the band of living bark stops the essential movement of fluids around the tree causing stress, promoting dieback and/or disease. I'm imagining the reasons for using this method are the difficulty moving machinery over/through this terrain without causing damage, or maybe the desire to create dead upstanding wood - once dead these trees could remain standing for years. Whatever, an interesting and unusual sight.

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.

Inner light

As is so often the way, the picture doesn’t capture what the eye does, or maybe what the minds eye does. This recently slighted and split young Scots Pine shone through Beech Beds enclosure, through the stands it's inner wood appeared to issue a golden luminescence; such a striking sight that on first spying it I was momentarily stopped in my tracks as my mind searched for an explanation. I don't know what caused it; maybe the light on the day was just right to cause an optical illusion or similar, or maybe it was something else, the forest is a magical place after all.

Golden light

The light had had a golden hue to it all afternoon, as the oblique autumn sunlight  has, though with the approach of sunset came a brief period when the golden hue intensified, bathing the pines which border Hawkhill in a rich and sumptuous gilded bronze light.  Beautiful, man. In only a few minutes the show is over, the light having lost its intensity. I like the way moments like this feel.

Last light

I love those last beams of light as the sun sinks in the evening, those ones which pierce and illuminate the stands, always a deep rich orange in hue.

Cash crop

Cash crop

Unhinged

 

Always with the questions; it's funny the things you find amongst the stands.

Fatwood

Chopping through some Pine I got last year from a friend in preparation for this evenings full Moon fire, I came across some 'Fatwood'. Fatwood is the resin-impregnated heartwood of Pine; most resinous pines will produce fatwood. Why Pines? Coniferous (Pine) tree sap contains the hydrocarbon Terpene which is highly flammable, both when hardened into resin or when still wet and sticky.  It takes a light quickly and easily, burns fiercely producing thick black smoke and is a first class fire starting aid. With aid of a sharp axe I created some thin batons of fatwood to be stored in an airtight container for later use. When I need to I'll shave off small curls to use as tinder, each small baton could light several fires. If you come across any fatwood it's worth collecting, and is an invaluable fire starting resource in wet conditions.