Dames Slough

 

There's been extensive clearing and restoration across Dames Slough, you wouldn't believe that this time last year all this was densely planted conifer, they've done a really good of the clearing and restoring too. I look forward to seeing these new (old) landscapes develop.

Avon Water

Wandering the meandering Avon Water this morning I took a moment to marvel at the streams growing diversity, post restoration. It's genuinely amazing. I remember when the old straight drain Avon Water was all steep cut sides and bare naked gravel bottoms, look at it now, sporting an ever increasing range of aquatic and wetland freshwater flora; and of course all the life that thrive there.

Avon Water

 

Not that long ago Avon Water was the straightest of forest drains. If you didn't remember it, you'd never imagine it.

Weedy

For the most part, my childhood memories of the forests' streams are of sheer sided bare gravel bedded waterways, faster flowing than today, the straightened drains of the Victorian forestry age. The streams of today are different. Increasingly over the years since the program to restore the forests' streams and stream-lets to their original meandering courses, the flow has slowed and river weeds have slowly begun to colonize their beds, their banks now a feast of flourishing flora. They've regained their natural ambience. As a consequence the streams appear alive with life, far better stocked fish, which in turn has seen Herons and Egrets regularly fishing their waters. And it the scheme of things these restoration projects are relatively new, I imagine things will only get better.

Carr wood

A lush sea of greens, the carr woodland running along side the restored length of Avon Water above Wootton Bridge is something to behold. They exert an allure over you, the call of the primeval maybe. We know from environmental archaeology that this type of environment would've been well known to our prehistoric ancestors, a favoured landscape as rich source of resource opportunities. We also know that these wet places were sacred to our ancestors through the numerous ritually deposited artefacts and burials associated with them. I think I'm going to have to go for an explore.

Avon Water

 

A meandering Avon Water.

Warwickslade Cutting

Glorious out in the forest again this morning. Warwickslade Cutting near Camel Green and it's connection to Highland Water, I'll frequently take a shot of this section, although that's usually during autumn as the stream here runs wide and shallow allowing for magical reflections of the canopies autumn tints. Not so reflective at this time of year though as the water level drops and the flow narrows soon to disappear below ground, though still as beautiful. The restored courses of the forests' drains  to their original  organically developing slow flowing meanders has transformed the forest and continue to do so.

Holmsley Bog

Where ever you look evidence of the success of the stream restoration program is clear to see. I regularly comment on how the slower transit of water through the Forests' waterways is changing the nature of its' streams and their environs; it's also invigorated their watersheds too, where the Forests' bogs and mires are looking healthy. Which is a good thing.  These are rare environments. The Forests' shallow valley wetlands represent 80% of those in Lowland England.

Warwickslade Cutting

Warwickslade Cutting is what a well restored and re-established forest stream looks like; a stunning vision of natural beauty.

Avon Water

 

Avon Water used to be a straightened drain until restored to it's previous course in the mid twenty teens. Now nearly a decade on the stream corridor is well on the way to returning to bog woodland, impassable without wellies through the wetter seasons and little better during the rest of the year; all signs of it's Victorian past have been erased, including the navigable path. It's weird, the forest streams played a major part in our children's childhood, we've got hundreds of photos and video clips along with countless memories of days spent on their banks; though through the restoration process many of those much loved spots we frequented now exist only in memory and media.

Denny's all opened up

Denny enclosure's all opened up, swathes of mainly coniferous woodlands have been clear cut and the ground they stood completely cleared and graded; I'm excited to see how this landscape regenerates; the face of the forest is changing all over. This morning Denny enclosure's heathland restoration reminded me of the days on the Newbury bypass in the mid 90's; a damp and dank misty day, smoke from debris fires hanging is the air, and clumps of spared trees silhouetted on a scoured landscape; except today was devoid of people and machines, and the works being undertaken were for restorative rather than destructive ends. 

Wet wilderness

Winter's inclement weather changes the forest, turning it into a totally different beast from it's usual welcoming environment. It's at times like this, with swathes of the forest inundated and impassible or at least unnavigable, I imagine the forest of yesteryear; less formal or managed, a real wilderness where keeping to a route or travelling at a reasonable pace is near impossible. Year on year since the stream restoration project began over 20 years ago you've seen the forest's stream environs regain some of that wildness; its not just the streams themselves either, all the rivulets that feed them back up too, filling the surrounding woodland, creating an even more extensive obstacle. It makes for interesting walks.

Insurmountable inundation

Our route from Spy Holms to Burley Old was blocked this morning by an insurmountable inundation; Red Rise Brook had breached it's banks and now covered swathes of it's environs. There were no crossing points to be found, and we looked; the bridges were inaccessible, the fords deep under water, jump spots had splashdowns rather than landings, and any overhanging boughs were untraversable. I considered wading to a bridge, it would've only been knee deep; I ummed and ahhed, then asked the coin - the coin said no, so our walk was truncated. I should've known better really, and approached from a different direction after heavy rain. On a positive note, it was always an intended outcome of stream restoration that the forest flooded as it would've historically; so, nice to see the plan worked.

No Man's Walk

 

I have no idea why No Man's Walk is so named, it's always appeared quite a innocuous stretch of land, nothing visibly or emotionally disconcerting to the place. For years the woodland through here which bordered a narrow deep cut drain, the headwater of Warwickslade Cutting, was a really great spot for Hedgehog mushrooms; though a decade or so ago, the drain was restored to it's original course, the environs now becoming much boggier, and as a consequence the woodlands are not such a great spot for Hedgehog mushrooms. Looks nicer though, more florally diverse, more organic looking; it's natural look is far better. One note: it's not at all boggy at the moment, oh contraire, the forest continues to desiccate as our heatwave continues. 

Avon Water

You'd never imagine that as recently as 2017 Avon Water was a broad straightened deep cut stream; now it's definitely one of the forest's stream restoration projects that has most quickly born results; today Avon Water is completely unrecognisable from the stream and landscape it was. A part of me embraces the change, positive as it is, although another part of me laments the loss of a loved stream side walk; nowadays at this time of year even defining where the stream flows is problematic, and even in the drier season the re-establishing carr/bog woodland environment remains soft and wet underfoot; though today with some judicious hops, skips and jumps, some nimble footwork across lain branches and sticks, and a bit of occasional clambering, a sort of stream side walk route was negotiable. Although 'walking' didn't really describe our outing this morning; still, nice out mind.

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.

Frame Heath

This morning, long before we could see the smoke or caught a glimpse of the fire through the stands, we caught the scent of wood smoke carried on the wind. They're clearing and landscaping pockets of Frame Heath Enclosure, it looks like they're restoring the landscape to open wet heathland, as it would've been nearly 200 years ago pre forestry activities. When established these heathland pockets added to the deciduous and coniferous mosaic create wonderful niche environments for flora and fauna to flourish; they also enrich your woodland walking experience offering you opportunities to spot wildlife you may have otherwise missed; the smaller pockets have an air of magical grove to them too...which is nice.

Preserved in aspic

 

There are two faces to landscape conservation: the restoration of natural environments and the maintenance of historic environments. The re-channelling of sections of the forest streams to their pre Victorian courses are an example of the former; and I'd suggest the removal of conifers from the fringes of the Knowles is the latter. I've often said that to a great degree the New Forest is far from a natural environment, the creation of layers of human activity spanning millennia; left to it's own devices the forest would be a very different place. These pines have probably been removed as part of the ongoing 'Conifer removal on Ancient Woodland sites' plan. Without continuous management the growth of pine, birch and carr species would swallow the managed woodland mosaic hundreds of years in the making via human interventions; in reality the forest is a smorgasbord of historic landscapes/environments we desperately try to hold in aspic.

Bratley Water

 

Up on Ocknell Plain, just beyond the end of the old Stoney Cross airfield, multiple small rivulets flow into Slufters Bottom and Bratley Water is born; eventually Bratley, after a couple of name changes will merge with Highland water to become the Lymington River emptying into the Solent.  A few years back much of Slufters enclosure's conifers were harvested exposing the pre-existing deciduous core through which Bratley Water runs, and returning most of the surrounding landscape to open heath. At that time Bratley Water itself was restored to a more pleasing natural meander, and it's a real transformation...a positive one. Slufters conifers choked the infant stream and it's deciduous environs, as well as obscuring long views across the forest from all directions. I'm still taken by the restored vistas when in this part of the forest, and am enjoying the slow re-naturalizing of Slufters Bottom. 

Knight Wood

The forest is full of magical hidden places, places that are a little off the beaten track, the places in-between, overlooked and rarely trodden. Places where you seldom, if ever, see others, and connection to woods and nature is easy. These are some of my favourite places, as they retain a certain something only felt, impossible to articulate. Above, a restored Warwickslade cutting meanders through the misty stands of Knight Wood; the restoration has resulted in the woodland slowly becoming waterlogged... it's welly country, and will only get wetter as the effects of restoration bed in. Knight Wood is unenclosed deciduous old forest, the oldest tracts being those of majestic veteran beech on the, slightly, higher ground, more recent the mature oaks through which Warwickslade cutting flows (they date somewhere in the 1800's, and drainage). Some of these oaks are not liking the wetter aspects of the restored landscape one bit, their broken limbs litter the woodland floor and several of the trees are looking rather peaky. Full restoration to bog woodland will be a long journey mind, it'll take decades for these oaks to be replaced by returning carr species. You know, I don't remember ever seeing another soul amongst these oaks, I'm sure there must be other visitors, and maybe they're thinking that they've never seen anybody here either.