NATURE NOTES
Ican’t think of many mountainous areas that don’t have our most extensive form of tree cover – plantations. But are they any good for us and biodiversity? Let’s step into the world of tree farming.
A plantation is just that; farming trees by planting, growing, then harvesting the crop for commercial gain. The increased demand for timber in WWI led to vast areas of upland being planted with fast-growing trees. The cycle starts when the ground is cleared of vegetation with mechanical and chemical help. Next comes the planting of saplings (very young trees). In the first few years, as the trees strengthen and put down roots, they’re normally helped along with the aid of fertilisers. Eventually the crowns of the trees will meet and start to block out light, restricting the trees’ growth. This is the time for the first of two sets of thinning, this being the removal of some trees to benefit the remainder. After about 50-60 years the trees will have reached their optimal commercial size. Now comes the harvest. Recently I had the opportunity to be in the cab of a harvester (an incredible machine that saws and strips trees in seconds, while negotiating mountain slopes), as one after the other 50 years of growth were felled. Death came too quickly to too many. It made me feel a bit sick.
There are many confusingly similar varieties of trees grown in our plantations, but here are four species commonly grown in Britain... First, the Norway spruce, aka the original Christmas tree. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert introduced the German custom of bringing one of these trees into the home and decorating it for the festive period. Since then they’ve become widely grown here as its flexible timber has many uses, including making violins and even deriving beer from its twigs. They grow to 40m, with green pointed needles, and smooth, grey/brown bark. The cones are long and hang downwards.
The Douglas fir is the tallest tree you’ll meet in the UK. Growing to 60m, it’s a native of North America. The bark has a thick, corky appearance, purply/brown in colour, while the needles are flat and dark green, and soft and pale underneath. Cones are oval in shape, with three feathery brackets growing from each scale. The bark is naturally fire retardant, making the Douglas fir an important tree for our ever-warming climate. The wood is, as you might expect, strong for a softwood species. It’s said to ri
