Christmas Trees

 Christmas Trees.

Our Christmas tree

Many conifers are used as Christmas Trees. In the U.K most are Norway Spruce or Nordmann Fir. Both are native to Europe. The Norway spruce, the Christmas tree introduced by Prince Albert, occurs naturally in Northern and Eastern Europe and in the Alps, but not in the U.K. The Nordmann Fir is a tree of the mountains of Turkey and the Caucasus, hence its alternative name the Caucasian Fir.

A Nordmann Fir 
Pruned by the deer.

The reason they are the most common is that they are the most readily available. Norway Spruce is an important commercial tree, so is available in large numbers. It is fast growing though for the Christmas tree market the leader needs to be trimmed back or there will be too much trunk between branches. Being a Spruce is very not suitable as a cut tree in dry centrally heated houses. The needles dry out die and drop off. The Nordmann Fir being a fir holds its needles even when they are dead. This makes it a more suitable indoor tree. The disadvantage with it is that it is slow growing, taking about twice as long as Norway to reach 6ft. The reason Nordmann is the most available Fir, when there are many faster growing ones. Is that the new leaves flush fairly late in the spring after most frosts, so in the U.K. there are not too many losses, or trees that need pruning to keep straight.  

I have both Norway Spruce and Nordmann Fir at Pit Wood, and could find ones that were a suitable size. I didn't have a Nordmann that hadn't been mauled by the rabbits/hares/deer. One thing I have learnt is that Fir is synonymous with fodder. The Norway Spruce have been planted to form a wind break in years to come.

 We have a Japanese Red Cedar as our "real" tree, a more open and droopy tree than most. It is the top six feet of one that was being removed to give space to neighbouring Douglas Fir that have timber potential.  It is the middle of the three trees in the picture. The Douglas on either side are now shading it so it will become increasingly stunted. The Douglas will have more light now it has gone.  

Cairn Wood History Part III

Cairn Wood History Part III.

By the spring of 2010 it was obvious that many of the trees were struggling with the conditions. Presumably the heavy clay "soil". The  areas at either end of the field which had been planted with saplings from the garden, because throwing them out seemed wrong, and these were areas which could not be subsoiled. It was  mainly Oaks with a few Silver Birch, they had grown quite well. The Silver Birch were out performing the Downey Birch I had planted, though the later were supposed to do better in damp conditions. Oak and silver birch would be planted.  

Initially, I had decided not to make Oak a  significant part of the plantings, because everybody with a small wood was planting Oak for environmental feel good reasons. I wanted my woods to be productive. By 2010 I was realising the difference in timber quality between commercial and environmentally managed woods. Oak for timber and timber generally moved up the priority list.

For the winter 2010 planting season a strip along the A1 side had been cleared and subsoiled. I elected to plant Silver Birch, Oak and Western Red Cedar the conifer which I thought would do best on the slightly alkaline soil. Ash regen from the field were also fitted in. A clear vehicle wide strip would be needed to enable the hedge to be cut and left by the A1. A row of Hazel bordered the strip, this was to to make it simple to keep the area clear for a tractor. 

  As well as changing my planting priorities I started negotiating for  7 acres on the Trent flood plain. I had been made redundant, but was retained as a casual. The income hit was not too great and the redundancy payment more than paid for the mixed area that was to be Pit Wood.
  The winter of 2010/11 proved a real challenge. 300 bare rooted Oak and Silver Birch were delivered on the last Friday in October. 50 were panted on the Saturday. There was a hard frost Sunday night and the frost on the ground, certainly where the sun didn't reach, remained until January.  The unplanted trees had their roots covered in soil in the garden, heeled in as it is known. They were eventually planted in January.

That winter saw two nights reach -18 C and two separate weeks when the temperature didn't get above Zero. Planting went on into April. By June it was apparent that there was no growth on the Eucalypts, some of which were 20 foot high. I had always thought some species were vulnerable  but looking at temperature records I thought most would survive. The heavy clay meant that roots were shallow and restricted, as Eucalypts do not have a dormant period they require water all through the year. The winter here was colder than 1946/7 and without the insulating effect of snow soil temperatures will have been unprecedented. 

It wasn't until the end of July that some basal shoots had formed on some of the 3/4 year old Eucalypts. A few E. rodwayi from 2008 also showed signs of life. A couple of hundred Eucalypts I was growing from seed in the house under lights would have to be planted in the new wood.