After the Flood

 After the Flood.

I had hoped after publishing the Post "Winter dec 23" I would not have to return to the subject of the December weather. It was rain that fell on the upper reaches of the Trent at the end of December that caused the flooding at Pit Wood similar to the Christmas 2012 flood. A similar area of land was flooded this time possibly not for so long. the weather has been windy but fairly benign,  few night frosts but not much rain here, though there has been plenty further north. What I didn't realise was the extent of damage in the Rectangular field particularly to  the area of felled Alders and Poplars which I have been replanting over the previous 15 months. The area was planted with Alders and Poplars precisely because of the 2012 flood, so I can't say I am shocked. 

The log piles after some had been moved to make
a path. The pallet that can be seen on the left had
been under logs on the right hand side.

The piles of logs that had been disturbed by the local floods of Babat and Gerrit were completely redistributed by the Trent after storm Heck. The first time I went to the Tulip wood I found the triangular arrangement of pallets I used as a gate post had been overturned and the pallet used as a gate was missing. Deer had obviously been eating the Oaks. The two trail cameras which had been set in boxes on chairs had been under water, one of them was totally missing. Some tubex guards had been removed, and a lot of canes were broken, floating dead wood may have knocked them.  

Three pictures of P22 Oaks that have been grazed by deer. The one on the right has just been pruned
by them the leader having got high enough. The other two will  need additional protection and pruning.

The main problem in the Rectangular wood has been the collapse of the dead hedging which has allowed deer into the area to browse the oaks. I only found one Douglas that had been browsed. I have tried to reinforce the hedging with a bit of weaving and Robinia stakes. The old logs I am lining up against a fence line. They have to be moved and I hope they will be difficult for the deer to walk on.

The idea is that they will act a bit like a cattle grid the deer's hooves tending to slip off the round untethered tops of the logs. I will plant Eucs between some of the logs if I have spare trees in the spring. Brash can be piled on the logs as it is generated. The section photographed will get Elder from under the Alders of the nearby shelterbelt. There is no immediate hurry as the weather is a much greater threat to the new trees inside the fence. For the most part they are still in guards.

The situation in the Tulip Wood is different. The deer have just about always been able to get in many  oaks have been browsed. The flooding, high water table and strong winds mean a lot of trees are leaning badly. Unfortunately even those in second hand 1.2m tubes can be browsed if they lean a bit.

On the left Euc Pollards with dying new regrowth, frost?
On the right older regrowth affected by thrips.
The leaves are also in poor condition, caused by flood?  

The worst affected wood is the lowest lying, The Triangular Field several Eucs have fallen over, including pollards that have ideal multi-stem regrowth. A number of pollards with multiple one years regrowth appear to be dying. They may have been frosted or it may be flood related. The former is suggested as areas that were less flooded are also affected.    

The blown E. rodwayi 

It is my intention to fill in any gaps that may appear at the triangular wood with E. rodwayi because as a swamp gum it is more wind firm. It is also more frost tolerant but slower growing. I still will, but I have just found the first P11 Rodwayi to be blown down. Fortunately the crown fell on the ditch side ride, while the trunk bisected other Eucs, so no collateral  damage. The continuously sodden ground has meant that high winds still bring down Eucs in the triangular wood.

The epicormic growth that follows pollarding is less well secured to the trunk and rot working down from the cut surface means that pollards are more likely to loose limbs from the trunk. Pollards with one regrowth stem appear to be more susceptible. They have a large area of the cut growth which is dead allowing rot in. They are more lopsided and may have less photosynthetic potential to combat infection. They are also more exposed. Though the log is useful.

Two of the most successful pollards have been toppled though both had a previous lean. By successful I mean they had a number of regrowths that were long straight and up to 6" max diameter so did not need splitting.

A low pollard in the autumn, felled in winter after root plate lifted, cord logs from it.

 The saturated ground has had another  detrimental effect. All the E. glaucescens and E. rodwayi I have planted over the winter appear to have died.  The glaucescens are known not to like waterlogging but the rodwayi are swamp gum and must be able to withstand waterlogging at least when established. They have done well in the triangular field which is where some have gone in and is much wetter than the rectangular field where they have also failed. I wonder if the failure of some E. dalrympleana and viminalis that have also failed in the rectangular field may have failed becaus of the water logging rather than the frost I initially blamed.