Andy popped over to survey this site and see how we were doing, and unfortunately the answer is this one is off to a bad start. It is a very exposed site and has experienced significant winds. There have been issues with fencing and cows have managed to trample a lot of the trees. It is hard to determine which losses were weather vs cows.
- Small area - none of the 70 saplings remaining
- Shelterbelt 1 - 141 out of 994 remaining
- Shelterbelt 2 - 65 saplings surviving out of 710
- Copse - We planted 100 trees here and they’re relatively sheltered. Only one or two cow pats in this compartment. 70 remaining out of 100. Total 276 out of 1874 = 15% (i.e. 85% losses)
Things don’t always go well the first time. It’s sad to have setbacks like this, but we do not hide from a challenge. We are going to work with the landowner to ensure sufficient fencing is in place before heading back with more trees. It’s also clear we will need wind-proof guards, like the ones used on Goytre Hill, another extremely windy exposed area.
