Bramble control dilemma

Some of my woodland was in danger of becoming impassable due to encroaching brambles.

 

Bramble, bramble everywhere

It's nice to see that the path I'd cut last year is still fairly clear but the plant tends to arch over and spread again so I decided to cut it.

A few hours of work with the big mower left the scene looking a bit different:

Now there's still loads of brambles left and I've no doubt they'll sprout again where they've been cut but there are lot of naturally seeded trees that have sprouted up under this cover where the wildlife can't reach them due to the thorny protection. Now they're exposed I wonder if the deer will decimate the new growth and it has been pointed out that once the canopy is established, the brambles will be shaded out (although quite how big they'd be by the time the canopy becomes established is anyone's guess). I'm sure I've seen stands of bramble in coniferous woodland which is about as dense as it gets

The amazing willow

Haven't made a post for a while but plenty has been going on. Trees are still growing and some of the alder are beginning to split the tubes at the base. In a few weeks once the spring arrives (and there are signs of it today) I'll be removing some of the tubes.

 

Alder splitting tube

However, now that the leaves are off the trees it's easier to gain access to some of the more wild spots on the plot. One of these is where a large willow has fallen over and carried on growing:

Aren't trees supposed to grow up?

The trunk, or a large branch has obviously fallen over and begun to sprout upwards. These stems in turn blew over and are now growing horizontally. They curve up at the ends and create a dense, sprawling mass of vegetation that is great cover for wildlife

Pick a direction, any direction

It's twisted and contorted, growing down and along so that the original trunk/stump is barely recognisable. This is natural coppicing and many of the shoots have taken root where they've touched the ground. The whole tree must cover an area at least 15m squared and although I've cut a bit of it back for access, there's a considerable amount left