The woodland consists of a large central block of Noble Fir, planted at 2m spacings, a smaller adjacent block of Scots Pine, and a margin consisting of a mix of Noble Fir, Nordman Fir, Larch and some broadleaves such as Oak, Alder, Hornbeam and Whitebeam.
Here is an aerial photo from Google. The white line on the right indicates an all-weather track that provides access to the road. The main Noble Fir block can be seen in the centre. The straight lines running roughly left to right are rides spaced at 25 metre intervals. The Scots Pine can be seen at the top. The woodland is surrounded on three sides by agricultural land, and by the sea at the bottom.
The woodland is in a coastal location and sits atop a low cliff which is just below the bottom of the aerial picture.
Here is the view from the bottom gate, looking southwest down the Moray Firth.
Products
Historically, the woodland has been used to produce Noble Fir foliage. This is sold wholesale to garden centres and florists for the production of festive wreaths and other decorations. Up to 100 tonnes of foliage a year has been taken out of the woodland. The branches are cut by hand using long-handled loppers. A few branches are taken from each tree. Achievement of quality branches and colour has been through use of commercial fertiliser and careful weed control.
Since we acquired the plantation four years ago, we have reduced production to take the pressure off the trees, and developed an in-house wreath-making business to add value to the product. We sell these retail on-line and wholesale to local businesses such as garden centres, gift shops and christmas tree retailers. The business is highly seasonal; branches should only be cut once the trees have entered their dormant state (November), and the finished product is obviously needed by Christmas!
Above picture shows a Noble Fir branch. These are tied into 5 kg bundles (around 7-8 branches) and this is the "industry standard" unit of sale.
Pallets of Noble Fir bundles being loaded for transportation.
State of the Woodland
The woodland is ready for thinning. Although there are some natural glades formed where planted trees failed to thrive, much of the main block is dark, with a dead under-storey. Light is restricted from reaching the side branches of the Noble Firs and this affects the colour.
We are in the process of starting a 10% thinning regime, and application for a felling license from the Forestry Commission is under way. We will use the thinned trees personally for firewood, and probably sell some.
In the areas where light reaches the ground, natural regeneration is underway, with small Noble Fir seedlings sprouting from seed. It is our intention to transplant some of these to a tree nursery to grow them on in more favourable light and soil conditions for a couple of years, before replanting to provide the "next generation" of Nobles. We may also sell some of these young trees.
Some of the rides are overgrown and suffering from erosion due to extraction of the foliage over the years. We are addressing this by cutting back side-branches, grading and laying down stone in soft spots.
Erosion at bell-end of a ride, where it joins the main track
Wildlife
Wildlife is fairly abundant at Tarrel, but I believe it could be better. There is a variety of bird-life, including many small birds such as chaffinch, robin, yellowhammer, swallow, wagtail and great tit, as well as pigeon, pheasant and visiting woodcock. We have hares, foxes and roe deer which lay up in the woodland during the day (the woodland is deer-fenced but there is a gap where the deer come in. I'm not worried about this as the trees are well established, and there are only a few deer).
Other Tree / Shrub Species
As well as the main Noble Fir block and the mixed margins, we have various stands of large Nordman Fir. These are a legacy from when Nordmans were interplanted with the Nobles to provide a christmas tree income for the original owners while the Nobles were establishing. Some of these Nordmans are now 30 feet high and would make great town-centre Christmas Trees!
Infrastructure
The rides in the woodland are basically sound, though a little rutted and overgrown in places. A lot of investment was obviously put into constructing them in the first place. The woodland is generally fairly flat, so access is quite easy. The main track at the side is solid, and is connected to the road (about 1 km away) by a farm track and then a private concrete driveway. At the top-right corner of the woodland (closest to the exit) is a hard-standing suitable for allowing a truck to turn, and a storage cabin for tools and equipment.
I hope this has given those who are interested a better picture of the woodland "as-is". We have a website, www.tarrelwoodland.com, if anyone would like to know more about the products, although I am about to revamp this.
For the next post I am going to do a SWOT analysis of the woodland, leading to the outline for a management plan for how we intend to evolve Tarrel into a sustainably managed, diverse woodland.
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