1700 Trees and counting..
When Digg & Co. first began, we knew we wanted to be somewhere that fitted with our lifestyle and mission. We felt that nothing was more appropriate than to position ourselves slap bang in between two of our iconic National Parks - Exmoor and Dartmoor. With open space and moorland within easy reach for inspiration, and an obvious shift change in the public’s mentality towards landscape, as both function and aesthetic, we are excited to be part of, and witness, the restoration of nature through projects which mirror these places and this momentum.
It is exciting to hear how the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor has recently undertaken some work to re-profile a stream which runs through their land, and how this added complexity is already improving water quality and water storage. Coupled with that, on January 30th, two Eurasian Beavers were released into a wet woodland enclosure on the estate to continue the works of natural flood management.
In the press release from the National Trust the project manager, Ben Eardley, emphasised the role Beavers have to play in natural flood management:
‘“The dams the beavers create will slow the flow, holding water in dry periods which will reduce the impact of drought. They will help to lessen flash-flooding downstream, reducing erosion and improving water quality by holding silt and pollutants.'“
Dave & Paco replanting a historic hedge. In the background you can see the woodland copses planted to aid habitat, give shelter to animals and add root structure to the hillside.
Whilst this is one solution for mitigating additional rainfall and winter weather made increasingly intense due to extra warmth in the atmosphere, another method, which does not require running water at all, is to plant trees in strategically designed locations.
I say designed because one must look at landscapes from an ecosystem point of view; we should not unknowingly start planting trees on a piece of habitat which may have more value than the intended wood. For example, if you would like to plant a wood to slow run-off upstream, buffer an agricultural field, or increase a timber holding, then first identify the land type on which you intend to plant. An arable field will be low in organic carbon (most likely), devoid of native species, and the soil structure will be weak due to years of ploughing and heavy machinery. On the other hand, a species rich flower meadow, now as rare as hen’s teeth would result a significant loss of important habitat and associated wildlife.
On the farm above the studio we take this approach. By employing landscape architecture techniques and both GIS and other proprietary mapping software, we can determine the best places for woodland creation with specific goals. So far we have planted 1700 trees this planting season with another 400 still to go.
The landscape will become more resilient to water and run-off, we will capture carbon during the growing season and add diversity to the revenue streams without risking the loss of valuable habitat.