A part of looking after a large estate and allowing public access is keeping people safe. To this end for 20 plus years the NT have had a systematic process of inspecting and recording trees on its property's. The area is zoned according to visitor use, very high to very low use. Trees within the very high are inspected annually while the very low, usually in remote fields get a glance when passing. All of this is recorded and defects in trees actioned where necessary. This can be a time consuming business and often a costly one.
Yesterday I discovered a walnut, lovely tree, planted to enhance the setting, with two very large crack running up the two boles (Trunk) of the tree. Nothing can now save this tree from the certain fate that awaits it as it sits within a very high usage zone. The good news is that we can probably cut the tree down and wait for the stump to generate new growth.
Out of this we can select one or two shoots to grow on to form 'new' trees.
This is an age old process our forefathers used but has now largely died out of use. That is coppicing. Using the biomass of the plants for an endless variety of uses. From fencing, firewood, tool handles, pegs, brooms, you name it, it could be made out of coppiced material.
So we shall see what happens? We have the Forestry advisor coming next week to carry out some training for volunteers so I shall take him for a look at this one and another couple of very large beech trees that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!
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