Woodland maintenance and bryophytes

Because we cut so much wood over the 2010/11 winter, we're not doing any significant coppicing this year, as we need to burn or sell the pile we still have. Instead, we're taking the opportunity to get some maintenance jobs done. Here's a a few pics...

First, on the footpath that borders the wood that my friend Alex owns, we found this coppice stool had blown over in October:

This was quite a quick one to clear up - it was too far from the path to be bothered trying to extract the logs, we we just cut it up and left them there:

Also in Alex's wood, when he visited in late October, we went along the road edge and cut back a section of coppice there. This makes it easier for traffic to pass along there, and reduces the risk of trees falling in the road in future:

We got a trailer load of logs out of this bit of work, and left all the brash to form a dead hedge.

Not long after this, it became apparent that autumn was truly upon us, with just the oaks holding on to some leaves:

But last week, most of the remaining leaves came down when there was a frost. As this happened when there was no wind, the leaves lay in a thick carpet for a day or so:

Another job I got on with was rebuilding our supercharged fire pit, as the bricks had started collapsing in a bit. When I dug it out, I was interested to see that some of the clay in the ground had been baked by the heat of repeated fires, and was beginning to look like brick. In the photo below you can see normal clay to the left, and baked clay to the right:

While rebuilding, I've made two changes. First, I raised the air inlet a bit - in its original position it kept filling with ash, and second, I dug out a trench and buried a layer of bricks, which I hope will make this version more stable:

Then I laid another layer on top, and pushed some soil up against them:

The wall of bricks is lower now than before, which should let more heat out of the fire, and there are some spare bricks to put on top for cooking.

Just a few days ago, I got back to clearing up some more windblow, and this time my friend Andrew was visiting, along with Dougal, his Jack Russell terrier:

We tackled this area near the entrance, which blew over a few years ago:

Because the wood had been dead for a while, we left most of it piled up to rot for bugs to live in. Standing dead wood is useful for this too, but in this case it was pushing live trees over, so I felt it was best taken down.

It's left a new clearing, so it'll be interesting to see what grows there next summer:

While we got on with this, Dougal supervised from a nearby coppice stool:

We did one other bit of clearing up. Our solitary Alder Buckthorn, which fell over in snow in Feb 2012, has been held by a rope over the summer:

This was so it could do its summer of growing, but now that's done, we've pollarded it a short height above the ground, and settled its roots back in, so it will hopefully regrow strongly next year:

Finally, we recently had Tom Ottley, an expert in bryophytes (moss), visit the wood. He was looking at areas like this:

He looked around both our woodland and the other nearby plots, and gave us the list below of what he found growing there. He also disturbed a wild boar! I guess compared to us he was going around a lot more quietly on his own... His summary was:

A very good total for a visit of only a few hours. There is a very wide range of habitats which makes that possible. The main part of wood is coppice and the most interesting habitats there are the old stumps (coppice stools), the ditches and various small banks, some of which are clearly very old. However, the best area is the wayleave for the high-voltage power lines which has a rutted track running along it. The edges of the ruts and various damp areas along the route are all species rich and benefit from being kept open. There is a good quantity of Sphagnum in boggy areas.

Epiphytic bryophytes are very scarce in the wood. The reasons for this are unclear but may be down to a lack of optimum tree species (ash, elder, field maple) in well-lit situations. However most species likely to occur can be found in small quantity.

Here's the list of bryophytes, with comments on location and rarity:

English Name	Scientific Name	Location and Frequency	Occurrence in Sussex
Common Smoothcap	Atrichum undulatum	On soil, abundant, fruiting	Usually very common in woodland.
Silky Forklet-moss	Dicranella heteromalla	On soil, abundant, fruiting	A very common moss. Not often fruiting as freely as here.
Common Feather-moss	Kindbergia praelonga	On soil, abundant	Almost always abundant in woodland.
Redshank	Ceratodon purpureus	On path	Common on paths and in gardens etc.
Swan's-neck Thyme-moss	Mnium hornum	On stumps, abundant	Usually very common in woodland.
Swartz's Feather-moss	Oxyrrhynchium hians	By small stream	A typical habitat. Generally quite common.
Common Cord-moss	Funaria hygrometrica	On bonfire site, fruiting	The common moss on old bonfire sites.
Common Pocket-moss	Fissidens taxifolius var. taxifolius	On banks, common	Usually common, as here.
Overleaf Pellia	Pellia epiphylla	In ditches, very common	Always very common on neutral to acidic soils in wet places.
Pointed Spear-moss	Calliergonella cuspidata	On stream bank, common	Usually common by streams or in damp grassland.
Rough-stalked Feather-moss	Brachythecium rutabulum	On banks, common, fruiting	One of the commonest of all mosses.
Common Frillwort	Fossombronia pusilla	On side of drainage ditch, fruiting	Much less common in Sussex than a related liverwort, F. wondraczekii.
Lesser Pocket-moss	Fissidens bryoides	On side of drainage ditch, fruiting	A common moss.
Glaucous Crystalwort	Riccia glauca	On side of drainage ditch	Not really a woodland species, preferring arable fields, but occasionally turns up where disturbed.
Elegant Silk-moss	Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans	On banks, abundant	Always common in woods on neutral to acidic soils.
Nodding Thread-moss	Pohlia nutans	On bank of ditch	Frequent in woods, more commonly on heathland.
Hart's-tongue Thyme-moss	Plagiomnium undulatum	On stream banks, frequent	Very common in wet places in woods.
Large White-moss	Leucobryum glaucum	On stumps, abundant	Common in woodland, preferring slightly drier habitats.
Common Striated Feather-moss	Eurhynchium striatum	On banks, infrequent	An indicator of old woodland, generally fairly common.
Two-horned Pincerwort	Cephalozia bicuspidata	On paths and banks, abundant	Usually very common in woodland.
Notched Pouchwort	Calypogeia arguta	On ditch banks, frequent, with clusters of gemmae	An early colonist of ditch banks. Usually spreads by means of gemmae.
Common Pouchwort	Calypogeia fissa	On bank by path	Frequent on banks in woodland.
Slender Mouse-tail Moss	Isothecium myosuroides	On base of ash	On the base of oak and ash especially.
Larger Mouse-tail Moss	Isothecium alopecuroides	On base of ash	Much less common than the preceding species and usually found on ash.
Fox-tail Feather-moss	Thamnobryum alopecurum	On base of ash	Frequent in woodland generally.
Cape Thread-moss	Orthodontium lineare	On stumps, frequent, fruiting	Originally introduced from South Africa, now widespread but not often troublesome.
Cypress-leaved Plait-moss	Hypnum cupressiforme	On stumps, abundant	Always abundant in woods.
Variable-leaved Crestwort	Lophocolea heterophylla	On stumps, occasional	Common on stumps, roots etc.
Bruch's Pincushion	Ulota bruchii	On Quercus, uncommon, fruiting	One of several, usually common epiphytes that are very scarce in Mill Wood. They prefer willow or elder in well-lit situations.
Smaller White-moss	Leucobryum juniperoideum	On a bank	Much less common than Leucobryum glaucum but in most of the woods in this part of East Sussex.
Supine Plait-moss	Hypnum resupinatum	Epiphyte, common	Always very common. Prefers smooth-barked trees.
Mamillate Plait-moss	Hypnum andoi	Epiphyte, common, fruiting	Usually common.
Mueller's Pouchwort	Calypogeia muelleriana	On a bank by a path	Common on banks, mainly in acid woodland.
Broom Fork-moss	Dicranum scoparium	On stumps, common	Usually very common in woodland.
White Earwort	Diplophyllum albicans	On an old bank	Only found on old banks, a good indicator species.
Waved Silk-moss	Plagiothecium undulatum	On an old bank	Tends to be restricted to older woodland and a very attractive species.
Bank Haircap	Polytrichastrum formosum	On banks, common	Usually common in woodland.
Pellucid Four-tooth Moss	Tetraphis pellucida	On stumps, frequent	Common on stumps generally, particularly coppice stools.
Rusty Swan-neck Moss	Campylopus flexuosus	On stumps, frequent	A species often found on tree stumps.
Heath Star Moss	Campylopus introflexus	On stumps in clearings, common	Originally introduced but now abundant on heathland and on stumps in woodland.
Common Tamarisk-moss	Thuidium tamariscinum	On soil, frequent	Usually common, prefers damp soils.
Neat Feather-moss	Pseudoscleropodium purum	In clearing	A plant of open grassland.
Springy Turf-moss	Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus	In clearing	Another grassland species.
Cow-horn Bog-moss	Sphagnum denticulatum	In boggy area under pylons	Often found in small bogs in woodland. A related species, S. fallax usually occurs too but not found here yet.
Blunt-leaved Bog-moss	Sphagnum palustre	In boggy area under pylons	Another plant of bogs, including those in woodland.
Bifid Crestwort	Lophocolea bidentata	On ruts at edge of track	Common on banks in woodland.
Smallest Pottia	Microbryum davallianum	On ruts at edge of track, fruiting	Not often found but extremely small.
Lesser Bird's-claw Beard-moss	Barbula convoluta	On track, abundant	Usually abundant on paths.
Bird's-claw Beard-moss	Barbula unguiculata	On track, frequent	A very common species.
Crimson-tuber Thread-moss	Bryum rubens	On track, with rhizoidal tubers	Frequent throughout Sussex, preferring sandy soils.
Cylindric Beard-moss	Didymodon insulanus	On track, abundant	Abundant by paths and on tarmac.
Dusky Beard-moss	Didymodon luridus	On gravel track, frequent	Frequent on paving and sometimes gravel.
Tall-clustered Thread-moss	Bryum pallescens	On soil under pylon	Very few records for East Sussex. This moss has a strong preference for polluted soils (heavy metals). In this case it thrives on the zinc from the galvanised steel pylon structure.
Heath Plait-moss	Hypnum jutlandicum	On heathy bank by track	A common heathland plant.
Bicoloured Bryum	Bryum dichotomum	On track, with bulbils	Common on soil throughout Sussex.
Delicate Earth-moss	Pseudephemerum nitidum	On track, fruiting	Frequent on bare soil in woodland, usually seen in the autumn when it has distinctive small capsules.
Juniper Haircap	Polytrichum juniperinum	On track	A common heathland species.
Bristly Haircap	Polytrichum piliferum	On track	Decidedly less common than the preceding species.
Acid Frillwort	Fossombronia wondraczekii	On ruts at edge of track, fruiting	The commonest member of this genus of liverwort.
Crenulated Flapwort	Jungermannia gracillima	On ruts at edge of track	Common on sandy soils on heathland.
Common Pottia	Tortula truncata	On ruts at edge of track, fruiting	Always very common.
Red-stemmed Feather-moss	Pleurozium schreberi	On heathy bank	A very typical heathland species.
Creeping Feather-moss	Amblystegium serpens var. serpens	On bank at edge of track	Very small but usually quite common.
Great Plait-moss	Hypnum lacunosum	On bank at edge of track	A heathland species.
Great Hairy Screw-moss	Syntrichia ruralis	On gravel at edge of track	Often found on roofs.
Fallacious Beard-moss	Didymodon fallax	On gravel at edge of track	Requires a neutral to basic soil. Often very common.
Silver-moss	Bryum argenteum	On track	Common on paths and on paving.
Bud-headed Groove-moss	Aulacomnium androgynum	On stump, with gemmae	Possibly declining, at one time very common on stumps.
Cylindric Ditrichum	Trichodon cylindricus	On stream bank	Frequent, often by streams.
Kneiff's Feather-moss	Leptodictyum riparium	On stream bank fruiting	Frequent by streams and ponds.
River Feather-moss	Brachythecium rivulare	On stream bank	Typically found on stream banks.
Dilated Scalewort	Frullania dilatata	On Salix in carr	Often common, but not here.
Wood Bristle-moss	Orthotrichum affine	On Salix in carr, fruiting	Usually a very common epiphyte but very little in Mill Wood.
Lyell's Bristle-moss	Orthotrichum lyellii	On Salix in carr, with gemmae	A frequent epiphyte.
Forked Veilwort	Metzgeria furcata	On Salix in carr	A common epiphyte. Unusually scarce in Mill wood.

Mike

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Super-charged fire pit video!

Almost a year ago we improved our fire pit in the woods by burying a bigger air supply pipe under it:

Well, since then I've been experimenting, and now it's supercharged using a fan from a computer and a 12V car battery, here's a short video to demonstrate:

After making this video we used the fire, along with both woodgas stoves, to cook three varieties of chilli for a group of nearly 30 cyclists (including Tracy's boss) who were on a 300 mile charity bike ride!

Mike

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August camping trips in the wood

Wow, that was a busy month for camping and visiting the wood! I think we had a total of four camping trips with various people, and numerous other day/evening visits as well. I'll start with a few of the group photos that often get taken...

Metal detecting with my brother Andy, nephew Joshua, and friend Matt with his family:

Friends from work, some of whom camped:

Friends from Rye:

Friends from Sidley:

We also had a visit from the Udimore Gardeners Club (link with photos)

Every visit that includes some hours of darkness now includes using the rope swing in the dark, which is quite a surreal experience. Here's our friends Josh and Ben having a go!

Toasting marshmallows round the fire has also been popular, as well as setting fire to sticks and waving them around...

One benefit this summer has been our supercharged fire pit. I posted a few weeks ago about how we made it, but now it has a new feature, based on an old PC fan that my friend Olly gave me:

This is powered from the 12V solar PV system that I often take to the woods when we're camping to use for lighting:

The result is an almost smoke-free fire, which can put out a lot of heat, or be small and controlled for cooking:

We've done a few jobs over the summer too, such as moving logs and making racks to store them in:

Cutting chunks off a tree butt to use as a work surface back at the campsite:

and also relocating the toilet, where my brother Andy helped with the digging:

and my nephew Joshua checked the new hole was deep enough:

The old toilet is safely filled in and the new one ready for use now:

Joshua had a really good time in the woods, and it was his first ever camping trip! So everything was new, from where he ate breakfast...

To having to scare things away...

And one day when we popped back to the house for a shower (we thought 4 days without one might not be a good idea...) the excitement overcame him...

He also really enjoyed playing with Matt and Anita's son Ishan when they came to stay for one of the nights:

The metal detecting (see the first picture in this post) yielded some great results:

The trawl includes a shell from a WW2 plane (unexploded, so it's been carefully disposed of now)

and two 20mm shell casings, probably from a Spitfire:

Here's the three of them side by side:

We saw lots of wildlife during August too, though most of it when Tracy and I were there on our own, as 3 and 4 year old boys don't usually play quietly! Here's a few pics...

A caterpillar (Pale Tussock moth?)

a Speckled Wood butterfly:

a Gatekeeper butterfly:

One of many large beetles, which are now dying by the dozen as Autumn approaches:

a dragonfly:

a Robin, flitting around the trees in the wayleave:

which coincidentally looks great on a summer morning:

I was particularly pleased with these pics of a Wood Pigeon, which has been making a nest near our camp (they nest all year if they think they can):

And last but not least, we discovered a second Alder Buckthorn tree (well, shrub at present), this time along the public footpath. This is good as it's the food plant of the Brimstone caterpillar - and I was pleased to see some leaves had been eaten!

Well that's the story for August. I'm doing my London-Brighton bike ride soon, so after that I'll have more time for blogging as I won't be training!

Mike

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