So it is time for me to comment on the national concern to keep trees growing whatever the cost. I think the difficulty is that so many people do not understand the country and country ways and routines. This was called to mind when, as the team thinned out trees in our hardwood plantation, a passing child called out: "Look Mum, they're cutting trees down". The parents passed on without comment on this occasion, but it is important that we should explain the apparent vandalism.
The plantation, which was planted with oak, wild cherry, hornbeam, a few rowans and hazels, after the big storm of 1987, has been inundated with self-sown willows and birches to the detriment of the proper crop. This, in many years time, will be felled for timber, bearing in mind that the reserve is managed for forestry as well as for wildlife.
Now, the fast-growing willows and birches have done a good job as a "nurse crop" by encouraging the slower trees to grow with them to become tall. But the nurse crop has outgrown its charges and is actually causing some harm by stunting some of the more spindly trees. Oddly, we have found that some of our cherries have done very well; some reaching heights of 10 metres (about 30 ft.) tall and straight. On the other hand some of the more shrubby trees across the ride have not done so well. It seems that some 40 to 50 spindletrees have been lost, while a similar number of hawthorns have fared badly. I reckon this is all down to years of uncontrolled brambles - my pet hate.
Anyway, we are now cutting out a bad patch of willow and birch to improve the crop trees, and because we are softies at heart we like to keep a few better and older silver birch to grace the wood. And they are graceful trees. We're not really philistines, you know! Happy New Year.
Selwyn's Wood extends to 28 acres (11.3 hectares) and includes heathland, streams, chestnut coppice, a tiny marsh and high forest. It is owned by Sussex Wildlife Trust following a bequest from the owner in 1969. It is open to visitors.
John Hall © 2001