Ouseburn above the Culvert 11th December 2022
Storm Arwen created havoc in the weeks before Christmas leaving death and destruction over several northern European countries. Damage around and about Battlefield as I saw was mostly limited to fallen roof tiles and, particularly, up rooted trees. Some along the steep sides of the Ouseburn culvert beside 'battlefield' came down blocking paths that took time to clear; many busier places had to be attended to first.
It may look sad to see some fine trees blown over; years of growth swept away and gaps opened where there was once a view enhanced by a tracery in winter or foliage in summer. But that's just us. Nature has a few tricks up her sleeve and these events, gales blowing down trees are perhaps a way of bringing about change. For these gaps and openings in the canopy will allow an understory, less towering vegetation, more earth bound, to develop and in turn have one of those beautiful circular relationships that Nature brings. More sunlight, more plants. More plants, more insect life. More insect life, more birds. The fallen wood, left in place, decays naturally and becomes a home for more life forms such as fungi and wood boring insects.
A passer by I met on my visit to watch the tree surgeons at work told me some of the neatly sliced up wood had been recovered by a local wood worker who intends to make furniture from it.
In Nature nothing is wasted. Photographic slideshow here (off site link).
