On This Issue Of Scarce Trees In The UK

[Way Back Jack]

I hear what you're saying about trees being cut down in the distant past for ships but trees should have started again "naturally." The travelogues do not show farming or livestock activity that would prevent this from happening. Look e.g., at the British series, "Last Of The Summer Wine" from Yorkshire.

In 1972, I bought a (mid-Atlantic) cow pasture and let a 3-acre chunk of it "go natural." It's a veritable forest today with some of the faster-growing species 60-90 ft. tall, e.g.,tulip tree, black cherry, black walnut, Norway maple, and red oak varieties. Eastern white pines were separated and planted elsewhere and they too are 60-90'. Even Bartlett pears started from seed are 40 ft.

[Stewart Robert Hinsley]

In message , Way Back Jack writes

I'm confused as to why you would take the fictional series "Last of the Summer Wine" as a guide. However the fields in the area it was filmed in are grazed by sheep.

In the British uplands grazing by sheep and deer prevents regeneration of forest. Where grazers have been excluded (e.g. Coire Ardair, Abernethy Forest) regeneration is occurring.

In the lowlands the great majority of fertile land is used for agriculture.

(Forest growth may well be slower in Britain; it's a lot further north than the mid-Atlantic states - remember it's at the latitude of Labrador.)

[Way Back Jack]

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OK. I understand. Thanks to all for your responses.

[Way Back Jack]

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OK. I understand. Thanks to all for your responses.

[Way Back Jack]

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OK. I understand. Thanks to all for your responses.

[Janet Baraclough]

The message from [e-mail] (Way Back Jack) contains these words:

They do. Over 11 % of the UK landmass, is covered in woodland and forestry.

The

Rural Yorkshire is moorland and valley sheep-farming country; sheep grazing prevents natural tree regeneration.

Janet UK

[symplastless]

They just are not growing back the way they were!

[Alfred Falk]

Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote in news: [e-mail]:

It may be the same latitude but it's certainly not the same climate. West Coast Marine is typically very different from East Coast and for Britain, the Gulf Stream makes a huge difference. Most of England is prime tree-growing terrain. Scotland maybe not so much, but I know they have tree plantations growing Douglas Fir (native to N.A. west coast). While I'm no expert on the matter, I am fairly certain that it is human activities (mostly agriculture) that keeps the forests back.