20 a Day (1) Flashcards
How should you water hedgerows?
Water them heavily, but infrequently.
Why shouldn’t you water a hedge regularly?
Because the roots will be shallow.
How long does it take to grow and care for a baby hedge?
Five years
When will a hedge begin to look like a hedge?
Three years after planting - the whips will look more tree-like.
What are the two species of hedge plant that will make up 50% of a hedge?
Hawthorn and blackthorn.
Give four species (other than hawthorn and blackthorn) that are great in a hedge.
- Field maple
- Hazel
- Dogwood
- Wayfairing
Using hawthorn as an example, why are scientific names important?
Hawthorn is called mayflower in some places (and there are many plants called mayflower!)
What part of a hedge needs to be very thick?
The base.
How do you cut the sides of an adult hedge?
Cut one side on one year, the other side the next, and leave it alone for the third year. Then repeat the cycle.
Why do you only cut one side of a hedge at a time?
Because hedges tend to fruit/flower every two years.
Should hedges be thick, or gappy?
They should be dense and thick.
What part of a hedge will gradually degrade over time?
The base. All hedges eventually need rejuvenation.
How often does a hedge need to be rejuvenated?
Roughly every 40 years.
Give two methods that can be used to rejuvenate a hedge.
Coppicing and layering.
Each time you cut a part of a hedge, you should raise the cutting height. How much should you raise it by each year?
10cm
What anthropogenic thing causes hedges to become gappy?
Over-trimming, especially if a hedge is flailed to the same line.
What feature of a hedge may indicate that it has been frequently flailed to the same line?
If there are hard knuckles at the trim line.
When a hedge becomes gappy, it becomes susceptible to being colonised by invasive species. Give two invasive hedge species.
Elder and sycamore.
What two things happen if a hedge is cut to the same line and width year after year?
- The hedge becomes gappy
- Fruit and flowers decline
How much wider should you cut a part of a hedge following its previous cut?
10cm wider than the previous width.
During which months should a hedgerow be trimmed?
January and February.
Between which dates should you never cut a hedge?
Between the 1st of March and the 31st of August (this is the bird breeding season).
When will hedge stems begin to develop fruits and flowers?
When they’re two years old.
You should avoid cutting all hedge faces that ___________ within a single year.
Face a single compass orientation (e.g., don’t cut all south-facing faces in the same year).
Hedges can enter a non-intervention phase where they’re not cut for a number of years. What’s the main benefit of this?
It will grow big and provide many resources for wildlife.
What happens to hedges after a non-intervention phase?
The base of the hedge will begin to thin.
What needs to be done when the base of a hedge begins to thin?
Rejuvenation.
Are small gaps in a hedge anything to worry about?
Yes - they can greatly hinder mouse dispersal.
When should you cut a part of a hedge every year?
When new planted trees have been added. Yearly trimming encourages dense growth.
How often should a baby hedge be cut?
Every year for the first five years of its life (then flip-flop between sides).
What do hedges serve as anchor points for?
Mycorrhizal systems.
Give two reasons why brambles are good in a hedge.
- They’re a good food source for animals
- They’re difficult to penetrate.
If a hedge has too many brambles, what does it mean?
It means that the hedge isn’t dense enough and too much light is getting in.
What does Hooper’s Law do?
It allows you to estimate the age of a hedge.
Give the equation for Hooper’s Law.
Number of woody species found in a 30m hedge X 100 = the age of the hedge.
Give three species that only occur in old hedges.
- Primroses
- Bluebells
- Dog’s mercury
Why might there be a surviving tree in an area that’s been savaged by ash dieback?
The tree may be protected from the wind, and therefore it may not have received any spores.
What’s one of the first signs of ash dieback?
Diamond-shaped lesions on bark surrounding a branch/twig.
What tree species often forms natural monocultures?
Beech trees (because they’re so competitive).
What makes beech trees such good competitors?
Because they can feed their babies through mycorrhizae .
What is placed on hedge saplings that could cause the future hedge to become gappy?
Tree guards.
If a hedge is gappy, what can pass through it?
Rabbits.
What are trees that are planted in hedgerows called?
Standards
In what shape/pattern should hedgerow saplings be planted?
They should be planted in a wavy line
If you decide that tree guards are bad, why should you wrap them around a couple of saplings?
So that you can let the presence of the hedge be known (and hopefully it won’t get mowed down).
Why are black poplars in decline?
Because no one liked the fluffy seeds that females produce, so there’s now a non-viable breeding population.
Give one reason why standards are good in coppice woods (hint: shade).
Because their shade helps to protect new coppice growth.
Other than diamond-shaped lesions, give another symptom of ash-dieback (hint: sprouts).
Water sprouts growing on branches.
What do blackthorn leaves look like? What’s the scientific name of blackthorn?
Prunus spinosa
hat do dogwood leaves look like? What’s the scientific name for dogwood?
Cornus sanguinea
What’s the latin name for common hawthorn?
Crataegus monogyna
What does a wayfaring tree look like? What’s the scientific name for a wayfaring tree?
Viburnum lantana
What’s the scientific name for a field maple?
Acer campestre
Should you ever strike the top of a spade with the sole of your boot?
No, you could very easily injure yourself. Instead, you should move your feet apart, lift up the spade, and then drop it.
What’s this?
A British Telecom rabbiting spade.
When should you use a spike/crowbar?
You use one when you’re trying to get through stone.
What is a post driver actually called?
A drivall.
What should you remember to wear when using a drivall?
A hard hat - you could easily knock yourself out otherwise.
When using a drivall in a pair, why should you match the strength of the other person?
If you’re stronger than the other person, then you may tip the drivall towards them and cause serious injury.
Can you use a sledgehammer to drive in a fence post?
No - sledgehammers are designed to break things. A sledgehammer would break the top of a post.
When pushing mortices so that tenons go inside them, what can you do if the fence post isn’t straight (e.g., won’t go any further)?
- Mark where there’e resistance on the tenon
- Chisel the area away around the mark you’ve made
- If there’s still resistance, repeat this process
When slotting in rails into mortices, what way up should they be?
The non-barked side should face upwards.
When building a post-and-rail fence, the higher-quality fence rail should be…
At the top!
Why do some bow saws have gaps between their teeth?
To remove sappy sawdust paste - only use these saws when cutting through green wood.
What would you use the top blade for? What about the bottom blade?
- Top blade: green wood
- Bottom blade: dead wood
What sort of saws are very dangerous? (Hint: teeth frequency)
Those that don’t have many teeth - they’ll saw straight through into the bone. This includes silky saws.
When would you use a curved saw?
When trying to cut a branch that’s high up.
When using a side-axe, which way should the bevel face?
The bevel should face inwards, towards your centre.
What are the two types of lopper?
- Bypass lopper (common type)
- Anvil lopper
What sort of edge should you not use for precise work (e.g., carving)?
A concave edge (felt-tip edge). The blade will glance off when in use.
What are convex/felt-tip edges good for?
Splitting things!
How can you tell if a blade is sharp by rubbing across it?
If there’s “scratchiness” then the blade is sharp.
How can you use light to tell if a blade is sharp?
Put the blade under light, and any damage will shine/glint.
What are damaged parts of a bladed edge called?
Burrs.
Why do you need to remove burrs from an edge?
Because they’ll break off when you use the saw, causing it become blunt.
How can you tell if a blade is cheap?
If the bevel is really short.
Engineering files have different grits. What does that mean?
The grit of a file determines how much material you remove with each stroke. The higher the grit value, the more fine your edge will be.
What are sharpening stones made of?
Carbon granules that have been glued together.
Can you use a sharpening stone without a rubbing compound?
Yes (but it won’t be very effective).
What are the two different types of sharpening stone, and what rubbing compound could you use with each?
- Waterstones - these use water or spit as a rubbing compound.
- Oilstones - these use oil as a rubbing compound (like WD40).
Who this
A female black bird (Turdus merula)
Bud arrangement can be used to identify a tree. Give three different bud arrangements.
What is a forest forwarder?
Something that transports timber from the stump to the road.
What’s the point of a depth gauge on a chainsaw cutter?
The height between the top plate/tooth and the depth gauge will determine how much material the cutter will remove.
