20 a Day (2) Flashcards
Why exactly does chainsaw kickback occur?
- When the cutter is facing downwards, the depth between the tip of the cutter and the depth gauge is essentially deeper.
- The cutter is trying to remove too much wood and can suddenly get caught in it. The momentum is converted into kickback.
Give one biodiversity-related reason as to why growing timber is important.
Growing timber helps to create a variety of trees with different ages.
What habitat management technique is practically required for hazel dormice?
Coppicing
Name the four different types of coppicing
- Pure coppicing
- Stored coppice
- Coppicing with standards
- Short-rotation coppicing
What is (usually) the coppice rotation length of hazel?
Seven years
What is pure coppicing?
Where a coupe contains a single species. All individuals are cut at the same time.
When managing a bunch of coppice coupes, what do you need to remember regarding the size of each coupe?
They should all be roughly the same size so that the amount of material produced each year is consistent (remember that one coupe is cut each year).
If you’re only going to coppice hazel within a woodland, how many different coupes do you need?
Seven (the rotation length of hazel is seven years, so you’ll need one coupe for each year).
What is stored coppice?
Where you retain a single stem while coppicing a stool. This stem lives longer than the associated coppice cycle length (e.g., if it’s hazel then it’ll live longer than seven years).
Give two reasons why you would perform stored coppicing
- If you want to produce large, thick timber.
- If you want to create old wood (useful if there are no standards).
Most broadleaves can be coppiced as long as…
…They’re larger than 5cm in diameter when they’re first cut.
Why should coppice cuts slope outwards?
So that rainwater doesn’t build-up inside the stool.
How far apart should coppice stools be?
1.5-2.5m
What process can you use to create new coppice stools? Why is this method ideal? (Hint: adaptation)
- Layering
- It’s ideal because the stools will alrady be adapted to the environment
Why shouldn’t you coppice coupes that are next to coupes that were cut the previous year?
To help prevent the spread of certain harmful species, namely bracken (canopies and their shade help to stop its spread).
You enter a wood to survey birds. How long do you need to wait before you start surveying? How long should you then survey them for?
10 to 15 minutes (this is because birds will shut up when you enter because they’re scared of you). You should then survey bird noises for 20 minutes.
At what time of the day should birds be surveyed?
Dawn.
If you’re going to survey anything, what should you check beforehand? (Hint: data)
Check any secondary data to see if populations have improved or decreased since the last survey.
What is the coppice rotation cycle length for sweet chestnut?
Fifteen years.
What wood makes for awful fencing material?
Hornbeam - it rots very quickly when placed in the ground.
How many bird surveys should you do a year?
Two - one in summer and one in winter.
How can you use a belt transect to survey birds?
- You want to walk along a metaphorical belt that’s 100m wide (not long).
- Sample every bird you see within the belt - anything outside the belt shouldn’t be sampled due to accuracy concerns.
Within which habitat are belt transects really good for sampling birds?
Grasslands - because of how good your visibility will be.
When doing coppicing with standards, what percentage of a coupe can be occupied by standards?
40%.
Do coppice standards need to be the same species as the species being coppiced?
No - you can have a hazel coppice with oak standards.
Why would you need funding to cut an overstood coppice?
Because you’re highly unlikely to make a profit from the materials you produce.
Can you profit from coppice materials?
It’s very unlikely that you’ll profit from the materials alone.
Since coppice materials are unprofitable, what else may be required when managing a bunch of coppice coupes?
Some sort of way to make profit other than selling materials. (e.g., guided walks),
How can you tell if a coppice stool is overstood? What material will you produce if you cut one?
If it has a swept/curved butt. If you cut this, you’ll received low-quality, curved timber.
What’s the only native conifer species in the UK?
Scots pine.
Which species of conifer is by far the most popular plantation species?
Sitka spruce
When surveying mammals, what’s superior: box traps or camera traps?
Camera traps - there’s no limit to the amount of things you can catch (unlike with box traps).
How do you perform a step cut?
- Cut the compression side first
- Cut both sides of the compression cut so that you know where the compression cut is when doing the tension cut.
- Perform the tension cut (slightly above the compression cuts).
When coppicing, you shouldn’t cut ____________ from where the stem starts.
More than 6 inches from where the stem starts (so cut close to the base).
A compression cut shouldn’t cut more than ___________ into the wood.
More than 1/3 into the wood.
How can you avoid splitting when cutting a branch (Hint: with more cuts).
Perform a separate cut higher up the branch first (to reduce the weight of the branch).
What broad group of species is coppicing not suitable for?
Species that prefer to dwell within tree cavities.
Is coppicing great for birds? Why?
Yes - birds are very dependent on the structure of woodlands as opposed to the species within it.
When opening-up a forest, what two species may you expect to become dominant?
Bracken and brambles - they love light.
When pollarding, why must you never cut on the trunk-side of a branch’s collar?
Because the wound you’ve created won’t heal over, and the tree will rot.
How can you tell if woodlands need thinning?
- Look up while the leaves are still on their trees.
- If the canopies of trees are touching and you can see very little sky, then thinning is required.
Give three trees that you should remove while thinning (not three species).
- Trees that are alive, but are too weak to reach the canopy.
- Trees that are misshapen (assuming they pose a risk to people).
- Diseased trees.
- Non-native trees (e.g., turkey oaks).
Two trees are growing very closely together. Give two reasons as to why you should remove one of them.
- One tree may develop crown bias (the crown grows mostly on one side in an attempt to get some sunlight).
- If the trees rub together, they may get diseased.
Why might you want to remove a lovely oak tree?
Because you can convert it into timber - one oak tree could provide you with funding for the next five years.
Why is cutting down oak trees for cash morally wrong?
Because oak trees are grown in abundance in France.
Why might you want to keep some non-native trees in a forest?
To help “future-proof” forests against climate change.
What sort of non-native treesmmight we want to plant in the UK? Give an example.
- Those that grow in areas that are south of the UK.
- Chinese maple is an example that can help future-proof UK forests.
Should stumps be cut high, or short?
Cut them high - high stumps are a great source of dead biomass.
The larger and thicker a piece of timber is, the longer it will take to…
…Start rotting.
Should thinning be a gradual process?
Yes - thinning should be gradual to help avoid windblow. Any sudden influx of light will also cause epicormic growth.
What are “snags”?
Dead, hollow trees. They’re great for wildlife.
What are the five main animals that attempt to eat saplings?
- Voles
- Rabbits
- Hares
- Muntjac deer
- Roe deer
What creates “lollypop plants”.
Tree guards.
How can lollypop plants be avoided?
Through topping - this is where the terminal bud is cut-off to encourage lateral growth (it creates knuckles that split into two new shoots).
How long does a tree guard have to be to protect against muntjac deer and roe deer?
At least 120cm (anything less won’t protect the sapling).
How long are plastic tree guards supposed to last before they degrade?
Five years - although they can last a lot longer if they’re left alone.
Why must the grass around tree guards be continuously removed?
Grass will begin to grow inside the tree guards, creating microclimates that can encourage rot.
Where will you find wooden tree guards?
In pastures (to help protect the tree against cattle and sheep).
Metal tree guards can be found in urban areas. Why must they be eventually removed?
If they’re not removed, the tree will grow around them.
How long does a tree guard have to eb to protect against voles?
At least 40cm.
How long does a tree guard have to be to protect against rabbits and hares.
At least 75cm.
When can’t heavy machinery be used?
In the winter (because ground conditions are so bad).
How much of a pond should you dredge at a time?
You should dredge at least 1/3 of a pond at a time.
Where should dredged pond material be left?
By the side of a pond (only for a few days so that anything inside the material can crawl back into the pond).
When is the best time to conduct a thinning survey?
During the summer - it’s a lot easier to do when trees have leaves.
Give four species of timber that must be removed shortly after they’ve been cut. Why do they need to be removed?
- Ash
- Beech
- Sycamore
- Cherry
Timber from these species needs to be removed quickly because they rot very quickly.
On what sort of land does rewilding pretty much always occur on?
Marginal land (land that isn’t very productive).
What do drains in woodlands help to prevent? Why is this important?
- They help to prevent waterlogging
- Waterlogging kills trees
On what sort of soil will you need to dig-out more drains?
Less permeable soils (e.g., clay and peat based soils).
When will drains never be required (usually)? (2 Points)
- When working on very sandy soils that are very permeable.
- When working on slopes.
What tool can be used to help with drainage?
Ploughs
When ploughing furrows to help with drainage, what do you need to remember?
Remember that the furrows need to be connected to a network of main drains.
When will you expect a forest’s water table to rise considerably?
After felling.
Give three reasons why tree felling causes a forest’s water table to rise.
- There’s less transpiration by trees.
- Soils become compacted during the felling process.
- Drains become blocked by brash.
What sort of culling is rarely effective? What does this emphasise the importance of (two things)?
Rabbit culling is rarely effective. Therefore, mesh fencing and/or 75cm tall tree guards are very important to help prevent damage to saplings/regeneration.
If fencing and tree guards aren’t an option, how else can deer damage be prevented?
Through the use of chemical repellants that are applied to plants.
What’s the primary downside of chemical deer repellants?
They won’t protect any new growth that forms after the repellants were applied.
What should the height of a sapling being planted depend on? (Answer plus 2 points).
How weedy a site is.
* Normally, saplings are 15-25cm tall.
* But if a site is weedy, they should be 45-60cm tall to prevent competition with weeds.
Why should you never bother planting saplings that are taller than 60cm (3 Points)?
- They’ll require staking
- They’re more expensive than shorter ones
- They’ll have worse survival rates compared to shorter saplings
What should be wrapped around bare-rooted sapling roots to prevent them from drying out?
A polyethene bag.
What are these?
Chestnut pailings - they form a temporary fence.
How high should the wire mesh be on a stock fence? What about the barbed wire?
- 80cm (mesh)
- 20 cm (barbed wire)
The remaining 10cm of a fence should be un-wired.
What species is especially common in coppice woodlands?
Woodland anemone, it can be found in blankets :3
What does it mean when you “level off your pond”?
It means you use a spirit level to check that the edges of your pond are level!
How do you secure a pond liner border?
By building a small trench that the pond liner sits in. This trench can be filled with rocks to keep the liner extra secure.
Give two plants that are really annoying in ponds.
- Blanket weed
- Duckweed
