Picture: Large tree before it met it's fate.
Storm Eunice ripped across the Severn Vale on Friday 19th February and sadly blew down one of the few ancient trees in the orchard. We're gutted, this tree was abundant with wildlife and adorned with mistletoe at Christmas time. It took out a young Kingston Black tree with it's fall.
Overall we have a sense of relief that only two trees were taken down by the storm but there's sadness to lose a tree which had grown to such splendour, an icon for the others to follow. But this is nature and a challenge we're going to have to get used to. So our take-outs from this event:
We need to build up the hedgerows. We need shelter from the prevailing south-westerly winds
Safety in numbers - more tress will reinforce the shelter (a bit like penguins huddling together in the antarctic)
The tree hasn't lost it's significance, it's just taking on a new role in the orchard - providing a new habitat for creatures at the lower stratas in the orchards.
This is a natural lifecycle and we'll continue to replenish and grow.
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