Planting new trees and cover

[Guest little_lloyd]

What tipe of trees would you plant in a wood/bushes which would provide some decent cover for pheasants and duck?

[OldTrapCollector 376]

What tipe of trees would you plant in a wood/bushes which would provide some decent cover for pheasants and duck?

 

That is a fairly difficult question to reply to LL as it depends on so many things - soil type, size of existing woodland, acreage, permanency, what is there already etc etc.

 

Give a little more information and I am sure that we can help you some how

 

OTC

[Guest little_lloyd]

Only a small wood 1 half maybe 2 acres! Got a few oaks,beech and various bushes and stuf like holy,thorns etc!

Just in some parts it looks like there should be more trees so we are going to plant a few more!

[waz77 15]

Does it need more trees or more ground cover lloyd?

[Guest little_lloyd]

Both illd say, would like more trees and ground cover

[waz77 15]

To create more ground cover sometimes its better to clear a ride by copicing the trees(cutting off at ground level) so the trees grow back bushier and giving more cover at ground level for maybe 10 years or so,it also lets light in giving other species a chance to get going.When this area starts getting tall again so providing more canopy cover than ground cover,copice another area,so that you've always got both canopy and ground cover,and keep rotating around the wood till you're happy with it,but dont let em get too thick.Obviously this takes years to fully acheive,but if you've got birch or hazel you can see results in just 2 or 3 years,hard woods take much longer to grow back so be carefull how many of them you take out.You may need a felling licence if your felling more than 5sq metres at a time.Couple that with some planting and you should be able to make it very attractive to pheasants

[Guest little_lloyd]

Thanks wazz77 I will have to get on with that then, for the coming season!

[waz77 15]

Yeah the sooner the better mate,then you'll get some regrowth this year and you wont be disturbing poults.Its suprising how much you can get done in one day with a chainsaw,if its a small wood you can prob do it in a day.Leave the brash in piles for extra cover or flushing points n leave logs in stacks,when they start decaying they're provide loads of insects for the birds Good luck mate

[alimac 882]

What tipe of trees would you plant in a wood/bushes which would provide some decent cover for pheasants and duck?

 

you want to know what cover to put in a wood for DUCK?????? a pond would be a good start..... might just be me but iv never seen a duck flushed from a bush in a wood

[Guest little_lloyd]

Yep we have a pond The other day i was walking the wood and i put up a female mallard from the cover on the edge of the wood Waz77 It would not matter about the poults coz its moslty a wild bird shoot anyway!

Edited April 8, 2007 by little_lloyd

[OldTrapCollector 376]

Laurel provides quick fix cover solution and is hardy and is evergreen - the birds like getting in under it and will roost happily in the branches when it gets a bit taller. Rhododendrons do the same but be careful about where you plant those as they will quickly take over before you know it, and the ground is bare and dark under them and the birds won't appreciate it too much.

 

A mixture of structured coppicing and replanting will go a long way to help your woodland be don't try to do it all at once, these things take time.

 

Some sunny spots within the woodland would help to create a sunbathing and dusting area for them too which they need.

 

A good strip of cover/feed crop planted alongsdide the woodland belt would help the birds to occupy themselves, as well as expanding your potential.

 

With a wild bird shoot the most important task at this time of year is to get on top of all ground vermin.

 

OTC

[Guest little_lloyd]

Yeh have been thinking of some laurel, We have rather alot on the drive leading to the house! Have a nice sunny spot where the tractor comes in and out the wood and some other nice spots Dont know we might plant some maize or kale in the future but the feild is currenly at this time of the year grazed by horses which is a doensize I think we are atop of the tree rats at the moment! But need to get craking with the corvids where my ladder trap comes into use

[T.F.Student 0]

Have a look at ground around your rhodys...notice where a branch goes into the ground...pull it up or dig round it...if its rooted...cut it below the roots and there you have one rhody bush ready to plant elsewhere...keep your eyes open this can be done with a few bushes/shrubs/trees...you can even cheat and peg branches down

[Guest little_lloyd]

Dont know if its any good to game birds But we bought about 20 trees of beech and hazel and a few hawthortn and holly for planting tommorow

[waz77 15]

Yep,all good,you might not see the benefit of beech for a long time,but the others should show results in a few years