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BAGMOOR
AND
ROYAL
COMMON
NEWS
Bagmoor and Royal Commons have been looking beautiful with
the autumn colours, and I've been feeling privileged to
work in such a beautiful spot. The leaves are all
coming off the trees now, with help from all the recent
wind and rain. I have escaped a soaking today to write
this article, but I think I have been rained on enough recently
and I'm sure I'm not the only one!
One of my main aims for the winter at Bagmoor is to gradually
remove a few of the non-native trees from the woodland areas.
There are two main culprits, Black cherry (Prunus serotina)
and Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris). These species are
both a problem for our native trees on site such as birch,
rowan, aspen and pedunculate oak.
Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a North American species
which is thought to have been introduced to the Elstead
and Tilford area by the Canadians that were stationed here
during the Second World War. It is uncertain why they
would have brought it with them, but perhaps they were using
the copious amount of fruit that they produce. The
cherries are a good source of vitamin C, but there may be
a clue in one of the trees' other names, Rum cherry!
Black cherries are attractive ornamental trees, with many
small white flowers in the spring followed by the copious
fruit in late summer. They readily spread over open
ground and can easily start to dominate woodland as long
as they have enough light. There are woods in nearby
Tilford and Shackleford where the cherry trees are so well
established that they have been preventing the growth of
saplings of native species. We have removed a few
black cherries from the north-eastern corner of the site,
but we have plenty of fruit-bearing trees such as rowan,
alder buckthorn, holly and crabapple, and these will compensate
for the lack of future cherries.
Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris) is believed to be a southern
European species, but has been planted so widely that its'
exact origin is unknown. It is very similar to our
native oaks, Pedunculate oak and Sessile oak, but the leaves
are more pointed and the buds are whiskery. It matures
into a graceful tree, but affects our native oaks where
it grows in close proximity to them. It grows faster,
hybridises with other oaks, and also harbours a parasitic
wasp, Andricus quesrcuscalicis. This wasp is another
non-native species that was first recorded in Britain in
1956. It has a complicated life-cycle with two generations
per year. The first eggs are laid on Turkey oak catkins,
and develop into small wasps. In June, these lay eggs in
the flowers of the pedunculate oak. A gall grows around
the developing acorn to provide a home for the next generation
of wasp pupae, but in the process the acorn is destroyed,
or damaged badly enough to prevent it germinating. Turkey
oaks growing near pedunculate oaks therefore reduce the
regeneration potential of native oak woodland. We
will be thinning out some of the Turkey oaks over the next
few years to ensure the continued dominance of Pedunculate
oak on the site.
I will be running a couple of volunteer tasks in December,
on Saturday 12th and Monday 14th.
Both tasks start at 10 am and will involve cutting invasive
birch scrub on the heath, and having bonfires. We meet at
the Royal Common entrance at 10 am, and work until about
3 pm, or whenever you would like to stop. All tools,
training, tea, coffee and biscuits are provided. All
you need are some old clothes, waterproofs, and sturdy boots.
Details are posted on the Surrey Wildlife Trust website,
and also on the noticeboard at the entrance to Royal Common
off the B3001. Please let me know if you would like
to attend one of these tasks so that I can bring enough
tools.
Do have a very merry Christmas, and let's hope we get some
more beautiful weather in December.
Fiona
Haynes
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