NATIVE AND NATURALISED TREES OF WOOL
Of the 35 or so British native trees, 26 are found in Wool Parish. 80% of these occur naturally. This is a noteworthy variety, particularly as some British native trees do not occur anyway in Dorset. Below is a list of what occurs, but more may be found!
Ash Widespread
Alder Widespread along River Frome
Aspen Four sites, notably along Bovington Lane
Birch, Silver & Downy Widespread. Forms hybrids between Silver & Downy
Box
Beech Native?
Cherry (Gean) Very occasional, usually planted
Elder Widespread
Elm, English Suckering in hedgerows
Elm, Wych
Field Maple Most frequently in hedges
Hawthorn, Quickthorn or May Widespread, frequently planted as hedging
Poplar, Black Planted on Wool watermeadows, corner of East Burton Lane
Poplar, Grey Hybrid; possibly native in wet area just east of Parish boundary; other places planted
Guelder Rose Wet areas; hedges
Hazel Very common and widespread in hedges and woodland
Holly Common on acid soils
Hornbeam Isolated trees; mainly planted and as hedging
Lime The Common Lime is a hybrid between Large and Small leaved limes, however there are plantings of large-
Oak, Common Widespread.
Oak, Sessile ?
Rowan (Mountain Ash) Frequent in Bovington woodlands; regenerates well.
Scots Pine Naturalised, but not native to Southern England
Spindle Low tree/shrub; hedges
Whitebeam Planted in caravan park
Willow, Grey Common. Stretch by A35 near Woolbridge
Willow, Goat Common in wet areas
Willow, Crack Along River Frome
Willow, White Belt of 20 trees north of A35 near Woolbridge
Willow, Creeping On heathland never more than half a metre high. Is it a tree?
Yew Occasionally planted, but occurs naturally in some woods
Other trees commonly occurring both naturally and planted are Sycamores and Sweet Chestnuts. Both of these occur planted and arising naturally.
However, neither are native; they were introduced. Sweet Chestnut was
probably introduced by the Romans who, it is understood, made porridge with it. Sycamore was introduced in the 13th Century. However, our oldest Oak could be 1000 years old!
The Oak is one of our commonest trees and of great importance as, along wit Hazel, it provided constructional timber, beams of which can be found in
many of our old cottages. However, now its importance is mainly as the best
tree for wildlife. 4,000 different species of plants and animals can be
associated with one mature Oak. It is top of the list for lichens. Exposed
sunny trunks provide a habitat for many species that are not found in
woodland. Of most interest are the rare southern species -
clementi and Physcia tribacioides. The latter is the rarest lichen found in
the Parish and specially protected under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and
Countryside Act. Many of our largest, oldest Oaks, such as the one at the
corner of Cologne Road and that further on towards Bovington on Bovington
Lane at 3.90m (153.5”), were boundary oaks or way markers. Some marked
Parish boundaries, others ownership of land such as the old worked Oaks on
the back track west of Cologne Road. These showed where Frampton ownership from further west at Moreton ended. Another such Oak occurs in Bindon Lane near the farm – probably on the junction to the old track from the church. Oaks are impressive landscape trees living up to 500 years in some cases, so the most impressive Oak in the Parish at Woodstreet at a height of 6.44m (254”) at 250 or so years old is only middle aged.
The Ash is another tree forming the canopy in many of our woods, but also a
frequent hedgerow tree. It is not as long lived as the Oak with a maximum
of 300 years or so. The old Ash at the corner of the old Drove road off
East Burton Lane measures 6m60cms. It is a coppiced tree of years past and
is in the order of 260 years old. It was heavily crown reduced in 2006 and
fears were expressed, but it is surviving well and this management may
actually prolong its life, making it a good candidate for veteran tree status. Ashes, particularly old ones, are very good for lichens and generally for insects. The black hard fungi often seen on dead branches are called King Alfred’s Cakes. Ashes favour damper soils than Oaks. In most of our woods it is regenerating well. Quality laid Ashes can be seen at the junction of Bovington Lane and the Bere Regis Road. They have also, like Oak, been widely used as construction timber.
Hazel occurring along with Oaks in our woodlands is also a very common tree
in our Parish. Hazel, widely worked for coppice in many of our woods,
possibly occurs naturally as it does in the Cranborne Chase, but it was
probably spread by layering – taking a branch and laying it down and pegging it to the woodland floor. However, its nuts readily germinate – indeed, if left, the writer’s garden would quickly become a Hazel/Oak woodland as little Hazel trees spring up everywhere. Hazel has been used extensively for hurdle fences, thatching spars and occasionally as roofing timbers. It gets its name from Anglo-
Holly is slightly numerically less frequent but is also widespread in hedges
and woodland. Sometimes it is planted but the vast majority occur naturally
in hedges and woodland. There are male and female trees so there is only a
50% chance as to whether it will have berries -
Blackbirds and Thrushes and winter migrants such as Redwing and Fieldfare.
Often birds become very possessive of a good fruit bearer and will show
other birds off. They also make good nesting and winter sheltering trees.
Branches used to be cut off – low pollarding – to give winter feed for
livestock. Holly often forms an understorey in our woods, as does Hawthorn,
which similarly provides a good larder for birds, but past Christmas!
Woodmice often collect and store the nuts inside the berries and eat out the
seed by making a neat hole. Unlike Holly it favours more alkaline soil and
regularly colonises open areas, being a good germinator and quick grower –
hence Quickthorn.
Yet another tree with orange/red berries is the Rowan. Its berries commonly
get eaten by Thrushes and Blackbirds before the Autumn finishes -
is a constantly spaced out provision of food for these birds. (In Spring
Ivy berries become available. It is this diversity of food supplies that
ensures successful survival). It again germinates readily and grows quickly
in the more acid woods of the north of the Parish. Trees that grow quickly
and begin the cycle of turning open land into woods are called Pioneer
species. In the case of Aspen, this means local colonisation along new
trackways or openings made in woodland. This is because its reproductive
success is not so much by seed as suckers from one parent plant. They are
associated with ancient woods or open heathy woodland that becomes
thoroughly wet due to underlying clays in winter. This is exactly the place
this tree crops up in the Parish. They grow along trackways and openings
because like many Pioneers they need light. This accounts for why they grow
in a line along Bovington Lane that would have been a track through
woodland in times past. The stock could be the same as from hundreds of
years back but, as with all pioneers, individual trees are not long lived.
The rounded leaves turn golden or red in Autumn and, because of the long
leaf stalk or petiole, quiver in the slightest wind. This gives rise to the
saying that they are like old ladies tongues! They form a beautiful margin
to the road and were saved from destruction during the planning of the cycle
pathway when Dorset County listened to a local plea and placed it on the
other side of the road. It is a pity that in 2007 they were flailed
unsympathetically and seemingly unnecessarily on the edge of this wide open
road.
The Silver Birch is also a significant pioneer, particularly in the northern
half of the Parish. This tree is beautiful in its spring green and graces
any garden with its dainty branches and silvery white bark. It could be a
good substitute for Pine for making paper pulp. It certainly burns well.
It is rich in insect life of all sorts, including providing food for the
Lobster Moth caterpillar mentioned in the garden section. The millions of
little winged seeds from its catkins make it an exceptional Pioneer,
offering itself so freely as for some to dismiss it lightly by the term
weed. But with its natural beauty Tennyson’s “Lady of the Woods”, and its
wildlife rating well above that of so many trees, it should be valued. The
weeds of today may be biofuels of the future. Its leaves provide food for
many insects including moth caterpillars and these attract birds. Tits,
especially Long-
searching, and Tree Creepers look for insects under the bark and use loose
patches of bark to nest under. Greater Spotted Woodpeckers find the soft
wood easy for boring into for food and for tunnelling out deep cavities for
nests. It is also rich in associated Fungi (see section on Bovington Middle
School). Feeding threads from Fungi enter the roots and both benefit. The
nodules formed enable Birch to get minerals from the poorest soils. The
Fungi get carbohydrates made by the leaves; when the leaves fall and decay
they enrich the soil.
The Scots Pine is not a native but readily colonises our heathlands and
therefore is a target for removal as part of Natural England’s “Tomorrows
Heathland” project. Unlike the Birch, when its needles fall, the soil can
become even less available for growth of other plants, becoming more acid.
However, its winged seeds are certainly enjoyed by Goldcrests and this
accounts for the numbers in Pioneer Wood, Bovington.
The Sycamore is another tree that spreads seeds widely, all seeming to
germinate. It is not a problem generally in the Parish. They have not
spread widely into our ancient woods. Indeed there are three old trees
standing still in the grounds of although
the finest is now gone. Two very mature offspring have grown up in the
Pound. Old Sycamores are high up in the league for associated lichens (5th
in the species numbers score).
Just as in other parts of the country, Dutch Elm disease hit Wool in
. It was at that time that Church Lane lost some fine trees. The old
Knitting tree was an Elm – see later in text. They used also to be a
feature along East Burton Lane. There has been regrowth from suckers, as in
East Burton near the triangle, but these appear to be the Dutch Elm hybrid
as they have corky flanges on their twigs. However, this specially bred Elm
proved no more resistant than other species. Another line of Elms along the
Bere Regis road, between the new roundabout and the road down to Woolbridge, succumbed about six years ago. The fungus blocks the water transporting tubes that is why there is sudden death, particularly after a dry spell in Spring. The fungus is carried from tree to tree by a bark-
so has not lost its landscape trees in the same way.
The abundance of waterways and drainage channels and seepages results in
various water-
particularly true for Willows which occur all over the Parish. The winter
bright orangey branches of the Crack Willows are apparent in the flood plain
of the River Frome, including a line of pollards. One tree growing near
Woolbridge lost a large part of it – torn away in a winter storm – showing
how suitable the name Crack is. This, along with the White Willow, has long
leaves. Both surfaces of the White Willow leaf are covered with long
silvery hairs.
It is the short-
Brilliant Spring green is offered by Beech trees. These are native in
Dorset. Some grow naturally as in 8 Acre Coppice and Menin Wood, Bovington, but the larger numbers here and in Cole Wood have been planted. Sweet Chestnut, also occurring at Bovington where there are some fine large specimens, is not native but spreads naturally favouring poor acid soils. Here, and also in Menin Wood, are many self-
gained the name “Snotty Gogs”. The red avil? is edible, but the seed
poisonous. However, several birds feed on both, but it is Blackbirds and
Thrushes who really prize the sticky outside. The fruit takes 2 years to
ripen. Everything about the Yew is slow. It grows extremely slowly, so
even Yews of 1000+ years old may not look massive. They, with their dark
evergreen strap-
one in Wool churchyard lies north of the building, which position could
indicate it pre-
However, its real age is only to be known when it is chopped down and the
annual rings counted. (This could be done for the one that has been
felled.) It is hoped this does not happen. There are 8 Yews all in the
same area of central Wool. Is it just chance – soil type – or is this
related to the religious house of Bindon Abbey having jurisdiction in Wool?
Certain it is that the Yew has Christian and pre-
significance and is a sign of immortality.
Generally speaking Wool does not have record aged trees. Many date from 250
years ago. Maybe the awareness of need for valuable timber at that time
promoted plantings or simply made trees less likely to be removed when once
established. However, we do have a near record size Maple at 14.93m (49’)
in the south of the Parish and a Rowan in the north of the Parish in 8 Acre
Coppice at 17.1m! Wool is really noteworthy however in its variety of
different species.
A Large White Willow on the edge of the water meadows.