The most Effective Way of REFORESTATION? embracing natural processes

Watch this whole video series on ''Native Woodland and Trees on the Farm'':
• Playlist
Also check out my Patreon Page to support this content: / smoothgefixt
Overthere you can also watch the 7 Day Wilderness Trekking Series in this region, Free of Access!
Natural Regeneration vs. Tree Planting! Native Woodland Conservationist Andrew St. Ledger we discuss the process and potential of Natural Regeneration. Is it a good alternative to Tree planting?
For more information visit: celtnet.org/ . CELT is a registered Charity that promotes the Natural Environment & Sustainable Living.

[@juliussilvan]

Hope you enjoyed this Series! Also, check out my other series on Sustainable Forestry: kzbin.info/aero/PLhOM_Q_8wHEV9U4LQGqGmeL3rKbEuEQq3 See you around!;)

[@gesithasgewissa]

I love hearing about the stages of natural regeneration. I work on some land which had been left for about 10 years, there are lots of thick blackthorn stands and just a few oak saplings just starting to peek above the canopy of the blackthorn! Thanks for the video

[@juliussilvan]

Beautiful!, That interaction between those plants in the succession is one of the things I love most in nature! Thanks for sharing!

[@Oscarcat2212]

Why not plant Oaks and fence them? In a normal ecosystem they would be the canopy. There would be very little blackthorn for the saplings to compete with. It looks more like a mess than a forest.

[@AwesomeFish12]

Good to see people still care in the British Isles, it's often seen as an example of what not to do. A cautionary tale for the rest of the world of just how bad things can become and just how much nature can be lost to agriculture, forestry and urban expansion. Though it seems even there, there is hope, and nature can come back.

[@juliussilvan]

Im quite positive about the future here actually, atleast on this front :)

[@TomInIreland110]

This was filmed in Ireland.

[@alanbrooke144]

@@TomInIreland110 and island in the British Isles...

[@pio4362]

@@alanbrooke144 No, it's not. Ireland is not British, we've fought enough wars against that invasive species.

[@mariknutson7307]

Bramble is a significant wildlife barrier in my regenerating forest/fields. I am from WA state, and Himalayan and evergreen blackberry are a curse. Most of my time spent managing the field is removing blackberry. There is a low growing native blackberry that I leave. Please don't let it take over your land if it isn't native to your area.

[@teamground0229]

I agree. The Forest Preserve of Cook County (Chicago area) bought up farms to preserve. They left the farm fields to "fill in". The result is acres of buckthorn, honeysuckle and box elder - shit forest. Should have farmed it until they could plant it with natives such as oak, and viburnum. I'm sure volunteer conservation groups and scouts would have helped them. Or they could have worked to restore native prairie land grasses.

[@downbntout]

I can tell there aren't any goats on your place? I stripgrazed cattle with single strand on high pigtails, and let the little handful of goats roam the whole place. The goats picked up every bird-sown little blackberry start. Hi from Moses Lake.

[@juliussilvan]

@teamground0229 It is likely possible that those lower grade forests would naturally still develop into oak forests overtime? with a bit of patients

[@rashakor]

Pioneer species are always considered junk, but they’re not.

[@tatuh4597]

Super interesting dude, thanks for the video!

[@juliussilvan]

Great to hear you enjoyed it Tatuh!

[@diogenesegarden5152]

It would be interesting to fence off discrete areas to create glades for the deer and horses to graze. This would help focus grazing patterns and increase the edge effect. You could help things along by using locally sourced willow rods as stakes for the fence. If your intention were to be a managed coppice for revenue and supporting the reintegration of humans with the natural cycle, this could also be a revenue source. Also cutting some birch branches that have seeds, you can stick them in the ground if you wanted to help things along by providing a more localised seed source, which can then dry out and disperse naturally in the wind. If you were to plant and protect a few brambles between the willow you would quickly get quite a natural, impenetrable fedge.

[@juliussilvan]

Thanks a million for sharing those interesting ideas!

[@ferret5772]

Mr Silvan we as a species are very impatient, we think in seconds, minutes, hours,days weeks etc. Nature works in decades and centuries and geological time is in millenia , we really need to learn to sit back and take it all in , the natural world can heal itself if given space and time but unfortunately the same cant be said for us humans I fear.

[@rogerthat487]

Aided of course by CO2 - nature's plant food

[@GWAYGWAY1]

What is the purpose of making woodland from grazing land. ??????

[@tauIrrydah]

Wait a minute.... *watches the hole series* Only just realise its the iron age roundhouse guy on the camera. Ach ye sneaky bugger!

[@valentinbordichon162]

reforestation take a lot of time, natural regeneration is very slow and deer can totally stop the process if they are not regulate choosing a natural process is the best option but sometime mother nature need a little help sorry if my english is not perfect from france

[@MrMisaKulicka]

Excellent point, in much of mainland UK this approach isn't possible without deer management; either fencing, or culls, or both. Natural regen is fantastic when it happens in the right place though, as it's more resilient and suited for that specific microclimate.

[@valentinbordichon162]

@@MrMisaKulicka yep that's right for the fence i think is not the best option, it cost a lot, need to be maintenanced, its not very ecological and not very effective uk achieve to limit the effects of deer in his forest ?

[@MrMisaKulicka]

@@valentinbordichon162 it can be effective, though is more economical at scale. Maintenance costs are a good point, but if done right by the time the fence is reaching the end of it's lifespan, any trees will hopefully be above browsing level. Regarding the ecological/aesthetic impact, I think it's worth the relatively short lifespan to end up with native woodland, over a biodiversity poor landscape which needs continuous deer management. Ultimately, there are many options to encourage and achieve natural regen but in the UK, they all require human input of some kind, and each case needs a unique management system.

[@valentinbordichon162]

@@MrMisaKulicka yes you're right, wild pork can destroy a fence very fast

[@MrJRHEBERT]

Smooth Gefixt ? The voice sounds the same. Excellent content, both.

[@juliussilvan]

Thanks man, Yes Julius here;)

[@EddieGalois]

Reforestation would also increase habitat for wild game, reducing the market demand for livestock derived meat. The second order effects; people are more encouraged to experience nature and take responsibility for their food choices by sourcing it themselves.

[@juliussilvan]

Good stuff!

[@tricky1581]

Not gonna happen pal. This is the British Isles, amongst the 70-75 million population (including the island of Ireland) most people get their meat from the supermarket. Figuratively speaking you could probably count the number of people who hunt game to eat on one hand. Add to that living on a small island over the last 6000 years just about all large mammals have already been hunted to extinction apart a few herds of deer that wouldn't feed the UK or Ireland for a week. Add to that we also have some of the strictest gun control laws in the world, so not sure how good our hunting prowess would fair using sticks & stones to try & rustle up a tasty badger or fox stew!

[@EddieGalois]

Oh,100%. The islands' carrying capacity for humans is well exceeded, for sure. And the gun issue is likely something they'll have to figure out the hard way in the early phases of ww3, or sooner with the growing violence in their cities. However, reforestation now *will* produce more food passively with game, and more if it's done with food-bearing plants. But that's assuming good-case scenario in the years that follow. It still won't be enough for self sufficiency in time for shtf, cuz urbanite mentality, but it'll mean food rationing will be that little bit less harsh on those who are still alive, post event. Ideally, enough people wake up and start stacking shelf stable food prior to shtf. But again, euros, they don't exactly strike as the types to have a dozen Mylar buckets. The prepared will be better off regardless. Thanks for the challenging comment, well wishes to you and yours in these interesting times.@@tricky1581

[@pio4362]

@@tricky1581 Ireland is a separate country, not in "British isles" with its own laws and its own culture. You Brits can get deal with your Brexit mess.

[@filipcarvalho12]

yeah but that is a small gap imagine square quilometers of empty grassland that once was a forest with no seed nor trees to start the process. You need to get at least some planted trees there...

[@juliussilvan]

Completely agree:) Thanks for your input!

[@_bigbuddhacheese9369]

first

[@AwesomeFish12]

congratulations?

[@threeriversforge1997]

Don't forget that "natural regeneration" doesn't mean simply getting rid of fields. Those open areas are vital natural habitats all on their own. The "natural" way of things is to have a blend of open and covered. Wild fires would burn hundreds of acres, or at least dozens, and from there grew up the grasslands. Forest is horrible ecosystem for millions of things, tiny little bugs and ephemeral plants. Even then, there are many types of forest, and the fact that you have trees around doesn't mean you have a healthy ecosystem. By not burning the land with controlled fires, mimicking what nature does, you've lost gobs of stuff most people don't even realize.

[@i4gotchai4gotcha57]

10-15 years to get it? Not sure we and the planet have so much time. I don't think nature can do all the work by itself and without man's help, because only Yucatan asteroid caused more damage than us in last two centuries. Natural process must be speeded.

[@matthiasengh7935]

I don't know why but this didn't show up in my KZbin feed, their algorithm is such garbage

[@juliussilvan]

KZbin b*st*rds!':)