A picture says a thousand words!
A second picture says one.... f#&%$rzzzz
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Destruction at Watersmeet
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 RollingPinBoy |
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Posts: 114 18/11/2008 23:41:42 The Barbologist |
Last Edited By: RollingPinBoy 18/11/2008 23:48:21.
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Kingfisher II |
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Posts: 5286 19/11/2008 09:15:44 Board Owner |
Repete and I are going down to the Royalty tomorrow ,I must admit it looks like the willow tree
has been butchered. It looks like they have just left the brabches in the river. I remember John Wilson standing in the water and float fishing under that willow for Barbel in one of his earlier video's. Micky |
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The Meaty Baron |
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Posts: 146 19/11/2008 10:50:25 |
What a shame - I remember Danny, Planty and me catching 4 fish in 10 minutes from under that tree with Ray last year ...
Any reason Ray ?? Jez |
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Plantie68 |
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Posts: 2 19/11/2008 11:39:59 |
Ray
Was it the house owner? Are they going to hack down the rest of the trees on the property? Plantie |
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DANIEL07881 |
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Posts: 1233 19/11/2008 14:03:29 Fact Finder General |
Happy days Jez...if i remember rightly it was raining and orrible!!
Does look awful though....will take years to re-grow if ever properly! Dan... |
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wozza2 |
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Posts: 69 19/11/2008 16:37:45 |
Hi Guys
People are doin this every place i think i was on the loddon 2 weeks ago fishing a little slack only to see a JCB and 2 vans drving past and then cut down the trees on the opposite bank right in front of me!!! its very sad wozza 
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PJ Martin |
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Posts: 273 19/11/2008 21:19:44 |
Where am I going to fish now?
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lazyluke |
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Posts: 272 19/11/2008 21:53:33 |
try the thames pj..now thats a river.
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luke |
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EXTEST |
Conservation work at Watersmeet. |
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Posts: 1326 20/11/2008 18:59:50 Moderator |
Ray, I hate to rain on your parade again but, I really do feel that you are barking up the wrong tree.
There have been many knowlegeble replys on BFW all agreeing that this tree work needed to be done and the reasons why. I am not going to go over their ground, or my posts again. There are several posts that you should take note of including the post from Glosfish who hit the nail on the head. These trees, in their history, have been pollarded, albeit many years ago. If you zoom into the stumps in the photo you can see that, in some cases, the heart wood is decaying. If these trees had been allowed to grow, especially the ones with the ivy growing up them, then they would most certainly split open and fall in the river. The split would go right down into the bole of the tree, letting in rain ,snow, frost and ice, which, in turn, would cause even more terminal damage. Bank side willows have to be managed, for their own good health you have got to be cruel to be kind. Yes it looks a mess but, in 3/4 years time you will wonder what all the fuss was about. There will be lush new growth, a different shaped tree but, most importantly, there will still be trees there. An act of conservation. I will totally agree with you on other crusades, (over weed cutting on the Avon and the use of fyke nets but not on this issue. Very best wishes,----John.
Last Edited By: EXTEST 20/11/2008 19:03:52.
Edited 1 time.
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RollingPinBoy |
Lastest info |
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Posts: 115 20/11/2008 22:25:09 The Barbologist |
Micky Kingfisher was down here today so I will let him tell his story when he gets back.
Day ticket anglers from Kent were fishing here today Thursday and more chain sawed trees started dropping again into the river nearby this morning. When the angler was using his camera phone to take a scenic picture of upstream and downstream, he was verbally abused from across the river by the tree surgeon/lumberjack. When the tree workers were clearing up seemingly finished for the day after felling the large final tree in the picture, the anglers left the area. However, when they left, out came the chain saws again and continued cutting other trees further upstream into the Parlour of which they took one out to ground level. I was then confronted by the House owner who came around and asked why I was filming his property. He told me that the Willows were rotting and that he had permission to do it from Christchurch Council/Environment Agency/BWHWC and Natural England. Contrary to what some might think, after our conversation, I personally thought that the owner was very conservation minded, but I am not totally convinced at the given reasoning for the cut. Furthermore, he told me that they were coming back next Sunday 'to do the Pollarding' where the stumps in the main picture will be cut further down to the ground. Is this correct, as I and others assumed that the pollarding to these trees had already
been done so that they could grow back at a reasonable height...Cheers Ray..
Last Edited By: RollingPinBoy 20/11/2008 23:17:44.
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Kingfisher II |
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Posts: 5292 21/11/2008 10:36:57 Board Owner |
After I left Ray ( as the light was fading) to meet up with Pete downstream I heard the chainsaws start up again and more main tree trunks to the left were being removed.( plenty of branches were left to flow down the river.) In my opinion the correct way to pollard this type of tree is as shown in Rays photo (on the anglers left) i.e at least 10 foot of main trunk and then allow tree to sprout several new shoots. This allows light to reach the ground and still offers a good view through the tree. It seems that a wooden structure has already been built to the right of the removed trees to allow boat access to the river . Hopefully everything has been approved by the authorities. Good to see you again Ray , and good luck mate. Micky |
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EXTEST |
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Posts: 1327 21/11/2008 21:30:59 Moderator |
Ray, I am extremely pleased that you have had contact with the owner.
I do hope that it is his intention to conserve these trees. He mentioned that the 'tree surgeons ' would be back to pollard the trees lower to the ground. Yes there are some branches on the down stream willow that are too thin to carry any further future growth and I would cut these right back to the main trunk where they would shoot again. I do hope you will keep an eye on this work because, if the owner has the trees cut right down to ground level , that is not pollarding but coppicing. Coppicing will cause many spindly shoots that will never form a proper tree. The last limb standing I am very surprised,with that weight of ivy on it , and the angle that it is growing , that it has not already split open and fallen in the river. As for the willows to the left of the fishermen, what a ridiculous height to pollard a willow. Far too high to give shelter for fish and, bear in mind, these willows in the next few years will need to be pollarded again. Because of 'elf and safety' you are not allowed to use a chainsaw up a ladder. Micky stated at least 10ft,----no, 6/7ft max,---give the fish something to get under not look up at the sky at. Lollipop trees like this are all very well alongside big rivers like the Thames or in a park but not on a river like this. Please keep an eye on this Ray as I am now also concerned that the owner will coppice them which, will be to their detriment. Also bear in mind that once the tree is levelled to the ground it only needs a few holes drilled down into the stump and then the holes filled with a certain brush wood killer to totally kill the tree. ----No need for expensive stump removal. I am sure that the owner would not think along these lines as, without these willow roots, he would have serious bank erosion and lose ground. Keep me informed about the fyke nets because as an ex licensed fixed trap eel catcher I abhor these nets. They are so open to abuse, even being set when salmon smolts are running to sea. Very best wishes and carry on crusading -----John. |
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RollingPinBoy |
Sunday bloody Sunday |
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Posts: 116 21/11/2008 22:18:28 The Barbologist |
Hi John and all..As I said, they definitely hit one of the upstream willows in the parlour to ground level as the light began to fade when the anglers moved. This willow had seemingly been pollarded 2 years ago and was small with new small growths. I have E-mailed and contacted Natural England again and highlighted the possible problem. However, the 'tree surgeons' intend to come back on Sunday which may then be too late for the willows if there intensions are not as stated. I have the feeling that even if they are left as they are in the pictures (with intervention from Natural England), they will be 'managed' frequently to stop them growing back. Something else was mentioned that is relevant in all this and I will explain later. Note.. The Willows on the angler's bank in the pictures (the stumps area) are not the responsibility of the House owner.
Last Edited By: RollingPinBoy 21/11/2008 22:34:37.
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