Branch Report 2023
In a corner of a French field is a Branch of Woods for the Trees. The Branch Manager, Tristram, has a hectare of land along the River Lède, a tiny tributary of the Lot, a major river that descends to the Atlantic Ocean at Bordeaux.
The rectangle of land is fringed by trees, mature black poplars, hazelnuts, elders, and oaks along the riverside (East). The upstream end (South) has a small copse by the riverside which narrows into a hedge of blackthorn leading away from the river. The downstream end (North) starts with a large fig by the little bridge. Next to it is a large cherry followed by a row of cherries which continue from the river and then take a right angle back towards downstream. Finally, the inland edge (West) between the blackthorn hedge and the cherries has, well, grass.
The normal tranquillity is interspersed by violent storms.
Gains and losses:
2019 – Planted two olives
2020 – Lost a 50-year old willow and a 25-year old Mirabelle in a June storm
2021 – Planted a willow and a tulip (the latter died in the drought same year)
2022 – Planted a walnut, lost a 25-year old palm tree to palm-moth infestation
2023 – In December planted a persimmon, a cherry, a Judas tree, a sycamore, 5 column Cyprus
Additionally, a small Mirabelle hedge has grown around the fallen one and the row of cherries along the Western edge has extended itself by six saplings.