When was thetford forest planted

Thetford Forest, part of the public forest estate managed by the East England Forest District of Forestry Commission England, contains substantial areas planted with monocultures of Corsican pine Pinus nigra subsp. Outbreaks of the pathogen Dothistroma Needle Blight DNB have devastated many stands, with high mortality resulting from secondary pathogens. Traditionally, stands of this species are thinned from 22 years onwards.

Following evidence that close spacing in monoculture plantations of Corsican pine can result in high mortality in young stands, Forest Research scientists advocated heavy and early thinning. Local staff, led by Terry Jennings and Brian Greenacre instigated early thinning in an attempt to manage the pathogen.

Given a moratorium on planting Corsican pine since , and the widely accepted benefits of diversifying the range of species in a stand, district staff experimented with introducing underplantings of various alternative conifer species to these thinned stands. To date, hectares ha has been thinned and underplanted.

Stands are thinned to stems per ha. This could include deciding what species to plant or what management strategy to adopt in a new planting area. Read more about Cambridge University research in the East of England in a special issue of Research Horizons magazine.

Bunny Huns. Andrew Kedar. Mike Kew. Peter Ladell. Norman McCreath. Allan MacKenzie. Simon Mallone. Val Marsh. George Marshall. Picture: Archant library - Credit: Archant. Thetford Forest isn't quite as ancient as you might think. Most of its trees were planted after the First World War, to provide the country with a strategic timber reserve. Thetford forestry servive, Acres and acres of gorse and sandy ridges typical of the Brecks were bought from former farms by the newly-formed Forestry Commission.

Unemployment was high in the area, so there were no shortage of willing hands to help clear the ground and plant. The forestry commission has its own fire-service. Pictured is the crew of one of the fire tenders getting aboard when the alarm sounded, June