Crack willow

Damage on the nature reserves was relatively minor but one species of tree which suffered more than most was the crack willow.

The land around Kidderminster and along the Stour and Severn river valleys has more than its fair share of these trees as they thrive on the damp soil conditions in these areas.

Crack willows can, and often do, grow to a height of 20 to 25 metres.

When the trees are this large they have rough bark which has a twisted and cracked appearance.

The branches of this tree grow outwards with wide angles between them.

This results in some of the branches or even the trunk growing out nearly horizontally.

The wood of the willow is, in comparison to some of the other common trees, relatively fragile and this results in it frequently losing large branches or even completely collapsing in windy weather.

This fact is reflected both in the tree's common name of crack willow and in its scientific name Salix Fragilis.

Despite the willow's tendency to collapse, the crack willow in the area is nothing if not common.

This is probably due to the remarkable propagation properties it has.

Any chunk of wood, small branch or twig which falls onto a suitably damp patch of land rapidly sprouts shoots and begins to grow.

The trees also produce copious quantities of fluffy down-like seeds which can be seen rising into the skies in early June.

As this tree spreads so easily and then proceeds to grow at such a high rate, it is one which tends to need to be kept in check on the marshland nature reserves where, if young growth is not kept down by cutting and grazing, it will rapidly spread across the marshland, smothering the rare flora.

Its growth also has to be carefully monitored when it is near to homes and roads and action needs to be taken if the tree looks likely to collapse, posing a threat to lives and property.

This threat has long been recognised and in past times willows growing in this type of location were often pollarded.

Pollarding is the practice of cutting back all the branches two metres or so up the main trunk.

This practice causes the production of copious amounts of fine young growth which was out of the reach of grazing animals and could be used for all sorts of weaving purposes.

For this reason it was common to see pollarded willows along the banks of brooks throughout the country.

These days there is not much demand for crack willow for weaving, but regular pollarding extends the life of the willow trees allowing them to produce very gnarled and twisted trunks which are ideal refuges for wildlife.