Week 34
I am worried. This year the number of animal species is declining, and especially birds. It may be thanks to a nearby tree-feller, who is decimating trees and foliage that were once inhabited by wildlife. It may also be that Lakeland is experiencing the same drastic reduction in wildlife that has been seen elsewhere. In earlier years, I thought Lakeland was lucky, but now it appears to be catching up.
Between 2015 and 2020, 48% of bird species in the UK showed a decline, with birds like the turtle dove[i], capercaillie[ii], tree sparrow[iii] and grey partridge[iv] now being less than a tenth of their numbers from 50 years ago[v]. So says a recent Government report[vi]. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), in their annual garden survey[vii], found that since 1979, 60% of house sparrows have been lost from gardens nationally. A total of 38 million birds have vanished from UK skies in the last 50 years.
I cannot explain why blue tits are my favourite, but they are. Normally I would see plenty of them, but this year has been different. Certainly, in 2020, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) calculated that the population of blue tits[viii] in the UK could have fallen by 500,000, thanks to a warm spring[ix]. This year’s (2023) spring was not the warmest on UK record but was 0.35°C warmer than the 1991-2020 average[x]. For blue tits, the problem with a warm spring is that caterpillars develop early, so there are fewer available during the main blue tit nesting season, a reduced chance of survival of nestlings, and smaller populations overall. The traditional blue tit nesting season is in late March, with its eggs being laid throughout April and early May[xi]. Some blue tits get going as early as January and some as late as May, but the majority follow traditional timings.
Garden birds are extremely vulnerable to weather and disease. A survey by RSPB Scotland showed that the harsh Scottish weather conditions this year (2023) have resulted in significant declines in bird populations. This has been declared a nature and climate emergency[xii].
My local sparrowhawk[xiii] does not help. I thought I had seen it a few weeks ago but it was out of the corner of one eye, and I was uncertain. This week there was no doubt. The sparrowhawk sees a blue tit as the tastiest morcel and will catch it in mid-flight. That was exactly what the one on my land did. With a whooshing sound of ruffled air, and the tiniest squeak from the blue tit, it was all over, barely before I could blink. The sparrowhawk retreated, first to a nearby ageing rhododendron and then to the very tip of one of the few remaining cypress trees that the tree-feller has so far spared. The raptor then flew away, one deceased blue tit secure in sparrowhawk talons. Despite the loss of another garden bird, it was an impressive sight. Doubtless the blue tit was headed to the sparrowhawk’s nest so that fledglings could be fed. Sparrowhawks prefer to nest in dense woodland and breed between May and July. Until the chicks are old enough to be left alone, the male sparrowhawk, which is smaller than the female, does the hunting and feeds both the young and their mother[xiv].
As with humans, animals can be active both by day and by night, although as I pass through the inevitable ageing process, I have become more of a daytime being, nod off for no good reason, and go to bed unsociably early while expecting to wake up at night. I understand this is normal[xv]. Yet by awaking during darkness, I have seen how active animals can be at night and, after hours, there is plenty to hear and sometimes even to see. Around 70% of animals are active at night and are thus nocturnal. Animals that are active by day are known as diurnal, just like the human animal[xvi]. After all, that is what we are - animals. Animals that are active around dawn or dusk are crepuscular. For the academically minded, an animal that is vespertine is active at dusk, while one that is matutinal is active at dawn[xvii].
Animals are greatly affected by mankind, which may explain why there is so much nocturnal animal activity. There is strong evidence that animals have changed their activities to cope with mankind trying to muscle in, and they even use human tracks, paths, and roads for access[xviii]. I see this frequently with the paths I have cut around and through my longer grass. A pheasant, perhaps a pigeon, will walk along the path, looking left and right. It will suddenly stop, hop into the longer grass to peck at something tasty, and then hop back on the path once again. Animals of all sorts strut up and down these paths, as if I have cut the paths for them. They may actually be right.
I see this clearly with my trail cameras, which I have been using on my land for some years. At times, I also use them on the Lakeland fells that surround me, but mostly I use trail cameras near to home. A trail camera, or trailcam, is a camera that is triggered by a high-speed infrared sensor and lies dormant until the environment before them changes[xix]. Some are cellular, which means they use a mobile signal to communicate with their owner, although in Lakeland a mobile signal is not always possible. Many trailcams are used by hunters, to scout out the lay of the land before later appearing with a weapon. That is not me. I was once a hunter but no longer. As a so-called sport - I have never understood why hunting classifies as a sport - hunting can be both good and bad for the environment[xx]. These days, pain and suffering of animals troubles me greatly, so I do what I can to preserve wildlife. It seems only right.
The statistics are not good. A study of 80 radio-collared white-tailed deer found that of the 22 deer who had been shot with traditional archery equipment, 11 were wounded but not recovered by hunters[xxi]. Twenty percent of foxes who have been wounded by hunters are shot again. Only 10% manage to escape, but starvation is a likely fate[xxii]. Estimates from one USA state alone recorded that more than three million wounded ducks lie unretrieved each year[xxiii]. A study of deer hunting from the UK found that 11% of the deer killed by hunters died only after being shot twice or more. Some wounded deer suffered for more than 15 minutes before dying[xxiv],[xxv]. Thanks to reports like this, and a long list of research papers that highlight its harmful effects, hunting is no longer for me. My trailcam, which is what I now use to hunt animals, has only reinforced my views.
This year, my local trailcam images have been fewer than before. Three years ago, there was a pandemic and much of the world was in lockdown. With humans out of the way, wild animals returned to areas that had once been denied them[xxvi] and surprisingly quickly, too. Then, my trailcam was humming. Now there is less to see, and I can think of no other reason than human activity, although climate change may also play a part.
There is a skill to using a trailcam - it is not just placed anywhere. Proper positioning is essential to the images it will obtain, so I will spend at least an hour placing one on my land. However, even before positioning the trailcam, it is important to be a competent tracker and identify if an animal might have passed by. Tracking skills are important and take time to develop. Owning a trailcam is one thing. Using it is another.
There is an excellent statement that summarises this essential skill for anyone interested in renaturing and the wildlife it can encourage:
“Tracking is like learning to read. First you start with the ABCs then you work up to simple sentences, then to paragraphs and finally to books. Ultimately, with practice, you can read very difficult books with a great deal of hidden meaning[xxvii]."
Learning to track takes time, and analysing a track is time-occupying, too. It is why it takes me so long to set up my trailcam.
Positioning the camera is critical, as angle and direction must just right. Without perfect positioning, I am wasting my time. The camera should be horizontal, or only gently angled, and roughly 3-4 feet from the ground[xxviii]. It is sometimes possible to be slightly higher but not by much. I try to point my camera northwards, as then it will not be disturbed by the sun. I also remove, or tie back wavy vegetation, as otherwise the camera triggers each time a leaf moves, which is not what I seek.
I have found that for at least 48 hours a trailcam identifies very little, as however tactically I may place it, however well it might be camouflaged, I leave evidence of my passing for an animal to detect. Once the trailcam is in position I do not revisit its location, as that will once again leave my scent and frighten off the animals. By the third day my trailcam images start to be useful, and after a week I have probably left it for too long. I find five days to be about right. I also lock my camera to something immovable and do not simply strap the camera to a tree. The theft of trailcams can be a problem, and sometimes in huge numbers[xxix]. I have no idea what a burglar would do with a stolen trailcam, but I do what I can to make it difficult for them. Lakeland has many visitors, who already leave their litter for some imaginary rubbish collector to pick up, so I see no purpose in passers-by being further tempted. To date I have not lost a trailcam, but I sense it will not be long before I do.
My trees are growing rapidly at the moment, at a time of year when I was expecting them to be slowing down. The more renaturing I do, the less I appear to know about Nature. I was brought up to understand that most tree growth occurs in the early part of the summer[xxx],[xxxi], but that does not seem to apply to mine. I have saplings and seedlings almost wherever I look, and the silver birch[xxxii] has clearly decided it wishes to take over.
I also have several rowan trees[xxxiii] that are now covered in clumps of red berries, including one rowan that was all but eliminated by a falling Algerian Fir[xxxiv] during Storm Arwen in November 2021. Once the storm had settled, I took away the damaged portions of the rowan and kept the remainder, which amounted to half a trunk and one knobbly branch. I am glad that I did, as the tree has now recovered and has plenty of red berries.
Many decades ago, I was trained in wilderness survival and was taught to avoid anything red. My training was wrong, as the scarlet-coloured rowan berries are easily edible[xxxv]. They are bitter when eaten fresh but make a fantastic jam. Even the Vikings used to eat them, as archaeological finds in Ireland have suggested[xxxvi]. Yet humans should remember that birds love rowan as well[xxxvii], so mankind should take as few berries as possible and leave the rest for the birds, even if this year’s bird population is declining.
I call the rowan by its name - rowan, although for many it is the mountain ash. This name can be confusing as the rowan is not an ash at all. It is called the mountain ash because it grows well at high altitudes and its leaves are like those of the common ash, Fraxinus excelsior[xxxviii]. However, the two species are unrelated[xxxix], which is why I call the rowan by its name. It is a way to avoid confusion.
The alder[xl] seedling that appeared unexpectedly on my land several weeks ago has somehow survived. There was a period when its leaves were turning brown and I thought it was about to die, thanks to a lengthy period of dry weather. But now it is raining once more, and sometimes heavily. Happily, the alder’s brown leaves have once again turned green, the seedling is looking healthy, and is now standing half-a-metre tall. It has chosen to grow where I thought it was dry and where there was once, several years ago, a stripy lawn. No longer. Its location may be because alder[xli] is intolerant of shade and tries to find the sunnier spots, but despite this caution seldom lives more than a hundred years.
The wood of alder is nearly 100% sapwood, which are the soft layers of recently formed wood between the heartwood and the bark, and that contain the vascular tissue. Alder wood is off-white when first cut, but changes colour when exposed to air. First it can be honey brown but then becomes red[xlii]. Such properties have given alder its mystical reputation. In Finland, where wood seems a way of life, alder is connected to Louhi, the goddess of the north. It is also connected to Alinen of the underworld, through other deities and spirits. Alder also symbolises masculine vulnerability and creativity[xliii], as well as strength. There is one Irish legend of creation that says the first man was made of alder while the first woman was made of rowan[xliv]. I am unsure of the truth of any of these stories but, just in case, I had best look after my alder.
Alders are also fire-resistant, and although wildfires have yet to become a major issue in Lakeland, they are definitely troubling the world. As I write, there are more than 1000 wildfires burning in Canada alone, while some major conurbations are being evacuated[xlv]. One never knows what the climate will next do, so fire resistance is helpful. No tree is fireproof, but there are certainly some that can slow things down. Alder is one. Perhaps the most resistant is the Mediterranean Cypress, where research has shown it to withstand fire conditions for up to seven times longer than other trees before it ignites[xlvi]. Most varieties of oak are also fire resistant, as are the chestnut[xlvii],[xlviii], sycamore[xlix], beech[l], and plenty more[li]. For those who may be contemplating planting new trees, it is worth keeping fire resistance in mind.
Fire-resistant trees are mostly deciduous, although not all as the Mediterranean Cypress shows, and many have thick bark that provides insulation against heat and fire. They generally will not have branches that are too low to the ground. My baby silver birches are a possible disaster as its bark contains a waxy resin that is both flammable and waterproof[lii]. Birch makes a magnificent firewood and is recommended for log burners around the world[liii]. Dear me.
Stay away wildfires, stay away.
***
Acknowledgement
Take it from me - none of this would be possible without the help of RSG Horticulture. Rufus, who runs it, has far more energy than me and is full of ideas and skills. Do contact him through https://www.rsghorticulture.com.
Hashtags
References [i] European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur). According to Aelian, the turtle dove was sacred to Demeter. In Roman mythology, the turtle dove was one of the emblems of Fides, the goddess of trust and good faith. Perhaps because of Biblical references – especially verse 2:12 from the Song of Songs – its mournful voice, and the fact that it forms strong pair bonds, European turtle doves have become emblems of devoted love. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_turtle_dove. Accessed 17 August 2023. [ii] Western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). The largest of all extant grouse species. Non-migratory and sedentary. In Scotland, the population has declined greatly since the 1960s because of deer fencing, predation, and lack of suitable habitat (Caledonian Forest). The population plummeted from a high of 10,000 pairs in the 1960s to fewer than 1000 birds in 1999. It was even named as the bird most likely to become extinct in the UK by 2015, a survey then identified 1114 birds, occupying a reduced range of terrain. In mountainous skiing areas, poorly marked cables for ski-lifts have contributed to mortality. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_capercaillie. Accessed 17 August 2023. [iii] Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus). The Eurasian tree sparrow's untidy nest is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or the disused nest of a European magpie or white stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs which hatch in under two weeks. This sparrow feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. As with other small birds, infection by parasites and diseases, and predation by birds of prey take their toll, and the typical life span is about two years. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_tree_sparrow. Accessed 17 August 2023. [iv] Grey partridge (Perdix perdix). Though common and not threatened, it appears to be declining in numbers in some areas of intensive cultivation such as the United Kingdom, probably due to a loss of breeding habitat and insecticides harming insect numbers, an important food source for the species. Their numbers have fallen in these areas by as much as 85% in the last 25 years. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_partridge. Accessed 17 August 2023. [v] Caton E. Almost half of all UK bird species in decline. 14 April 2023. See https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/april/almost-half-of-all-uk-bird-species-in-decline.html. Accessed 16 August 2023. [vi] Wild bird populations in the UK, 1970 to 2021. See https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/wild-bird-populations-in-the-uk/wild-bird-populations-in-the-uk-1970-to-2021. Accessed 16 August 2023. [vii]The results from across the UK have landed! See https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/. Accessed 16 August 2023. [viii] Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). At least 9 recognised subspecies. The Eurasian blue tit will nest in any suitable hole in a tree, wall, or stump, or an artificial nest box, often competing with house sparrows or great tits for the site. Few birds more readily accept the shelter of a nesting box; the same hole is returned to year after year, and when one pair dies another takes possession. In an analysis carried out using ring-recovery data in Britain, the survival rate for juveniles in their first year was 38%, while the adult annual survival rate was 53%. From these figures the typical lifespan is only three years. Within Britain, the maximum recorded age is 10 years and 3 months for a bird that was ringed in Bedfordshire. The maximum recorded age overall is 11 years and 7 months for a bird in the Czech Republic. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_blue_tit#cite_note-Siriwardena1998-21. Accessed 16 August 2023. [ix] Parsons R. The Yorkshire Post. Population of blue tits in the UK could have fallen by up to half a million, scientists believe. 25 November 2020. See https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/country-and-farming/population-of-blue-tits-in-the-uk-could-have-fallen-by-up-to-half-a-million-scientists-believe-3046170. Accessed 16 August 2023. [x] Copernicus. Spring 2023 in Europe: extremes amidst a relatively wet, average season. See https://climate.copernicus.eu/spring-2023-europe-extremes-amidst-relatively-wet-average-season#:~:text=Overall%2C%20spring%202023%20was%200.35,stark%20contrasts%20across%20the%20continent. Accessed 16 August 2023. [xi] Lewis A. When do blue tits nest? See https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/02/when-do-blue-tits-nest/. Accessed 16 August 2023. [xii] McKay G. Britain's garden birds: warning over significant decline. 14 April 2023. See https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23453473.britains-garden-birds-warning-significant-decline/. Accessed 16 August 2023. [xiii] Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus). A predator which specialises in catching woodland birds. The probability of a juvenile surviving its first year is 34%, with 69% of adults surviving from one year to the next. Mortality in young males is greater than that of young females and the typical lifespan is four years. This species is now one of the most common birds of prey in Europe, although the population crashed after the Second World War. Organochlorine insecticides used to treat seeds before sowing built up in the bird population, and the concentrations in Eurasian sparrowhawks were enough to kill some outright and incapacitate others; affected birds laid eggs with fragile shells which broke during incubation. However, its population recovered after the chemicals were banned. In Slavic mythology, the sparrowhawk, known as krahui or krahug, is a sacred bird in Old Bohemian songs and lives in a grove of the gods. Holy sparrowhawks perch on the branches of an oak tree that grows from the grave of a murdered man. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_sparrowhawk. Accessed 16 August 2023. [xiv] DiscoverWildlife. 7 sparrowhawk facts you need to know. See https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/facts-about-sparrowhawk/. Accessed 16 August 2023. [xv] Duffy JF, Zitting KM, Chinoy ED. Aging and Circadian Rhythms. Sleep Med Clin. 2015 Dec;10(4):423-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2015.08.002. Epub 2015 Sep 15. [xvi] Andreatta G, Allen CN. Circadian Rhythm: How neurons adjust to diurnality (2021)eLife 10:e74704. [xvii] Ranger Planet. When animals are active: diurnal, nocturnal and crepuscular. See https://rangerplanet.com/when-animals-are-active-diurnal-nocturnal-crepuscular/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xviii] Lewis J S, Spaulding S, Swanson H, Keeley W, Gramza AR, VandeWoude S, Crooks KR. Human activity influences wildlife populations and activity patterns: implications for spatial and temporal refuges. Ecosphere 2021;12(5):e03487. 10.1002/ecs2.3487 [xix] Miller B. How to use a trail camera for hunting. 1 December 2022. See https://www.popphoto.com/how-to/how-to-use-a-trail-camera/#:~:text=Every%20hunting%20season%2C%20many%20hunters,up%20for%20a%20successful%20hunt. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xx] Our Endangered World. Is Hunting Good or Bad for the Environment? 14 May 2023. See https://www.ourendangeredworld.com/is-hunting-good-or-bad-for-the-environment/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxi] Ditchkoff SS,et al. Wounding Rates of White-Tailed Deer With Traditional Archery Equipment. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (1998). [xxii] Renny DJ. Merits and Demerits of Different Methods of Culling British Wild Mammals: A Veterinary Surgeon’s Perspective. Proceedings of a Symposium on the Welfare of British Wild Mammals (London: 2002). [xxiii] Vaa S. Reducing Wounding Losses. South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, accessed 25 July 2013. [xxiv] Bradshaw EL, Bateson P. Welfare Implications of Culling Red Deer (Cervus Elaphus). Animal Welfare 2000;9:3–24 [xxv] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Why ‘Sport’ Hunting is Cruel and Unnecessary. See https://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/wildlife-factsheets/sport-hunting-cruel-unnecessary/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxvi] Kuta S. What wild animals were really doing during Covid-19 lockdowns. 9 July 2023. See https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-wild-animals-were-really-doing-during-covid-19-lockdowns-180982351/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxvii] Curtis R. Outdoor action guide to animal tracking. See https://outdooraction.princeton.edu/nature/guide-animal-tracking#:~:text=%22Tracking%20is%20like%20learning%20to,the%20past%20of%20an%20animal. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxviii] Deerhunter. How to set up trail cameras. See https://www.deerhunter.eu/en/blog/hunting-tips/how-to-set-up-trail-cameras#:~:text=Tip%204%3A%20Trail%20camera%20positioning,the%20camouflage%20of%20the%20camera. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxix] Babych S. Mayerthorpe man charged for mass theft of Sundre area trail cameras that were monitoring wild horses. 18 March 2023. See https://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/mayerthorpe-man-charged-for-mass-theft-of-sundre-area-trail-cameras-that-were-monitoring-wild-horses. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxx] TH Trees Ltd. Trees through the seasons. See https://thtreeservices.co.uk/trees-through-the-seasons/#:~:text=Between%20June%20and%20August%2C%20trees,the%20early%20part%20of%20summer. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxxi] Trees of Texas. How trees grow. http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/howTreesGrow/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxxii] See week 6 entry. [xxxiii] See weeks 2 & 4 entries. [xxxiv] See week 2 entry. [xxxv] Bergo A. Rowanberries. 6 March 2015. See https://foragerchef.com/rowanberries/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxxvi] Priest-Dorman C. Archaeological finds of ninth- and tenth-century Viking foodstuffs. 1999. See https://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikfood.html. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxxvii] Russ. Are rowan berries poisonous? See https://www.naturetalksandwalks.co.uk/are-rowan-berries-poisonous/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xxxviii] See week 23 entry. [xxxix] Woodland Trust. Rowan (Sorbus acuparia). See https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/rowan/#:~:text=Rowan%20is%20also%20known%20as,two%20species%20are%20not%20related. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xl] See week 24 entry. [xli] Alder. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alder. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xlii] Wengert G. Red alder started from the bottom. 13 January 2020. See https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/wood/wood-explorer/red-alder-started-bottom#:~:text=The%20wood%20of%20alder%2C%20which,color%20uniformity%20is%20in%20drying. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xliii] Pekantytar N. Trees in myths: alder and elm. 26 January 2023. See https://owlcation.com/humanities/Mythology-and-Tree-Lore-Alder#:~:text=Alder%20is%20connected%20to%20the,%2C%20Orfeus%2C%20Odin%20and%20Lemminkäinen. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xliv] Celtic Tree Wisdom. The Alder Tree: Fearn. See https://www.moonwood.ie/single-post/celtic-tree-wisdom-the-alder-tree-fearn. Accessed 17 August 2023. [xlv] Wolfe E. Thousands scramble to evacuate capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as more than 200 ‘unprecedented’ wildfires blanket region. 18 August 2023. See https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/18/americas/canada-northwest-territories-wildfire-evacuation-friday/index.html. Accessed 19 August 2023. [xlvi] Della Rocca G, Hernando C, Madrigal J, Danti R, Moya J, Guijarro M, Pecchioli A, Moya B. Possible land management uses of common cypress to reduce wildfire initiation risk: a laboratory study. J Environ Manage. 2015 Aug 15;159:68-77. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.05.020. Epub 2015 Jun 2. [xlvii] See week 23 entry. [xlviii] Wikipedia. The name chestnut is derived from an earlier English term chesten nut, which descends from the Old French word chastain (Modern French, châtaigne). The French word in turn derives from Latin Castanea (also the scientific name of the tree), which traces to the Ancient Greek word κάστανον (sweet chestnut). A possible source of the Greek word is the ancient town of Kastanea in Thessaly. The town probably took its name, though, from the trees growing around it. In the Mediterranean climate zone, chestnut trees are rarer in Greece because the chalky soil is not conducive to the tree's growth. Kastania is located on one of the relatively few sedimentary or siliceous outcrops. Chestnuts grow so abundantly there that their presence could have determined the place's name. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut. Accessed 19 August 2023. [xlix] See weeks 6 and 23 entries. [l] See week 23 entry. [li] Nash K. Are there any fire-resistant tree species? 1 June 2023. See https://treevitalize.com/fire-resistant-tree-species/. Accessed 17 August 2023. [lii] WoodstoveWizard.com. See http://www.woodstovewizard.com/firewood-types-silver-birch.html#:~:text=Silver%20birch%20is%20also%20famed,as%20our%20modern%20word%20bitumen. Accessed 17 August 2023. [liii] White Horse Energy. Seven reasons to burn birch firewood. See https://www.whitehorseenergy.co.uk/news/november-2021/7-reasons-to-burn-birch-firewood. Accessed 19 August 2023.
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