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                                             Goat Willow Salix Caprea

                            

 

       

 

 

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There is no record of this species having any great economic benefit to early settlers and, as it spreads very easily on the wind, it probably reached these islands of it's own accord after the end of the last glaciation.

 

Commonly regarded by foresters as a weed species, it has a very high conservation value. Our trees are always alive with bees (bumble and honey) in the early spring: gathering nectar and acting as pollinators.  A lot of our trees are almost completely denuded of leaves by the late summer: the victims of the many moth species that feed on them.

 

It is pollinated by both insects and birds and is a very important food plant for bumblebees early in the spring and, if left to grow for several years, will attract a wide range of finches. Goatwillow produces large quantities of nectar: each flower in a catkin has a large nectary which produces an easily seen drop of nectar. It has been estimated that an adult Bluetit can get all of it's daily energy requirements from feeding on Willow for less than 4 hours each day.

 

The female catkins are green and the male ones are yellow. Each tree has either all male catkins or all female (dioecious). I have never seen any yellow catkins on our trees so they must be all female. This probably explains why, in spite of the huge quantities of seeds produced during the early summer, we have never had any new seedlings.

 

These wind-borne seeds look like those producd by thistles and are just as numerous. The seeds will only root into bare ground. This tree is very similar to the Grey Willow (Salix cinerea) and I can only tell ours apart because the leaves on the Grey Willow are longer than those of the Goatwillow: more like actual willow leaves, in fact. The Goatwillow leaves are much more ovl in shape.

 

It is supposed to have taken its name from the smell of the goat moth which lays its eggs around the base of the tree. I have sniffed around our trees but I could only smell damp grass. Not that I know what a goat smells like.

 

Another theory is that goats were allowed to browse on the new coppice shoots of the tree.

 

We now have a several male Chiffchaffs who use the Goatwillows as stages for their singing competitions.

 

                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                         

 

This tree is supposed to tolerate much drier conditions than other willows, but we have found that it grows much more rapidly on the damper parts of our site.  We have around 50 Goat Willow; the vast majority of which have been propagated from unrooted, hardwood cuttings.

 

                                                                                                                                        

 

 

We have found that this tree grows very easily from unrooted cuttings. The best technique is:

 

Care will be needed when planting amongst other slower growing, light-demanding species: hazel, for example.  Hazel will soon be shaded out by goatwillow; particularly if the hazel is planted on the northern side of the goatwillow.

 

                                                                                                                                         

 

 

Goatwillow is very susceptible to tearing when being pruned. It is very difficult to obtain a clean cut, without a strip of bark being ripped from the cut stump. It is always advisable, therefore, to make an initial cut of any branch or trunk a foot or so above where the final cut is to be. This will remove the pressure from the limb and allow any resulting torn bark to be cut away cleanly.

 

Several stems will develop from the original cutting. If a standard form is required then the unwanted stems should be removed after the tree has successfully established. Similarly any developing side branches should be removed with secateurs.

 

However this tree will respond well to coppicing and, given its fast-growing habit and conservation value, this is probably the best management technique to pursue, It must be managed agressively if grown in mixture with hazel or it will overshadow and intermingle with the hazel rods and prevent optimum growth.

 

Goatwillow will send up lots of suckers from the roots, which can form dense thickets. Also, any branches in prolonged contact with the soil will root.

 

                                                                                                                                       

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Not regarded as of any value as a timber tree and generally underrated for firewood. However, we have found that in damp, nitrogen-rich conditions, it is capable of producing a large amount of  acceptable quality firewood; espacially when used in our