Not sure but quite possible hazels were grown from unsuitable seed (eg. from Southern Europe) and the resulting trees are not well adapted to your conditions.
There are no grey squirrel-proof nuts. Unless you're very lucky and don't have many around, then there are no easy options - you have to reduce squirrel numbers one way or another. In the future, maybe an increased pine marten population will help with control, and of course there is always the squirrel contraceptive that the forest commission has been working on for years ....
Just an observation...where I forage hazelnuts and walnuts there's a wooded strip about 10 metres wide (and maybe a kilometre long) seperating arable fields and I have noticed how little competition there is from squirrels there, compared to elsewhere nearby...so this could be a consideration for broadscale plantings as part of landscape design, as well as some kind of 'squirrel firebreak'? My guess is they prefer to have plenty of woodland at their back to evade predators and may feel somehow 'exposed' the further out they venture. I also notice they seem to leave nuts on thinner branch ends that won't take their weight, so this may be a guide to any thinning/coppicing techniques? Shame they don't taste too great IMO...
Fascinating as ever. I loved that nut harvester you showed me years ago too
Is it likely that woodland planted post-WWII were planted with only male hazel trees? We have lots of Hazel with catkins but no nuts
Not sure but quite possible hazels were grown from unsuitable seed (eg. from Southern Europe) and the resulting trees are not well adapted to your conditions.
How do you keep squirrels off the nuts? Are there any squirrel proof nuts?
There are no grey squirrel-proof nuts. Unless you're very lucky and don't have many around, then there are no easy options - you have to reduce squirrel numbers one way or another. In the future, maybe an increased pine marten population will help with control, and of course there is always the squirrel contraceptive that the forest commission has been working on for years ....
Just an observation...where I forage hazelnuts and walnuts there's a wooded strip about 10 metres wide (and maybe a kilometre long) seperating arable fields and I have noticed how little competition there is from squirrels there, compared to elsewhere nearby...so this could be a consideration for broadscale plantings as part of landscape design, as well as some kind of 'squirrel firebreak'? My guess is they prefer to have plenty of woodland at their back to evade predators and may feel somehow 'exposed' the further out they venture. I also notice they seem to leave nuts on thinner branch ends that won't take their weight, so this may be a guide to any thinning/coppicing techniques? Shame they don't taste too great IMO...