planning & planting

Looking ahead hopefully to some reasonable weather over the next couple of weeks:
Some of the pot-grown native trees from home will be planted in the narrow end of the field and maybe some fruit trees too.
I've ordered 200 various tree guards from both Acorn and Tubex - 100 are general spirals for rabbit / small mammal protection and 100 across both manufacturers are more robust various rounded top types to prevent bark damage from wind-sway and enclosed for a micro-climate to assist growth.
I get enough young Ash trees sprouting at home to chance a few with no protection to see how they compare to trees grown in quills.

A bit more research into planting patterns - working roughly on a 2m grid spacing with variations from straight lines and with small clumps and groupings of species and allowance for different growth rates and habits of the trees going in.
As well as considering some Elm, (hopefully with Dutch Elm Disease resistance) as part of a National experiment and specimen Black Poplars in the meadow - I've been looking into a few specimen Walnut trees for future timber use (as well as nuts at the orchard area edge).
The Walnut Tree Co. have a few specialist varieties that are tempting - although 60+ years before any realistic return.
Once the leaves drop for the dormant winter season, I'll be ordering a few species of bare rooted trees for planting, to bring the planting density up, initially over a 0.2 hectare area and rounding off 2 corners and a variation from a straight line along the road-boundary fencing...