Return of the Wilderness to the UK?

[bigpaul]

1 really bad winter, like the one we have just had, is probably all it needs.

[Binnie]

the one thing mother nature needs to fuel her fight is sunlight. summer is where the action is!

not much grows in winter, wasn't really a bad winter, a bit of rain flooded some flood plains which i guess is to be expected if you live somewhere that nature didn't intend to be dry.

i had to scrape my van twice all winter, was a good winter as far as i am concerned

[bigpaul]

for anything to grow we need rain as well as sun.

[BeardyMan]

So, back to the original question. How long, after the collapse, until the fields are reclaimed as wilderness?

Please do not include the time taken for the plants to recover from human (think refugee's) damage. Think...field in the middle of nowhere, beside a woodland area.

Also, how long until more animals start to populate the reclaimed land?

Animals? They adapt pretty quickly, so won't be long before they're more prolific.

Returning to wilderness? Years, many many years. There's a patch of land that my dad owns, been left untended for at least 25 years. Yup, full of weeds, brambles etc, but you can still get on site and walk around. I certainly wouldn't call it a wilderness...

[Devonian]

parts of the UK are wilderness already, the far northwest of scotland for one, almost uninhabited and unmolested.

it would happen within 18months uk wide i reckon, 2 summers, look at what happens to parks it the council wait an extra week to cut the grass!!

The first statement about parts of Scotland is correct, but the rest of the UK is not going to suddenly "grow" mountains and become wild, its different terrain; different geology; different climate, most of the UK will simply NEVER become "WILDERNESS". It may be come scrubland; forested or even develop into meadowland, but Wilderness!! Really!

If people think that 18" of grass, a few saplings, gorse and brambles in a field is wilderness and overgrown hedges means the UK is now a wilderness, then they are deluded.

[Binnie]

lol you know what i was getting at,

i didn't mean 18" of grass is wilderness, but a seemingly innocent patch of land can become pretty wild if it's not maintained

[bigpaul]

it will be a "wilderness" to some that have never seen any more than a lawn that gets mowed to death every weekend!!

[Binnie]

I don't think so, it would more than likely be a steady transition, that people would have months if not years to adjust to...

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most people wouldn't even comment on it

[bigpaul]

I have seen it happen faster than what you are proposing, without man tidying up it will happen quicker. i'll say no more.

[Binnie]

i say 18 months, and you say faster???

not long, with no one to manage them and I'm assuming no farm animals to eat anything? some people say 3-5 years, I think more like 2-3 years, lets be generous and say 3 years...yep, that's sounds about right.

really?