April volunteer day

Thanks to all that came yesterday for gorgeously sunny and very productive day in the woods. We loved having volunteers back on site, and were pleased that we could welcome you back for a safe and enjoyable day. Apologies to those that didn’t get a place this time. We hope that we can start to increase numbers over the coming months, but we’ll continue to assess the situation month by month so watch this space for updates. 

The main objective for the day was to clear a large are in the middle of the site that hasn’t seen any management for some years.  It provided lots to do (particularly attacking the usual suspects: bramble, bamboo, and rhododendron), and plenty of space for social distancing.

Two large oak trees fell down in this area in 2016 and there is now a large opening in the canopy, an ideal site for a new trees to be planted (perhaps more oaks).  Volunteers quickly set to work with billhooks, slashers, sickles and loppers, to clear around the fallen trees, starting to prepare the site for plantings.

Adjacent to the fallen trees is a length of a collapsed drainage ditch, which had become hidden in a bamboo jungle. Yesterday volunteers worked towards each other from the top and bottom of the slope, clearing bamboo either side of the ditch. This will now allow us to see if we can improve and rebuild the drainage.

Also near the fallen oak trees stands a beautiful beech tree that was hidden from site due to the bamboo jungle and wild rhododendron.  We cleared around it, making it visible and giving it some light and space.   We also worked on an area we hope to plant with shrubs later in the year.

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