Another lovely day in the woods yesterday!

We spent the day clearing an area which had seen little attention for a few years, now overgrown with bamboo, rhododendron, bracken and brambles, at the centre two large oak limbs ready to be processed for firewood.

The morning was spent clearing a path through to the oak limbs, struggling with the bamboo but making steady progress. After some tasty sandwiches and tea we then set about dismantling the branches, sorting them into piles for firewood. A good amount of work for a leisurely Sunday!

Before and after:

Some more pics of the day:

 

Mapping!

Our next volunteer day marks the beginning of our Mapping Project, set-up thanks to a donation by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Over the next eight months we will be spending time measuring, recording and mapping the arboretum, the finished product being a new map and full list of all the exotic trees we have. Needless to say, we’re very excited!

We would love your input to help shape the project, so we will be holding two public meet-ups at the beginning of our next volunteer Sunday (16th, 10:30am) and on Wednesday the 19th (7pm). We’ll send out some more information and details soon, including activities and ways to get involved.