September volunteer day

A massive thank you to everyone that came to volunteer with us yesterday. It was a lovely day to be out in the woods and we managed to get loads done.
The main focus of the day was our new roundhouse, specifically its roof. The aim was to completely cover the roof with soil, in order to create a living roof that blends into the woodland and provides a nice habitat for insects and pollinators. A small team worked tirelessly throughout the day, using wheelbarrows and buckets to shift soil up onto the roof (almost three tonnes!). Once the soil had been added, a further layer of soil and seed mix was added on top. We used regular grass seed with nutrients added, plus some hand collected wildflower seeds. We will continue to collect seeds from the woods and add them in over the next few years.
Further into the site, a group of volunteers cleared large areas of bramble and bracken to reveal new areas to plant shrubs and trees at our upcoming open day. In particular, we worked around a magnolia tree which had been damaged by a fallen silver birch (we hope to replant another magnolia in it’s place), then moving on to clear a large area in the shadow of a massive giant redwood and smaller katsura tree.
Some before and after photos:
Volunteers beginning clear bracken and brambles The area now ready for new plantings Brambles and nettles taking over All done!
The katsura tree, looking much happier!
