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Archive for the ‘Woodland management’ Category

Return to Spud Wood

Posted in Coppicing, Woodland management, tagged , on February 11, 2018| 1 Comment »

Today we were back at the Woodland Trust’s Spud Wood.  The weather wasn’t as kind as during our visit in January, shifting from hail to bright sunshine and back again, but nonetheless we made some good progress with the coppicing of hazel and some other woodland thinning.  We put the possible hedgelaying on hold for today, although we might yet make a start on it when back on 18th March.  Thanks again to the Friends of Spud Wood for the welcome and for fortifying us with home-made cake!

Log pile
Coppiced hazel

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Spud Wood – great start to 2018!

Posted in Coppicing, Woodland management, tagged , on January 7, 2018| 1 Comment »

Thanks to all who came out today to help with coppicing work at Spud Wood, a Woodland Trust site.  A great start to 2018 – a good turn-out from SACV, a warm welcome from Friends of Spud Wood, lovely sunshine, an excellent site – and homemade cake!  Here’s to more days like this for the rest of the year.

 

Volunteers in action
Log pile
Canine volunteer with sawdust

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Rhododendron at Errwood Hall

Posted in Invasive species, Residential weekends, Woodland management, tagged on October 17, 2017|

The weekend before last saw us among the atmospheric ruins of Errwood Hall.  We spent our final residential weekend of the year working with the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers to remove invasive rhododendron from the grounds around the remains of the Hall.  Originally part of the Hall’s landscaped Victorian estate, the rhododendron has spread out of control over the decades, to the detriment of the woodland and its habitats.

Rhododendron for felling
Volunteers at work 1
Flag and volunteers
Volunteers at work
The drive of Errwood Hall
The south wall of Errwood Hall
The ruin of Errwood Hall
Bonfire of rhododendron
Removing rhododendron on slope
Human and canine volunteers
The path
Sign to Errwood Hall
The south side of Errwood Hall
Grave of Irma Niorthe
Above Errwood Hall and Errwood Reservoir
Steps at Errwood Hall

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Slow-worms in Priory Gardens

Posted in Grassland, Woodland management, tagged , on September 24, 2017|

Last Sunday SACV members were out with City of Trees in Priory Gardens, working on an area which is known to provide a habitat for slow-worms.  We were thinning the wooded area of the site by felling some of the encroaching trees and creating habitat piles, suitable for slow-worms, with the cut material.

Volunteers at work
Slow-worm habitat pile
Volunteer at work
Felled ash
Volunteers’ bicycles

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A new scout camp

Posted in Invasive species, Woodland management, tagged on June 19, 2017| 1 Comment »

Yesterday we helped with the development of a brand-new 30-acre scout camp – Hollinwood Scout Camp – in Worsley.  A challenging yet exciting project, where glades are being created in a mixed woodland for scouts to camp and enjoy the outdoor life.  We balsam-bashed an area that will be a narrow access road through the site.  There are also fields which have recently been planted with 900 mixed deciduous saplings by the Woodland Trust; we mulched around the saplings to ensure they don’t get encroached by the surrounding tall grasses.
A very accommodating and friendly partner to work alongside, who provided us with copious amounts of tea and biscuits on our break, under the scout marquee!

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Coppicing in Spud Wood

Posted in Coppicing, Woodland management, tagged , on December 11, 2016|

Today was SACV’s last activity of 2016, and we were out at a new site for us: the Woodland Trust’s Spud Wood in Oughtrington, near Lymm.  We were working with the Friends of Spud Wood to help with some coppicing; the cut material will be used in crafts or was left in habitat piles.

A fine final task for 2016, and we concluded our day with our usual annual seasonal get-together.  A brazier, roasted chestnuts, mince pies and plenty more besides.  Cheers!

Cut wood ready for other uses
A habitat pile
A coppiced tree
Volunteers at work
A coppiced area

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Woodland paths and water-voles

Posted in Paths, Woodland management, tagged on September 5, 2016|

Yesterday SACV got to spend a lovely late summer day helping members of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust at Birch Moss Covert.  The task was to make a start on establishing new paths around the reserve; the previous paths were destroyed in recent work done on the site to convert it to wet mossland.  Since that work, the CWT have found good signs that water-voles are establishing themselves at the site, which is very good news indeed and increases the reserve’s wildlife importance.

Clearing the path
Tools
Fungi
Clearing the path
Flowering heather

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Rhododendron-bashing at Priory Gardens

Posted in Invasive species, Woodland management, tagged , on April 4, 2016|

As with last year’s similar task, some of us were in action yesterday at Priory Gardens, on behalf of the Red Rose Forest, to help control the invasive rhododendrons here.  Hard work dealing with some of them, but a sunny spring day for it!  We’ll probably be back at this site over the summer for some other activities.

Volunteers clearing rhododendron 1
Volunteers clearing rhododendron 2
Volunteers clearing rhododendron 3
Cleared rhododendron
Wildlife encounter

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Maintaining the rides

Posted in Woodland management, tagged on January 14, 2016|

Last Sunday (10th January 2016) saw SACV’s first activity of the new year!  After Saturday’s heavy rain, we were delighted to find we had a sunny winter day to be back at the Woodland Trust‘s New Moss Wood, where our principal task was cutting and clearing to prevent the narrowing of one of the wood’s rides.

Before – overgrown ride 1
Before – overgrown ride 2
Before – overgrown ride 3
Cut wood for a habitat pile
Winter woodland 1
Winter woodland 2
Canine volunteer on lunch break
Fungi
Winter woodland 3
After – opened ride 1
After – opened ride 2

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Two Sundays in Priory Gardens

Posted in Woodland management, tagged on November 18, 2015|

On two recent Sundays (25th October and 8th November 2015), SACV volunteers were hard at work doing some woodland management for the Red Rose Forest in Priory Gardens.  The first Sunday in particular was a perfect dry, crisp autumn day, providing a great opportunity to see the trees’ changing autumnal colours!

SACV volunteers at work
SACV volunteers at work
SACV volunteer at work
SACV volunteer at work
SACV volunteer at work

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