Alison's photos
It was not the most auspicious start to the day – torrential
rain that looked as though it would never stop.
However, in true GG tradition, we battled our way to this weeks’ site –
Swanpond Copse in Ashey (a new venue for us) which is managed by the Hampshire
& Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT).
The copse was planted approximately 20 years ago as part of the
‘jigsaw’ planting plan whose aim was to connect remaining isolated ancient woodlands. A variety of trees were planted in a random
fashion, staked and protected with tree guards, and then neglected for the next
two decades. Consequently, the woodland is dense with
bramble, there is little light penetrating to the ground and trees that benefit
from coppicing are overgrown.
Our task today was to start the coppicing of hazel trees
within the woodland. Two areas were
chosen. We had to clear the brambles so
that we could gain access to the trees and then cut them down to a stool. Ideally, a coppiced stool should be in a low mound
shape. Due to the overgrowth of the wood
in many cases, we had to leave tree stumps a metre or so high. These will be cut down by the HIWWT Rangers
at a later stage.
Coppicing is an ancient woodland management tool with many
benefits to the environment and wildlife – see link for further information -
Types of woodland management - Woodland Trust
The cut material was laid in dry hedge formation creating a habitat for wildlife at the back of the coppiced areas. Fortunately, shortly after we started work the rain eased off. We hope to return to this lovely woodland shortly.
No comments:
Post a Comment