So what's happening right now?

Summer is here......

And Felling of conifers is underway! This needs to be done as the trees were planted as a crop many years ago and never harvested. As a result, they are 130 feet tall, thin and dangerous. Please be aware of heavy forestry equipment in the area. We will be replanting with broad eaved trees over the next couple of years.

Footpath work was finished along the Brenda Parker Way in summer 2024. Thank you again to everyone who has helped make this possible.  

Cllr Mellor has made a generous contribution, which has been a huge help. Thank you!

Please do stick to it now to avoid doing damage to the ground flora. Thank you.

Also, please be aware of the forestry work being undertaken and follow the signs, keep clear of machinery and stay safe.

You will see us out and about, cutting back the foliage from the footpaths to keep them clear. We are out with the secateurs every couple of weeks at this time of the year. We will also be found, watering all the whips in this hot, dry weather which is heavy work. We're glad of a drop of rain when we get it!

We have seen brimstone, red admirals, speckled wood, orange tip, green veined white and comma butterflies already this spring. The summer has brought marbled whites, white admirals, the silver washed fritillaries and even the elusive purple emperor, as well as speckled wood, gatekeeper and many other butterflies!

Birds have set territories and built nests, so watch and listen for the fledglings when you wander through the woods as they do their contact calling.

Brambles are flowering suggesting lots of blackberries later. We just hope we'll get some rain to make them plump and juicy.

We were granted five Dutch Elm Disease resistant trees from the Hampshire Forest Partnership which we collected in January and planted alongside the bridleway where everyone can enjoy them.  They are now looking well clothed in leaves. This is really exciting as these trees will add more to the biodiversity of the site, providing food for the white hairstreak butterfly amongst others. We already have a few elm hiding in the conifers, so believe these trees should do well in this site. Here's hoping..... Our thanks to the HFP for this opportunity. Due to the dry, hot weather, we are watering all our whips and newly planted trees regularly, so you may see us out and about as we undertake this heavy task.

We  spotted a very wet area beside the bridleway last year and decided to use that to make an ephemeral 'pond'. The area was dug out last summer and we have lined this with bentonite and created a habitat beside it using the spoil from the digging, some logs and vegetation to create a thatch. We hope this will provide an overwintering home to amphibians, reptiles and insects. The 'pond' held water better than the scrapes along the Brenda Parker Way, so we chose a good spot for that scrape! Dragonflies have been seen in that area recently, so keep your eyes peeled.

You may notice up the bridleway, there is a tree which we have already coppiced and is now protected by stock proof fencing. This is a rare Wych Elm which we have been very concerned about as it has been looking increasingly poorly, with many of the stems dead or dying. The advice we were given was to coppice it right back and see if it can now recover. Fingers crossed! We don't want to lose it. At the moment, the new growth is looking good.

We have also bitten the bullet and have been granted another felling license to do more radical clearing of trees throughout the woodland, but only in a very considered and careful way.  We are currently preparing for the majority of the conifers to be removed and replaced with broad leaved deciduous trees. This work is due to begin on 4thAugust and will look brutal but will benefit the woodland in the end.

We will follow this up with more gentle thinning of the canopy throughout the woodland, using vehicles with 'floating tyres' to avoid compacting the woodland floor.

We recently had a visitor to site who is knowledgeable about fungi. It seems we have a good selection! These amazing life forms are so crucial to the health of the woodland and very under rated. Please enjoy and respect them when you spot them!

So, if you see us at work, do come and say "hello". We love to chat about what's going on and it is a great excuse for a short break too!