So what's happening right now?

Winter is well and truly here....

We took delivery of <2300 trees on 5th January 2026 thanks to a generous grant from the Tree Council and National Highways. Planting of these is now completed.

Sadly, as we have huge herds of fallow deer wandering through the Copse, we have had to make a decision to have deer fencing erected around the new trees to give them a chance to get away. We anticipate that it will have to be in situ for about 10 years. Because of rodents, we still have to protect individual trees for their first few years of life. Apart from a few tree guards, they are all either recycled or compostable. The few others will be sent for recycling when their use is finished. We have tried to do this as sustainably as possible.

We also have a license to thin out the oak and this will also be done autumn 2026 - or as the bird nesting season comes to an end. As this work is taking place in the old woodland we will be using a contractor who works in a more sensitive way, using floating tyres and doing as little damamge to the soil ecology as possible. He will also be looking to retain trees which provide good habitat and only taking out those which will give maximum benefit to the woodland through their removal. We will be identifying potential 'veteran trees of the future' and halo felling around them to give them maximum chance of becoming old men/ women of the woods! A very strategic operation!

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.

 Work can begin in earnest as the bird nesting seaon is over and any dormice should be snug in their over wintering hibernation holes in the ground. Our plans for this year are 

1. Open up the footpath which runs north of the gallops. The Rights of Way team put in a beautiful new bridge so we plan to control the holly along that path and hopefully create a new scrape to ease the water problem at the top of the gallops.

2. We don't plan any proper coppicing this year as we have already had so much clearance, but with any material we can salvage from work we are doing, we plan to repair or finish hedges.

3. The outdoor learning area needs clearing and facilities putting in place for local schools to use this resource.

4.  We will definitely be doing planting!

If you want to join us you'd be more than welcome! Check out the events page for dates and email us so we can add you onto our volunteer list.

We hope the winter is hard this year, so that those animals that hibernate can get a full winters sleep and not wake, burning up their limited resources.

We  spotted a very wet area beside the bridleway last year and decided to use that to make an 'ephemeral pond' or 'scrape', much as wild pigs would do in a woodland. 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 scrape held water better than the scrapes along the Brenda Parker Way, so we chose a good spot for it! 

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! They are popping up all over the place!

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!