Birch clearance at Dunham Massey on Sunday 26 October 2014

This week thirteen eager volunteers turned out at Dunham Massey to carry on the work we started a few weeks ago.  The task was the removal of invasive birch saplings from an oak plantation.  The birch grow far faster than the oak so have to be felled to allow the oak to  flourish.  A great bit of baking by Tim provided a fine bara brith which when slathered with butter provided the volunteers with plenty of fuel for the job in hand (even Lisa - an aficionado of bara brith - said it was yummy).  By the end of the day we had cleared a large area, loaded the saplings onto a trailer and delivered them to the fire site.

The deer in the park are just coming into rut and we saw a couple of stags resplendent in their full growth of antler.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the day and the ranger Jack was very pleased with the work carried out.

Woodland maintenance at Quarry Bank Mill on Sunday 19 October 2014

Six volunteers including two newcomers spent today working in the hanging beech woods adjacent to Mill Meadow at the back of Quarry Bank Mill.  The task was cutting down holly and sycamore to let more light down to the ground and to create space to plant more beech trees at a later date.  The cut holly was shredded and left in the wood.

Rhody bash at Hare Hill on Sunday 12th Oct 2014

A great turnout of 16 (including 3 'newbies') to rhody bash at Hare Hill with Julia the NT Ranger in a wooded copse near the lake. 

Gordon got the fire lit quite quickly and, in no time at all, most of us were in amongst the rhododendrons, cutting them down using loppers and bowsaws and dragging the branches to the fire where they were cut up smaller before being thrown on the fire.

The weather was wonderful and, at lunchtime, we sat by the lake in the sun, chatting and eating our lunch. Some of us saw a kingfisher while were there, a heron fly down and land on the other side of the lake and many dragonflies:-)


Lunchtime in the sun!

 

Although the majority of us rhody bashed and loaded the fire most of the day, a small group were at the other side of the copse with Julia, winching out stumps left from a previous rhody bash. Neil and Ross used the winch for most of the morning but, after lunch, a few more of us plucked up courage to have a go!

We finished around 3.30pm after tidying the fire site and throwing the rhody leaves that were strewn on the ground, onto the fire, so the cows didn't eat them and make themselves poorly after we left.

Thanks to Julia for a great day and for encouraging some of us to use the winch, which turned out to be a very satisfying experience.

Group photo at the end of the day

Birch clearing at Dunham Massey on 5 October 2014

Eight of us spent today in beautiful autumn sunshine cutting down birch trees in the plantation near Charcoal Lodge.  MNTV had planted oak trees in the plantation a decade ago and while they have grown well the birch have grown much taller and needed to be removed.  In time the oaks will be thinned out.

We cut the birch down with bowsaws, dragged them to the entrance/exit gate and stacked them on a trailer which John Mann (Ranger) drove to the farmer's field near the Rangers' compound and unloaded with the help of two of us.  The farmer will burn the brash on Bonfire Night.

Daniel brought along the banner that Anne Yates and Martin Swithenbank made years ago.  We could hang it perfectly on the deer fence and after the workday John took a photo of us all beneath it: