Autumn 08
28th September 2008
View to the sea (spot the caravan!)
Placing tree markers
Hedge clearing
16th October 2008
and some videos
22nd October
Made a new path to the camping field...would be great to put a pond in next to it.....
26th October 2008.....we now have our exemption certificate from the enviroment agency...whooppeee!! - you wouldn't believe the paperwork....ug! We are still waiting for the certificate to allow us to have a compost heap(!!!) but we can now have bonfires...dredge ditches etc etc!!
We made a brush fence in the gateway by placing two old gates a foot or so apart, wiring them together with stakes as supports. We filled the cavity with cut bracken, brambles, nettles, gorse etc to create a 7ft high windbreak in the drafty gateway, to protect our baby trees.
Unfortunately, we have upset some dog walkers who are accustomed to using this gateway as a short cut (there is no footpath here), which is a shame. We are putting so much time and effort into our little woodlands that we need to give them the best possible chance....
2nd November 2008.......This is the official map used by PAROW detailing public footpaths:
There is definitely no path going through the gateway we have closed. There are a few paths marked on the map which, when you look for evidence of them on the landscape, have obviously not been used for a long time - no stiles over walls, across land which is now private garden, and interestingly the paths end abruptly, going nowhere. Most likely these old paths are relics from the time when there was still mining activity in the area.
6th November
We have been laying mulch mat (mypex) to plant trees through...(not very pretty) we are hoping that it will help keep the brambles at bay while the trees get established. It is rather expensive so we will not be using it for all the trees. We hope to use a mixture of cardboard and organic matter for the rest.
We took the gate off the bridge
We have also been trying to drain the end of the meadow across the bridge....and we have found another bridge...very narrow and overgrown...that crosses into Grose's field with the barn in it
the little yew tree burst it's pot and started going yellow so we planted it
7th November
One of the visitors to the caravan...a goldcrest, about the same size as wren, but with a striking gold flash on the forehead.
10th November
Simon's birthday....we went over to Leswidden farm for some Olearia hedge clippings, and to Chyena (Plan It Earth) for some willow - thank you so much John and Carrie,and David and Rachel!!! So in the afternoon we planted nearly 500 hedge cuttings!!!
Olearia hedge will eventually provide wind shelter for an avenue of Ash trees along the lane. We will also be planting some conifers alongside the Olearia
Left: Olearia hedge next to the Avenue. Right: Willow hedge in Polytunnel field
We decided to plant up the steep field with Ash coppice on a ten year rotation, and Simon has divided the field into 10 'coupes', with a lane (or 'ride') winding through from top to bottom. The ride is to be edged on one side with Olearia hedge, which will hopefully grow fast enough to provide a windbreak for the coppice trees that we will plant over the next few years. When the coppice is mature enough, the hedge shouldn't be needed and can be removed.
Planting the ride
16th November
20th November
Trees arrived today!!! Went back to Leswidden farm for MORE Olearia cuttings yesterday, and put them all in the ground - we now have baby hedges to protect all our baby trees!
We planted a row of hazel trees to hopefully lay over as a hedge and harvest nuts from eventually!
This is our planting plan for the coppice field boundaries.
and this is a plan for the Polytunnel field. We have planted Sweet chestnut, Alder and Willow in the meadow over the other side of the stream.
23rd November
25th November
We are well over half way through our planting - special thanks to our volunteers, who really speeded things up! Our Conifer trees still have not arrived...the nursery man said it was too wet to lift them last week, but it hasn't been much drier since! Today, however, was a lovely warm, sunny day.
Left: 'Experimental' Sweet chestnut trees. We were advised against sweet chestnut, because they dislike salt winds, but like them so much that we thought we'd try some and see if they grow...
Right: Mixed deciduous trees on the West boundary
Left: Looking up hill to campervan corner, with space left for compost loo/washroom
Right: Trees along the bottom edge of the coppice field
Mixed deciduous trees on the east boundary
We will be on site between 11am and 4pm daily for tree planting - we welcome helpers if you would like to join us! (Bring a spade if you have one!)You can call Simon or Jo on 788209 in the morning or evening - unfortunately we do not currently have a mobile number.