A Wet and Windy Worky Day

The wild weather conditions didn't deter volunteers from turning out for the February Winter Worky Day yesterday.

The group worked close to the outdoor classroom to carry out woodland management. The task for the day was 'thinning' an area of native woodland. Thinning is the term foresters apply to removal of some trees from a stand to give others more room (and resources) to grow. It is important for the health of the remaining trees and in this case the ones left standing are the ones that will be of most benefit to the wildlife such as Rowan, Willow, Oak, Spindle, Scots Pine and Alder Buckthorn.

The cut trees (mainly Silver Birch) were processed and the wood was sorted into brash for the bonfire and useful wood to be kept. Some of the bigger logs will be made into bug hotels and bird feeders which are sold in the Field Centre.

The fire site was chosen carefully, on the opposite bank across a stream so that the scar will be out of sight from the footpath. It was also where Bracken had been growing.

There were some regular volunteers, some new faces and a familiar face as we welcomed back Carla, an intern from Teesside University.

Lunch was the traditional Foxglove curry served with all the trimmings; poppodums and naan bread! It was delicious!

Although it was wet and windy it was also mild enough to dine al fresco!

After lunch, it was mainly a case of clearing and tidying however, there were many times that the phrase “just one last tree” was heard! A human chain was formed to drag the last of the brash down and then up the steep bank to the fire.

With so many people to help, the work was completed sooner than anticipated and the day was finished with a guided walk to look at future plans for some of the other habitats.

Our sincere thanks to all who came to help and to Elizabeth for baking wonderful custard creams and angel whispers (these definitely don't count as cake!). The woodland will look beautiful in the summer with the additional light and space.