Stake and Chips!

Visitors who haven't been for a while will notice a big difference at the Outdoor Classroom where the removal of diseased Ash trees has opened up the area. There are usually lots of Bluebells here in the summer so hopefully these will spread now that more light is reaching the ground.

The tidy up operation was a mammoth task with most of the brash being made into woodchips.

In this area the woodchips were scattered thinly around the bracken where they will soon decompose.

The team of newly qualified 'woodchippers' have also been busy in the woodland where they have shredded brash from conifers that were thinned out during the winter months.

These woodchips were perfect for path surfacing so were loaded up and moved by wheelbarrow to the wettest parts of the woodland trail.

Some of the brash was used to line the footpath first to prevent the woodchips from sinking!

The finished section of path looked very inviting!

Conifer trunks had also been saved to edge the paths further along the green route. The long lengths ensured that the volunteers stuck to social distancing rules!

The poles were installed and pegged into place with wooden stakes. This is a great way to define the path and reuse materials from the reserve.

The work is ongoing but already has made a good difference to the woodland walks. Thank you to everyone who has helped out over the last few weeks.