Crimple Head Farm: 08-04-2025

 

Let's recycle those tubes!!!

This week the NCVs were working at Crimple Head Farm, near Beckwithshaw, a new venue but an old task. They were back on de-tubing duty. Trying to get rid of as many tubes as possible by the deadline for the free recycling window towards the end of May. This Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust tree guard recycling project led to 140,625 tubes being recycled last year in parts of the UK. That’s 25.031 tonnes of plastic saved from landfill or being left out in the environment. Once the tubes are collected, they are washed, shredded, repelletized and returned to Tubex where the pellets are fed back into the manufacturing process of the Tubex recyclable products.

So - let's see the first part of this process in action.

Cue the NCVs!

There were three different boundary 

woodlands to clear. This was the first 

and the terrain was relatively benign.

The gang split into two teams. 

One working in the wood, removing the tubes...

... and throwing them over the fence.

Here they were processed by a second team

who removed the tree stakes

and packed the tubes into bags.

Emma and Helena developed their 

upper body strength by dragging the bags 

down the field to keep up with the tube removers.

Reinforcements arrived, to help process

 the tubes, from inside the woodland, 

once they reached the end point.

Although the woodland was extensive,

the teams worked so well that they 

had finished wood one by coffeetime, 

with two full tube bags to show for their efforts.

Then it was into the cars for a short drive to woodland 2. Only part of this area needed clearing as a scout group had already done 2/3 of it.

This time everyone needed to get 

inside the woodland due to a deep ditch 

preventing easy access to the fence.

Once over the stile the gang were like 

tube seeking missiles, working their way 

through a mass of low branches, searching 

for their targets.

There were some trees that were 

more than ready for release.

Others had grown at an angle

and couldn't be persuaded to 

give up the base of their plastic case.

Another two bags were filled here....

...by lunchtime.

Then - you've guessed it - it was on to 

woodland 3 (on foot).

The intention to revert to throwing the tubes 

out to a processing team had to be abandoned.

Another ditch just made the method very difficult.

Instead, everyone, once again, worked together.

By 2pm the job was complete. 4 more

 bags of tubes were ready for collection.

And here they are, alongside

 the dream team.

Now - all that had to be done was

walk all the way back to the cars!

: 01-04-2025

With it being April 1st, the NCVs had to be on their guard before lunchtime  today, in case anybody played any tricks on them. After all, nobody wants to be made a fool of. They were working up at the Summerstones estate in Upper Nidderdale, removing old tree tubes from young trees that no longer require their protection, or ensuring that trees were restored to the vertical.

Let's take a look and make sure that everyone behaved themselves shall we?

Those that managed to arrive at the

 correct destination (I'll say no more!) 

got a lift up to the work site.

Just as well, as the tubes were 

way up at the top of this hillside.

They'll be comin' round the 

mountain when they come....

Once up there work could start.

Some trees had grown far from the vertical,

due to the high winds.

Not all the tubes needed removing 

but this one definitely did.

There was a thick layer of grass stuck to its trunk.

More than one simply had a tube shaped grass 

plant inside, growing around a dead sapling.

Of course, tubes removed needed collecting up. 

NNL staff member Joe was in training for 

his upcoming appearance on Crackerjack. 

All he needed was a cabbage.

Tim did some ad hoc bird watching through 

his tree tube telescope.

(There were curlews and buzzards to 

be seen.)

The tubes were shoved into

builders' sacks and carted off 

in the mule.

Amy enjoyed the trips up and

down to the farm to take the filled

bags off the hillside.

Breaks were very pleasant in the sun...

...particularly when Dawn broke out

the tin of apple flapjack.

Thanks Dawn!!

The loneliness of the long 

distance tree tube remover.

Eventually the job was all but finished 

and things were looking fairly upright

and de-tubed where necessary.

And not a single prank was played.

There was no time for April fool tricks!!

Ellington Banks: 25-03-2025

 

Now - if you read last week's blog entry you will probably be able to guess what was going to be on the NCVs' agenda this week.

Yes - that's right - a continuation of the push back of encroaching trees from the magnesian grassland and newt ponds at MOD training ground Ellington Banks. The fact that poor coordinator Liz was off sick was of no consequence. She simply called on her deputy to take up the reins and crack the whip.

Let's see how the gang got on - there was a lot still to do. Good job they had a good turn out as there was plenty of lopping, sawing, dragging and burning on the job list. 

Yes indeedy.

Plenty of alder here

to keep everyone busy!

Everyone set to, nibbling away at the edge...

...and carting off armfuls of brash...

...to the excellent fire that Andy

 and Ken managed to build.

There was a lot of low level lopping and sawing.

And over here - some high quality

 habitat building was happening.

Cut stumps gradually appeared

all over the place.

Coffeetime and lunchtime were

particularly enjoyed...

...thanks to the appearance of two

boxes of excellent cake.

Thanks Anita - and Happy Birthday!!!

At 2pm time was called and,

amazingly, the area was just about 

cleared. 

All that was left were the very soggy remains

of the towering inferno.

By the way - while the NCVs have been busy in recent weeks, Jan has been beavering away at home making 4 superb owl boxes for putting up at various spots in Nidderdale.

Well done Jan - let's hope they get well used!!