Old Spring Wood: 20-05-2025

 
World Bee Day

It was particularly fitting that the NCVs spent today - World Bee Day (NOT World Bidet!) - clearing conifer brash and removing holly. The venue? Old Spring Wood, a place the NCVs have worked before to good effect. Not only would the task stop the mature deciduous trees having to compete for light and water, but the extra light reaching the woodland floor will encourage woodland flora to flourish - excellent for bees.

Let's take a look and see what was going on.....

Before the NCVs could get to work on

the holly, they first had to try and make 

some sense out of a number of brash heaps

left by some contractors who are cutting

down some non-native conifers.

The NCVs channelled the bee work 

ethic and got bizzy, buzzing about,

bringing some semblance of order 

to three of the heaps.

At least it now looks as though 

somebody cares!

This heap was dismantled...

...and added to another, thereby creating

an area of woodland floor free 

for flowers to emerge.

The heap was a source of many logs 

which were stacked neatly into a log pile.

Talking of logs, this one 

was blocking the path.

Not for long.

A small group of enthusiasts

soon got down to business...

...and managed to shift it....

...leaving the path clear...

...and plenty of seating for coffee and lunch time.

Talking of coffee - thanks for a second 

week of Dorset biscuits Helena!!

After lunch it was time to leave

the conifer brash and make 

a start on the holly.

Brash was dragged away

to the dead hedging team.

There it was added to a previous 

hedge alongside the footpath that had 

all but dwindled away to nothing

over the last couple of years.

Cutters cut...

...and hedgers hedged.

Gradually anything that had been felled 

was cleared and the old hedge restored 

to its former glory.

There was the matter of yet another 

fallen log across a path that required attention.

After a LOT of sawing and heaving,

the middle section was removed to 

allow an easier route for brash draggers

 to reach the hedge.

Well - that was a good day's work!

Time to pack up and head home!

Heyshaw Moor: 13-05-2025

An aim in view

Regular readers of this blog may remember that, 6 months ago to the day, the NCVs met on Heyshaw Moor, high up above Pateley Bridge, in order to remove the encroaching scrub that was threatening to dry out the SSSI moorland and block out the view of the moors opposite. Today they were back there, loppers and saws in hand, ready to continue the task of cutting the trees down and dead hedging them along the pathway.

"Did they succeed with their aim?" I hear you ask. "Is the view now clear?" "Have all the trees been cut down and dead hedged?"

I'll let you be the judge ....

On arrival the NCVs were faced with 

a sea of small saplings.

Not only that, there was a little matter of a 

heap of brash that needed to 

be cleared, left over from last time.

We started adding this to the 

original dead hedge...

...until we decided to take the

 easy way out and create another

 hedge on the other side of the footpath.

All over the area saplings were getting

cut down.

Occasionally some bigger specimens

had to go.

NCV energy levels were boosted

by the ginger biscuits that Helena

provided at coffee time.

(Thanks Helena!)

Just as well really as dragging

bundles of brash through the 

high heather was tough.

The available seating at the 

Two Stoops towers had been taken

over by a ramblers group at lunchtime.

However, the NCVs didn't mind being 

relegated to the shady spot below 

the wall on such a hot day.

Mick was very well received when 

he brought out a box of lunchtime flapjack.

Thanks Mick!!

Work continued after the break...

...but when Dave fell to his knees 

with heat exhaustion, 

pleading to be allowed to go home...

... Liz decided that maybe it was time to 

call it a day - especially since a

 good job had been jobbed. 

That view was very much improved.

Timble, West End and Humberstone Bank: 06-05-2025

 

Marginal Improvements

If the title of this blog entry makes you think that the NCVs' work rate has been assessed this week, and they were shown to be performing a little better than the last time it was checked, you would be wrong.

The improvements the title refers to are those that were carried out at Timble and West End, where changes were being made to the surrounds of five newly created ponds. 

I shall let Osian take over this part of the blog:

"Up on the bleak, sodden (not really) moorland an elite group of 4 NCVs battled their way across the undulating grassland to reach the ponds which were created as part of the Wetland project and were lined with naturally occurring blue clay. Their aim was to plant 200 plug plants, which will increase shelter and shade for the pond creatures, and included: skull cap; ragged robin, meadow sweet, floating grass, march pennywort, common sedge, bladder sedge and brooklime. 

Plants were laid out under the tutelage of Ponds Officer Christy for planting at the margins (made difficult on occasion by the rock hard clay that had formed in the subtropical Yorkshire spring) or just in the water around the edge.

In the first amphibian pond nature had already done its thing in the 5 months since it was constructed and the pond contained many tadpoles.

After planting the second pond, a tea-break was called ...

...and overlooked by some ovine spectators.

Then the gang planted up the third pond.

The final two had to be left for another time as they had all but disappeared in the hot, dry weather."

Whilst this work was going on, there was also a lot of improvement taking place in two woodlands at Humberstone Bank. They were littered with many defunct tree guards which needed collecting up for recycling. 

As well as upright tubes (empty or surrounding large tree trunks) the sight of overgrown horizontal ones was not unusual.

But everyone soon got into the tube removal swing and things began to improve. Unfortunately, in the first woodland, many of the guards were made of plastic netting and, therefore, unable to be sent to Tubex for recycling. 

But all the normal type of tubes were packed into dumpy bags, ready for transporting.

Adrian was too busy sorting out tree tube ties to notice that a flying saucer had landed nearby.

Down in the valley, the second woodland was much more recently planted, so the tubes just needed checking for straightness or emptiness.

On both sides of the valley were numerous heaps of tubes that had been cleared in the past.

Unfortunately the last of the 5 available dumpy bags were soon filled and a number of the heaps just had to be collected and stacked up near a track for removal by the farmer and his quadbike. 

By 2pm all tubes, apart from this heap, had been processed and taken to a collection point. A job for a small group another day? 

After a rest in the shade the workers toiled up the hillside in the hot sun, back to their cars, accompanied by the sound of a couple of cuckoos and curlews.

So - there you have it. Lots of environmental improvements this week - both marginal and otherwise.