Wood Hill Farm, Clifton: 19-02-2019

Just when they thought they had finished!!

Having spent the last two task days at Cow Myers Farm, clearing scrub, the NCVs thought that, perhaps, there would be a different flavour to the day this week. However - it wasn't to be. The clock is ticking and the bird nesting season is fast approaching. If there is any encroaching scrub to be removed then you need to get a move on. This was why  the group was directed to Wood Hill Farm, Clifton where there was a very old hedge that had to be removed. It had not been touched for over 25 years and simply(?!) needed cutting right down to allow regeneration to occur that could then be managed properly.

Liz's email promised "a similar type of task to Cow Myers in terms of amount of material and spikiness! A bonfire will be built to help remove the volume too." So - another week of scratched noses, pricked thumbs and going home smelling like a kipper.

How did they get on? Well - read on.....

Here's the hedge. Species within it included blackthorn, hawthorn, holly and rose 
so it was a case of pick your favourite form of torture and get busy.

 Dave waded in with a saw and made good inroads very quickly.

 Tom braved a particularly bad patch of thorny material.

Andrew was swallowed up by the surrounding branches never to be seen again.

Slowly but surely Andy nibbled his way into the centre of the hedge with his loppers.

Liz took the easy way out and deployed her chain saw 
leaving behind her a mass of tangled hawthorn for others to process.

Gradually the hedge started to disappear and a wide swathe of field opened up.

The NCVs left the large trunks to Liz and Farmer Miles to take down with their chain saws.

This they did with admirable skill.

While all this removal action was going on a good deal of brash was generated.

However - Julia and Will were put in charge of the fire lighting and, with a little help from a few stick collectors, things soon hotted up.

It wasn't long before Dave was beating back hell fire and brimstone.

Brash disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Miles managed to find time earlier in the day to make a gorgeous cake - 
a welcome sight at lunch time. Thanks Miles!

Before getting back to the hedge after lunch ancient tree verifiers 
(that's verifiers of ancient trees by the way - not tree verifiers who
 are getting on in years!) Dave and Ros E. couldn't resist 
measuring up the sycamore nearby.

At one point Julia designed a very nice parasol.

Tom found a piece of wood that had been gnawed by rabbits.
Apparently he saw it next to a hole that he knew was used by rabbits due to the smell.
From now on he will be referred to as Tom 'the nose' .

Down at the bottom end of the field things were getting cleared out nicely. Still some work to do but at least Miles can get to the trunks easily now to finish it all off with his chain saw.

By 2:45 pm everyone was exhausted and had to give up. 
Ros K managed a smile - not surprising given what had been achieved.

The AONB office has now bought a lot of bio-security equipment - 
we will show it in action every so often.

Remember Anita's sparkly, customised work gloves from last week?
Well Ros E had a go at decorating hers but her smiley faces had already lost two of their eyes and both their noses before they even got taken out of her pocket! 

STOP PRESS:

Whilst the group was busy at Wood Hill Farm, NCV Jan was up at the top of the dale making a special delivery...

Jan hands over three owl boxes he has made for the Summerstones estate.
Well done Jan!!