A variety of venues: 04-04-2023

 Breaking news

NCVs spread thinly

Yes - the NCVs were spread as thin as thin could be this week. This was due to (a) it being the first week of the school Easter holidays and people being otherwise engaged, (b) there were some who were unwell and (most importantly) (c) there were no fewer than three tasks to cover!!

Shall we take a peep at the ability of such a thin application of NCVs to get a job done? Read on....

Group 1 (full cream Lurpak) met at High Lindrick Farm to  carry out woodland management around a bridge built by Lord Aislabie, as part of the landscape scale parkland at Fountains Abbey. This was a job similar to that at Ellington Banks. 5 turned out and achieved a good deal despite small numbers (mind you - they did have help from Chris -  the landowner's chain saw chappie).....

 

On arrival it was clear that there was going to

 have to be a lot of coppicing done 

on both sides of the bridge. 

 

Right folks - off you go. 

You know what to do.

 

Yea, yea. We know.

 

That's right Tim and Alistair. Make a start on habitat piles.

 

Oh - well done.

They are 2 nice brash piles.

 

David braved the raging torrent to help Chris

clear the island in the centre of the river.

 

By close of play the bridge was nicely clear

 of encroaching scrub. Well done team Lurpak!

 

Group 2 (Utterly Butterly) met at Sunflower Nursery in Pateley to finish off the last section of hedge that still needed laying. This was a perfectly formed team of 4 and they completed the job beautifully....

Well - there's 2 proud hedge layers.

 

 

At the far end the bushes had to be left unlaid.

 Instead a fence was erected. 

Dave kept a watching brief from a distance 

and Anita scrutinised Ken's work up close.

The cake box was used in lieu of a spirit level.

 

And here is the reason why the

 bushes were left unlaid. It is a little enclave 

for the nursery children to use as a den 

(ably demonstrated by youngsters Anita and Julia).

 

 Group 3 (Flora Light) A tiny band of 2 met at Old Spring Wood to continue halo coppicing the encroaching holly around the mature oak trees. Headway was slow but sure and four hollies were removed and dead hedged....

Andrew was the main man when

 it came to cutting down.

 

Gradually the hollies were removed ...

 

...and the vista opened up, allowing

 sun to the woodland floor.

 

 

The brash created was ably shoved by Ros E. into the decaying

 dead hedge created last year and gave it a new lease of life.

Additionally - 

Last Thursday 3 NCVS were sent on a wild goose chase. Liz tasked them with checking a small plantation of just 60 trees up at Angram Reservoir. Any dead trees needed to be noted so that they could be replaced. 

However.......

Despite Liz's explanation of where to find this plantation, there was not a single tree tube to be found. The group hunted high and low over difficult terrain, in damp conditions, but failed to locate the trees. All that could be said was that they got their steps in that day!!

Days from a bygone age number 13

Now which NCV  did this smouldering teenage lad grow up into? Take a guess and check the next blog (after the Easte break) to see if you were right.