Harewell Wood Farm, Glasshouses: 30-05-2023

Change of direction required!!

With literally 12 hours to go before the NCVs left for a task in Grewelthorpe, an email from Liz arrived announcing a last minute change of plan. Apparently the landowners had spotted birds nesting in the area in which the NCVs were meant to be working, so an alternative job had to be found. 

The NCVs didn't mind. The alternative venue was the SSSI woodland at Harewell Wood Farm, Glasshouses, a place that they were familiar with and a lovely place to spend the day. They were tasked with halo coppicing holly around an ancient rowan and clearing some brash heaps out of the adjacent field.

So, without any further ado, let's see what this change of plan led to....

 

Luckily everyone had read the email 

so turned up at the correct venue.

 Everyone walked up to the middle

 of the wood where a handy fire pit

 lay waiting for action.

 

There was plenty of brash nearby to fuel

 a fire so Will got busy fetching it over...

....and Osian got a roaring fire going in no time.

 

The ancient tree in need of being cleared 

of encroaching holly was 'The Rocket Tree'

(so named because the fallen trunk is completely

 hollow and children sit in it to fly to the moon).

Overshaddowing was extreme.

 

Many of the holly stems were quite fat 

so took a good deal of effort to cut down.

 

But with the A team on the case

 they were soon history. 

There were 5 stems that were all tangled up together.

One branch was growing out of one stem

and had grafted itself onto another.

 

Eventually they were released...

...and could then be shifted downhill for burning

or using to build habitat piles.

 

Given the weight of many of the stems 

and the incline of the slope,

 team work was needed throughout the day.

Luckily, thanks to the half term holiday, 

honorary NCV Harry was available to help 

with the shifting.

Once we had reached the point where a 

chain saw was required the lovely old 

rowan was easy to spot. This day's 

work willl allow the regenerating crown

(the vertical stems at the right hand end of the fallen trunk)

 the light it needs to grow  well.

Next the NCVs turned their attention

 to the two heaps of brash in the top field.

 

Once again Harry was able to make life easier for us...

...as some of these pieces of brash

were considerably heavy!!

 

 Over the fence they went, into the wood...

...where they contributed to two habitat piles.

Very kindly, Liz had provided an extremely tasty 

chocolate cake to keep energy levels up.

Thanks Liz!!

Additionally - NCV Paul was unable to have the use of his car today but didn't sit at home twiddling his thumbs. Instead he popped into Hackfall Wood where he made himself useful and cleaned out the pump for the Fountains Pond.

 

 

Rather him than me!!