Old Spring Wood and Eastwoods Farm: 18-04-2017

This week we could choose our venue and task. The choice? Well, we could either:

• return to Old Spring Wood to remove more tree guards from the newer plantation at Old Spring Wood and repair an interpretation board, or 
• visit Eastwoods Farm, Dacre to erect a protective fence around an ancient piece of ‘rock art’. NB Do not confuse 'rock art' with 'op art'! Visit the Nidderdale AONB website to read a little more about this evidence of early settlement in Britain.

In spite of it being Easter week there were 14 NCVs out to play, 11 opting for Old Spring Wood and 3 for the rock art task. The photos below show how we all got on.....

Old Spring Wood:

Work began with the walk up the 

hillside to the plantation in glorious sunshine.

Once there the trees still to be checked were 

scrutinised to see if tubes or stakes 

needed removing tightening.

This one definitely needed setting free.

This tube was lying on the ground 

apparently defunct. However, a healthy 

young tree sprang up once released!

Tree tubes had to be transported 

down to the boundary wall.

The pile of old tubes served as a settee at coffee time;

 although Anita preferred to roost in a nearby hawthorn bush.

After lunch we moved on to the task of clipping 

back the encroaching brambles.

 Bluebell leaves appeared as the prickly cover was removed.

 Some dead trees that were lying around were cut up ....

... and turned into a brash pile.

Carpenter John with his trusty assistant Kath 

repaired the interpretation board at the barn,

transporting it to Old Spring Wood in their car ready for wood staining.

Eastwoods Farm:

Jan paid homage to Will, the god of bent spikes.

A quick and efficient fencing team soon completed the job. 

No more will the farmer's cows be able to trample 
all over the ancient sculpture.

This is the stone that all the work was for.
Not quite Barbara Hepworth.

This more impressive cup and ring stone was in the base 
of the wall nearby. Being vertical the cows can't harm it.

Ros E.

Bryan's Wood: 11-04-2017

Just imagine it. Walking around Bryan's Wood for  6 hours over rough terrain - fallen branches, rocks obscured by bracken, uneven ground, boggy areas etc., etc. And all of it carrying a long extendable ladder, as well as a rucksack full of your needs for the day (including a heavy hammer).

Mind your head!!

This is not a description of the NCVs' task today (although not far off what happens some weeks). No - it is what a very small band of us do every 7-10 days throughout the nesting season. "Why?" , you ask. Well - it's to collect data for the BTO's (British Trust for Ornithology) annual nest box records. 

Tony positions himself ready to open the box.

Regular checking of the 100+ boxes in the wood provides useful information about how the birds of the area are faring. And then, of course, once the season is over all the boxes have to be emptied and refurbished.

What's inside this nest box?

A  Nuthatch nest perhaps? Full of hungry chicks?

So what has this to do with the NCVs? Well - our job this week was to ensure that the path of the intrepid ladder carriers around the boxes was made a little easier this year. Fallen branches were removed, overhanging branches pruned back to prevent them snagging on the ladder and a collapsing log bridge over a boggy stream was re-built.

Definitely a bridge that needed some TLC.

Weight limit? About 3oz.

First the bridge had to be dismantled by Team Brunel, 

Then James needed to sharpen the chainsaw 

and muster up some new logs.

Some careful measuring and cutting went on - no worries about 
eating an extra piece of flapjack before crossing the stream any more!!

The final result rivalled the Bridge over the River Kwai.
New weight limit: at least 5 NCVs and a spade.

Elsewhere in the woods path clearing teams A & B 

sorted out the two halves of the nest box route.
Team A also had time to build a nice brash pile.

Remember that awkward fallen branch at the top of the page?

Jan sorted it out in no time flat.

And he did this one too.

Lunch was taken wherever you happened to be around noon.

"Thank goodness!" said the nest box checkers once the NCVs had finished. "Like the birds, we'll be able to fly around the woods next time we visit. Thanks NCVs."

Ros E.

Happy Easter to all our readers!!

The students' perspectives and Old Spring Wood: 04-04-2017

This week 17 NCVs made their first trip to Old Spring Wood, Summerbridge to do some woodland maintenance. There are a few photos of the day at the bottom of this entry but first let's hear from our three students, who were asked to pen their thoughts on their NCV placement to date.....

James:

Because I come from a farming background I love machinery. I find that I have done lots of similar work before that I do with the AONB, only with machinery not by hand. Although I prefer to use machinery I can see the benefits of having lots of NCVs all working together and how much they can achieve in a day.  I have taken part in tasks that have taught me new skills using hand tools such as hedge laying. Although I have seen the result of hedge laying before, I did not realise how labour intensive it is to do. I enjoyed working at Scar/Angram doing the footpath laying. I especially liked watching the various machines that were there: digger, dumper, tractor, trailer and how they were operated by the Footpaths Officer.

 James gets stuck in with a spade up at Scar.

James adds the final touches to the laid hedge.

Tom:

I enjoy working outdoors with the other students as a group. I like to keep fit and feel the working conditions help my health and fitness levels.The place I find most interesting is Hackfall Woods because of the size of the woods. Due to working at this site quite a few times, I think I have found my way around now. When we were clearing a vista I worked with Harry and James; we were climbing up a steep slope to cut down trees and branches. Because it was muddy I found it hard to climb up the slope so I used my own length of climbing rope, I attached the rope to a tree stump at the top and we were all able to climb up more quickly and easily. 

Scaling the heights to clear the vista...

...and what a vista!!

The task that taught me new skills was hedge laying – I had never heard of hedge laying before. I found the technique very precise and learnt how to use new tools such as the bill hook, although I preferred using the axe. My first impression of hedge laying was not very good because I didn’t realise how it would look but I thought the end result was very neat and tidy.

The lads learn how to pleach stems.

Harry:

My favourite day with the NCVs was the day we went to the army base at Ellington Banks. to do clearing tasks. It was interesting because there were used shells lying around and we saw army personnel doing training tasks. We did general clearing away of shrub but the best thing for me was being able to fell a tree. I enjoyed felling a tree because it was in my element of what I like doing. The reason why I enjoyed it was because it was where I live and I like working in my local area. Although I had felled trees before, James showed how to get the most precise cut to make it fall exactly where it wanted to go which I suppose was beneficial. I enjoy working outdoors (when the weather is nice)! It's good to work with the other students and meet other volunteers.

Harry gets to work on the unwanted trees.

He did a bit of that again today in Old Spring Wood.

And finally - from the day's task in Old Spring Wood....

Up on the top plantation redundant tree guards

 were removed...

.... and stacked.So many tubes!!

This tree was particularly glad to be freed of its corset!

Down in the main wood 2 teams pruned holly along the paths.

This allowed both Harry and James to demonstrate 
the ancient art of holly trampolining.


Excellent body posture James -
Yorkshire champion!

 Two other brash piles were constructed from wood 

that had been felled or had fallen.

Tree guards were also an issue in the main wood. 

Dozens had to be shifted uphill to where they can be transported away.

Now then girls - what are you doing under that fleece?
(Just looking at photos of my new grandson.)

Fishpond Wood: 28-03-2017

 

Snippedy doo dah, snippedy aye

My oh my, what a wonderful day

Plenty of rhodies coming our way

Snippedy doo dah, snippedy aye

This little song just about sums up the NCVs' job in Fishpond Wood this week. On our first visit there this year - guess what? We were asked to prune off the new rhododendron growth that is determinedly making its way up towards the sky from the remaining stumps left from earlier culls. (Why doesn't that surprise us?) So that's what we did.  After all - we don't want the rhodies to take a hold again do we? Perhaps by next year they will start to take the hint and give up. 

We should always live in hope.

Eyes down, look in, and get busy snipping.

Little piles of snipping started to appear all over the place.

There were 22 of us out today so we were a few pairs of loppers short. 
No worries - bow saws could be used for the thicker stems.

 It was a day of befores....

...and afters.

 Before....

... after.

A definite 'after' shot!

The lake looked very tranquil. 
These little rhodie sprouts will have to be left until after the nesting season.
Currently the moorhens will probably be using the clumps for cover.

 At coffee time we sang happy birthday to Anita (third from left).
Not looking bad for 21.
(Thanks for the cake Anita!)

Nick was looking deep in thought at lunchtime.
Then Dave turned up with his birthday cake - that perked Nick up!
Happy Birthday Dave - a mere 22.

There was so much brash that we had to start burning.
Student James tended the fire well and this heap eventually disappeared. 
There are still a number of other piles to be dealt with.

Ros E.