Hackfall Wood: 06-07-2021

Pack up a Picnic!

Did you know that, in the UK, July is  National Picnic Month 2021? A perfect thing to do during a pandemic - eating al fresco with your friends and family. Of course, for the NCVs every Tuesday is a picnic day. Lunchtime is the part of the day when everyone can stop and take a rest from their labours, catch up with news and generally enjoy the views, the fresh air and the banter. 

This week their picnic break was held in Hackfall wood, where the NCVs were particularly focused on removing the rest of the Himalayan Balsam that is growing on the Swinton Estate side of the wood. 

The pictures below give you a flavour of the day. The quality of the photographic images has a lot to do with the weather conditions. Think rain forest. Think misty. Think wet.....

The view from the car park gave some idea of

 what lay ahead on the weather front.

Down in the woods the situation looked promising.

The odd stalk of balsam here and there.

The 8 strong team spread out searching for the unwanted veg.

No balsam here. 

Or is there?....

OK gang - make sure you look under the bracken. 

There's baby balsam playing hide and seek.

It quickly became apparent that a LOT 

of balsam was trying to hide in plain sight.

David and Ros K. were soon pulling it up by the handful.

Perhaps Ros could enter this bunch into the forthcoming 

Yorkshire Show's 'Unusual Veg' competition?

Oooooh. That's a big pile of balsam.

Someone's been busy around this area.

High rise balsam?

No - just Tony demonstrating best practice in balsam pulling.

Leaving it stranded on a log stops it re-rooting into the ground.

And talking of logs - 

Phil demonstrated how to stay fit during a pandemic.

Apparently, according to 'Snake Hips' Phil, a daily log hopping 

session is the best way to keep you flexible.

At coffee time Tony gave an educational lecture

 to an admiring audience.

Then Anita challenged us with a plant ID session.

Who can tell which piece of veg is the:

(a) Dog mercury

(b) Woundwort

(c) Enchanter's nightshade

(d) Hemp nettle?

Answers on a post card....

Whilst pulling up balsam a number of interesting things were found:

Like this stinkhorn.

Luckily it was newly emerged otherwise 

the area would have been very pongy.

And this beautifully made, empty nest - probably one 

from last season and possibly built by a type of warbler.

This gorgeous little fawn was spotted by two of the NCVs 

who crept away quietly once they had seen it.

A far less welcome find - however, it was the only litter

 that was spotted until the NCVs got back to the car park.

Having finished clearing the area of balsam, these three teddy bears 

were enjoying their rather damp picnic in the wood when, 

suddenly, the heavens opened and rain stopped play.

The gang made a bee line for the car park.

At least the job got done!

Old Spring Wood: 29-06-2021

NVQ QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

LEVEL 1 module: Bracken Bashing for Beginners 

Course Code: BBB-2021

20 credits - 1 hour study online / 5 hours field work

Pre-requisite module: IWE-2020

Welcome to the latest in the NVQA's offerings of covid safe study. In this module you will learn the basics of a highly skilled technique of invasive weed control. We hope you find it easy to follow and will feel fully competent by the end of the course. All you need to do is read the step-by-step guide below and then join a band of local conservation volunteers for a day of bracken bashing to provide evidence that you have assimilated the information. You will be assigned a mentor/assessor during the day's field work. 

Please note that this module does not cover why bracken should be bashed. This was fully explained in NVQ level 1 module IWE-2020 - "Invasive weeds explained", a pre-requisite for this course.

How to bash bracken:

Step 1:

First select an appropriate bashing tool and don some work gloves.

A stout stick or grass slasher will do the job nicely.

This glove is obviously in need of replacement - once your fingers feel a stiff breeze blowing through you know that there has been a breach of the fabric.

Step 2:

Next, walk to an area of bracken infested woodland that requires bashing. 

It is advisable to tuck trousers into socks before you set off if you are not a welly wearer. Deer ticks may abound in the undergrowth and love to run up your leg to feast on your innermost delicacies.

Step 3:

Ensure that you are fully aware of the presence of any vegetation other than bracken which may be in danger of being inappropriately bashed. Here Graham demonstrates this technique with a foxglove.

Be particularly careful with ferns - ensure that you can tell them apart.

Here the bracken is the one on the left with the central stem. Ferns (right) look more like shuttlecocks.

  

Step 4:

Position yourself at a safe distance from fellow bashers and find a bracken plant to bash. Raise the bashing implement to the side.

Swing the stick or slasher aiming to damage the stem. DO NOT swing too hard. Cutting the top off the frond will only encourage it to grow from below. Please stop mid-swing if you perceive the presence of a fellow basher's body in the way. Alistair ably demonstrates a 2 step method below:

 

First gently clip the frond near the base of the stem then, when it keels over, whack it hard on the back just to be sure.

Step 5:

Be sure to collect littler as you uncover it. Always have a bin bag to hand.

For any unsavoury items found you can utilise your bashing tool to ensure you don't touch it with your hands, as Tony demonstrates with this dog poo bag.

Jumper clad arms could also be deployed ....

Here, Alistair shows how some litter could be put to good use - in this case as a headband to hold back his long fringe of hair from falling into his eyes.

Step 6:

Regularly hydrate - especially if the weather is hot. Bracken bashing is particularly warm work. Make use of various natural, or man-made features to ensure comfort when doing so.

Walls provide something on which to lean your back...

...and even the smallest of trees can provide a little shade.

Do not mislay your stick during resting periods. Careful placing of work gloves can act as a marker flag - something Ken is fully aware of.

Step 7:

Particularly important - do not get downhearted when you see a field of bracken ahead of you such as this one.

With a good team working together the area will soon be cleared...

...and in no time at all the bracken will be bashed and you will feel proud of your achievement.

Step 8:

Repeat steps 4-7 until all bracken plants in the work area have been vanquished. Do not ask the more experienced bashers if they think that the technique is effective. Their answer is likely to be less than encouraging. However - they are only kidding. They know - in their heart of hearts - that, slowly but surely - they are making a huge difference.

Interim assessment tasks (all to be completed and submitted before commencement of fieldwork):

Task A - In 500 words explain what you feel are the 3 most important things about bashing bracken you need to remember before you start. 

Task B - Draw a fully labelled diagram of a bracken basher in full swing, outlining the key learning points of the module. Use the photograph below to remind yourself of these.

Thanks to the Nidderdale Conservation Volunteer Group for the instructional images - all taken in the beautiful Old Spring Wood.

Old Spring Wood: 22-06-2021

 

With the passing of the summer solstice comes the bashing of the bracken!

Yes - it is that time of year again. The time when the days are longest and you know that the NCVs' tasks most definitely begin with B. No - not balsam. That was last week. This week the workers were back to Old Spring Wood, sticks held high, ready to beat the bracken into submission for yet another year, unless, by some miracle, it had decided to give up after last year's efforts. So - how did they get on? Let's take a peep shall we......

On entering the wood a quick check dispelled any hope

 that the bracken had taken the hint that it wasn't  wanted.

There was plenty here to keep the NCVs busy for the day.

As the starter's pistol sounded so the NCVs 

set off to tackle the lowest part of the wood - 

the area where the bluebells grow.

As soon as they reached their destination sounds

 of sticks and slashers thwacking bracken rent the air.

There were many occasions when surgical precision was needed to bash only 

the pieces of bracken that were growing out of the middle of fern clumps.

"Nurse - scalpel please!"

The NCVs not only took care of the ferns - they also bashed 

sensitively around the tree saplings and foxgloves.

Just now and again (not very often) there 

would be a clearer bit of ground.

This one is obviously home to a badger - or maybe a fox?

Coffee and lunch were partaken in this lovely area of dappled shade.

Liz kindly provided some tasty treats, a number of which 

went sailing through the air when she slipped on a stinkhorn 

as she handed them out, becoming the first of five to slide 

gracefully to the woodland floor at different points in the day.

No - don't worry. This was not one of the unintended falls.

Julia just decided she would try the 'Roll around on the

 ground and crush the bracken' method.

It was actually very effective. 

She will have to check herself well for ticks mind!

Graham and Ken worked with great determination.

As did this group.

"Hold the line. Hold the line! 

We can defeat the enemy if we just hold the line!"

After a while we noticed that John Lewis was holding a photo shoot for its 2021 catalogue of country wear....

Anita is wearing the latest in bracken bashing costumery.

Note the appliqued motif on the smart top; the soft fabric 

which bends so easily at the knee.

Just £400 inc VAT.

Our model Graham is showing the most up to date 

items from the "Country Gents" range.

A snip at £350 - stick not included. 

Here Liz demonstrates that you can wear our new 

range of fascinators anywhere.

No need to wait until Ladies Day at the races.

Just £600 - cheap at half the price.

(NB this headwear will need to be put in a jug of water each 

night to retain that forest fresh look.)

Having watched the JL photoshoot the NCVs pressed on with the job as the temperature started to soar.

As Dave A. emerged from an almost bracken free area under the trees 

and thought to himself "We must be nearly done now - it's now safe to come out",

 he was met with this sight. Uphill, full sun, really thick, tough bracken stems.

Unsurprisingly he let out an exclamation of extreme disappointment.

Paul's response to the sight was to hide inside a nearby den, 

hoping that he could stay there until work finished.

Eventually Liz called a halt and the NCVs headed home,

 leaving the wood a good deal less heavily bracken covered 

than it had been at the start.

Special note to any NCVs who suddenly decide they have other fish to fry next week, rather than have to return to bash something beginning with B:

You will need to supply documentary evidence that you have, indeed, got a good excuse.

e.g. a positive covid test result; a holiday booking email; an architect's plan for a builder's visit; a dental appointment card. 

Anyone taking the week off without such evidence will have subsequent pay docked and will only be offered goodies that have fallen on the floor.

😁