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.

 

Ellington Banks: 28-03-2023

Back to the banks!!

This week the NCVs put in an extra day back at Ellington Banks to try to rid the area of as much encroaching scrub as possible before the nesting season really gets underway. If you remember, there were two 'rain stopped play' days to catch up on, so it was all hands to the pump - and the loppers. The pictures below give you a flavour of the day.

 

 

MOD ecologist, Karen, gave the usual safety briefing.

 Today she added that 350 soldiers would be training 

in the area - but not to worry as they would

 only be firing blanks!! 

 

Sure enough - a long line of them walked past once

 we reached the work area; in full combat gear

 and looking very serious.  They were glimpsed 

through the trees at various points in the day - 

trying hard to imagine themselves in enemy territory. 

This must have been difficult when the NCVs 

started singing 'Happy Birthday' to Anita...

 

...who reached the grand old age of 21 this week.

Happy Birthday Anita!!

 

The ginger cake she brought was delicious ...

 

...and here is the recipe.

As for the task - here is the area before we started.

                                                    Before ........................After

Some of the brash was added to

 a couple of old brash piles...

and some was added to an old dead hedge.

The rest was burnt on the bonfire which Graham 

quickly ignited with a wave of his magic wand.

At first the smaller stuff was the focus....

 

...to reveal the numerous ponds.

Then the bigger stuff had to go.....

 

...which gave Liz a chance to try out 

her new electric chain saw.

.As the big stems got removed so yet

 more ponds were revealed.

 

Newts and frogspawn could be seen in some. 

Work continued around the ponds...

...although Ken took time out for a crafty lean or two.

Phil was glad of his extending loppers when 

it came to clearing this island. They 

saved him getting his feet wet!

Talking about getting wet (it was an 

extremely wet day by coffee time) -

.this tarpaulin shelter was well intentioned....

 

....but ended up depositing water onto anyone

 sitting below a hole, or near

 the edge when the wind got up. 

By 2pm the area was looking much clearer.

If only it would stop growing!!

The fire was allowed to burn down and fire tender 

Andy went home smelling like a piece

 of smoked haddock.

Additionally....

Last Thursday Brenda and Liz joined the National Trusts's Skell Valley volunteers to finish planting trees at Marton House. Although it wasn't a huge team they managed to get 800 trees into the ground - an impressive rate of planting everyone!! 

 

One Skell volunteer looked rather familiar, 

in spite of the wrong coloured uniform!

Days from a bygone age number 12

Did you see through this NCV's hairy disguise? It was, of course, Will, a long established NCV.

 

Then...

...and now. (NB The hat does not hide the curls!)

Marton House, Hew Green: 16-03-2023 and 21-03-2023

Ok. So - if you have been paying attention recently you will know that a small group of NCVs did an extra shift a while ago to get tree planting started at Marton House, Hew Green. Well, last Thursday they did the same thing - as you can see below. This was highly appropriate preparation for this Tuesday, 21st March, which is the International Day of Forests!!

 

Many stakes were knocked in to show

 where the trees needed to be.

 

Then this small, but perfectly formed, 

team got busy with some tree planting.

 

The trio sheltered behind a convenient wall for a break...

 

...and Ken made use of the swing to 

hang around doing nothing.

 Then, on Tuesday.... 

The cavalry arrived!!

Hurray!! The rest of the gang joined them to swell the ranks and get those roots into the ground before it is too late. Well - it was International Day of Forests so what else did you expect? 

Did they complete the job? Read on to find out....

The empty tree stakes put in last Thursday 

stretched out infront of the workers.

 

Undaunted the NCVs got stuck in.

Bottoms Up!!

Brenda ponders which way up this tube should go.

Once the existing tranche of stakes were

 planted more needed knocking in.

That's it Liz - give it a good welly.

Paul favoured the slim-line post knocker and gazed 

into the distance, dreaming of the day when he would be 

surrounded by mature trees on this very spot.

This man was on a mission - clutching a bunch of 

saplings he went in search of a free tree stake.

Everyone was glad when it was time for a break.

Some of the tubes were short and fat.

Let's hope the deer don't nibble the saplings!!

 

By the end of the afternoon about 600 trees had been planted.

Only another 700 - 1000 to go!!!

Luckily the National Trust's Skell Valley Project 

Volunteers are going to lend a hand on 

Thursday to plant another batch.

Days from a bygone age number 12

Here's another chappie with a beard to hid behind and a lovely head of curls. Any ideas? Check next week's blog to see if you were right.