At the end of 2015 the woodland was revisited to check on progress being made by the villagers to maintain the wood and we were generally pleased to see that the woodland was in good order.
Bramble growth is common in young and recently cleared woodland due to too much light reaching the ground.
Some areas have been completely cleared of bramble but it would not be a good idea to clear all of the bramble at once since this provides a good safe habitat for small birds, mammals and invertibrates.
A bonfire site was seen next to the track and if possible this practice should be resisted to help avoid damaging tree roots and killing off hebaceous plants, however it is known that certain fungii are known to inhabit bonfire sites.
The long walk is nice and clear to cater for elderly or infirm walkers being framed by the planted trees.
The maiden trees (whips) that were planted in 2000 are now approaching 20 years old and are well established and growing strongly however some squirrel damage is evident and so trapping could prove beneficial to help protect the trees during this most vulnerable time in their growth cycle. One of the major problems with a planted woodland is that all of the trees tend to be the same age and hence as such tend to be subject to the same vulnerabilities e.g. squirrel damage.
Andrew Jarvis will revisit this woodland over winter 2015/16 to undertake more selective tree improvement work.
Ken Hume
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Author
Brightwell-cum-Sotwell
