Activities of the Work Parties

Despite many people taking holidays at this time of year, there are always the work parties of 15-20 volunteers every Thursday, eager to begin the morning’s tasks as outlined by the Warden, just as soon as she is able to make herself heard above the babble of banter and conversation. The noise reaches a climax at about ten o’clock, when Jim putters in on his moped, indicating that it really is time to make a start.

Fortunately the required tools and equipment are always put out, so that we can proceed to our various jobs - just as soon as the dispute over who should wheel the barrow has been settled, almost invariably in Eddie’s favour. Most volunteers yield quite gracefully, secure in the knowledge that when Elevenses come round, Eddie will take pleasure in dispensing coffee to all and sundry. Some sort of Bush Telegraph comes into effect, ensuring that precisely at 11 am there will be a gathering wherever Eddie happens to be. (Incidentally, there is no such thing as Standard Norsey Coffee Blend: the drinks are prepared according to individual choice. Excellent service.)

Despite all this socializing, a great deal of practical work gets done. In conservation work of this kind it is vital to have many willing hands, because the tasks are so labour-intensive. There is path-clearing and dead-hedging, cutting back less desirable growth, such as bracken and bramble, which tend to smother more interesting plants; and coppicing and uprooting Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) saplings, which can choke indigenous trees and shrubs that are far more valuable for wildlife. Just recently we have been concentrating on the latter, in the old gravel pits area to the south of the main ride, just beyond where the Easy Access Trail turns off.

There were quite extensive excavations of gravel in Victorian times, and later the holes were partly filled in when used for a local rubbish dump. Further disturbance occurred during World War Two, when trenches were dug for ammunition storage. About twenty years ago the rubbish tips were ransacked by ‘old bottle’ collectors, and the combination of them and mountain bikers caused the area to suffer severe erosion and loss of ground cover.

Then came the storm of 1987, and many trees that were insecurely rooted in the loose soil crashed to the ground. It was decided to leave the area largely untouched, to allow the ground flora to recover, which it has. Unfortunately, however, Sycamore - a non-indigenous tree - is a vigorous colonizer, and if unchecked it will take over and thereby impoverish wildlife.

So for a few weeks we have been targeting Sycamore in order to make a few holes in the canopy and let in more sunlight. This chequered history explains some surprising discoveries. In this area some Ferns have been found, which possibly came in with garden spoil, along with large Primroses and a big clump of Snowdrops that do not naturally occur on the acid soil. The clearing operations have revealed possibly the only Lime tree (Tilia) in the Wood, along with a fine specimen of Beech (Fagus sylvatica).

It is obvious that the lack of disturbance over the past decade means that this area has provided a refuge for some of our resident mammals. So we shall not be creating paths, but will try to close off some that have begun to appear, in order to protect our native flora and fauna. For those people wishing to join us in this valuable activity we meet on Thursdays at 10.00 am where you will be very welcome.