MEGA PLANT 27-28 September

The peat which has been exposed by fires and errosion etc is a problem both in terms of climate change and in terms of the cost of it getting into hte water supply system. This first photograph shows some planting in an area of bare peat


Roughly once a year - usually in late winter early spring the group has historically held a "megabash" - getting a larger than normal group together to attach the perrenial rhodadendron problem. This year was slightly different the National Trust in the high Peak (near Edale / Hayfield) have been working on a project attempting to revegitate the peat. The plan was 30,000 cotton grass plants over 2 years - we spent two "normal" sundays on this earlier in the year. As it was a big project our megabash was held in the autumn and we had a group of nearly 20 people up on Kinderscout working on this.

Over the course of the weekend approximately 20000 plants went in which completed the plan for this year. There are a few more for the spring then the area will be monitored so that the effectiveness of the process can be assessed for future reference.

The plants arrived in trays of 60 - there is an empty one in the foreground of the second photo, in the third photo there are two stacks of these empty trays visible - staked down to prevent them blowing away. Over the weekend we accounted for about three to four hundred trays and left a number of stacks like this behind for later collection. In the background of the third photo is an area of established cotton grass - quite a contrast to the bare peat.

The cotton grass grows best in the damper areas, and can grow in water - the higher areas will need to be planted with heather or will have to wait for nature to recover.

We had wonderful weather once the fog cleared on sunday morning - which certainly made getting to work interesting!

Beautiful Bickerton in the sun

We had planned to visit Helsby Hill, and spend a day working with the Merseyside group, however when I checked with Dave the warden it turned out he though we were coming to Bickerton, where he had more work. So we spent the day there working with the Chester group instead.

The work was continuing a task that had been started some time previously by contractors - they had removing birch woodland to open up the heathland to a point where it can be maintained for the future by grazing - we were clearing the last few trees. Some trees had to be left to provide variety and habitat. To get an idea of the area that has been cleared - there are two volunteers in the photo working at the edge of the woodline, if you double click on the photo and know where to look they are 2-5 pixels high!!

Finlow wood - Alderly Edge

I've missed another week - again thanks to Daniel for the text and photos.

17 of us worked today in Finlow Hill Wood at Alderley Edge, restoring a section of heathland by clearing brambles. We enlarged an area that volunteers from Phoenix Futures had begun to clear in previous weeks. Phoenix Futures are the leading provider of care and rehabilitation services for people with drug and alcohol problems in the UK and recovered addicts have worked with Tim Ryan (warden) on projects in and around Alderley Edge. Tim is hosting an openday on Wednesday at which northwest NT wardens and potential sponsors will see what Tim has achieved with his groups and hopefully go away and think about how they can forge their own links with Phoenix Futures.

During the day several of us also put in a new gatepost next to the entrance to the wood and widened a faint footpath to make it much easier to follow.

Hedge trimming ?

There were 17 of us today at Quarry Bank House! Several first timers and some others new to me but who'd been out with the group once or twice already.

We spent the morning and up to 2pm (when the heavy rain arrived) cutting down a hedge of sycamore and hawthorn trees that bordered the apple orchard at the top of the garden, and burning the debris. Alan (head gardener - who spoke at our AGM) said the aim is to restore the orchard. The few surviving apple trees were in need of a lot of pruning and there were big gaps where they'll need to plant more trees.

I missed this one - asleep at the wrong times. So thanks to Daniel for reporting back and to Tim for running the day.

Not to wet to work in the pond

14 turned out for the last Sunday in August. Everyone appeared to enjoy a muddy session in and around a pond in the Deer park at Dunham Massey.

The task was to clear a channel through the marginal vegetation and sediment at the upstream end of the pond. The photographs show the pond before during and after our efforts.