Sunday 28th May 2023 - no workday (Spring Bank Holiday weekend)

Balsam bash at Styal on Sunday 21st May 2023

We had a large group this week, merging with the Merseyside group. The task was the first balsam bash of the year down by the river in the southern woods. We had a lovely day in the sunshine/shade of the trees and destroyed a lot of balsam by hand and with slashers. We found balsam growing in unusual places:

Several passersby asked what we were doing so we spread the word about this invasive species.

On the way back to the carpark we took a short detour to look at Countryfile wood which we helped plant. It is doing well with a good plant survival rate and you can see the forest islands starting to appear.

Jenny

Woodstore works at Formby - Sunday 14th May 2023

On Sunday 14th May six of us made the journey to Formby to assist rangers Justin and Nathan with some construction work in their newly built wood drying shed.

The wood from tree thinning at Formby is cut into logs and sold.  Due to the amount of logs already in storage the rangers have built a second wood drying shed and we were tasked with helping to contruct the shelving units that the logs will be stored on.

When we arrived we were given a briefing by the rangers.  

Most of the framework for the storage units was already built and in the shed and we needed to measure, cut and insert the horizontal beams into the shelving units.  

We split into teams with some people using the circular saw to cut down the measured timbers.  

      

The timbers were then slotted into the units and drilled into place. 

Assembing the timbers correctly needed some good teamwork!

 

The photo below shows one of the storage units being built in a difference part of the site, this unit will then be transported to the storage shed by the rangers.

When all of shelving units are finished, wooden sheets will be placed on top to complete the shelves and the logs will sit on the shelves.

The photo below shows the storage shed at the end of the day (doesn't look that dissimilar to the start but once it is fully completed it will look amazing!

We all had a great day....even the local crows who stole my spare cakes that were left in a carrier bag on a picnic table after morning break.  Only discovered at lunchtime when I was hoping to offer out the remaining cakes, they didn't even leave any crumbs!

Denise

Sunday 7th May 2023 - no workday (King's Coronation Bank Holiday weekend)

36th AGM on Thursday 4th May 2023

We held our AGM tonight by zoom.

Attendees: Adrian, Ally, Andy S, Chris, Daniel, Denise, Hazel, Jean, Jenny, Neil, Phil, Sue B, Tricia and Victor.

The meeting began at 7:30pm and ended at 9 and covered the following business:

    Apologies for absence

    Minutes of the 2022 AGM (by zoom) and matters arising

    Chairman's report for the year ended 31st March 2023

    Treasurer's report for the year ended 31st March 2023

    Election of the committee for 2023/24 (Adrian, Ally, Chris, Daniel, Denise and Jenny)

    AOB

Daniel had not been able to book a speaker for after the meeting.  For one reason or another all the rangers at Styal, Dunham, Lyme Park and Formby were unavailable.  In place of the talk he read out to the group the emails that Natalie Pownall (Ranger, Dunham) and Chris Hunter (Ranger, Formby) had emailed him in which they summarised work undertaken in the past year and to come in 2023 that MNTV and others will help with.