We’re restarting our work parties this month with some more tree-planting.
We will be doing this in a covid-safe way by avoiding meeting as one big group. To help us plan this please register for the event so we know who’s coming.
We will be doing some new planting to replace trees that have been damaged or removed and giving a bit of TLC to our younger saplings. Depending on numbers we may also be doing a bit of litter-picking in some areas.
The planting will be happening on 21st February.
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The trustees and have agreed to cancel January’s session, and we will review when we can start up again on an ongoing basis.
Even before the lockdown, when we were at Tier 4, it seemed wrong to go ahead. With the national lockdown now in place our decision seems even more justified.
Technically there might have been a way we could work within the restrictions, but we would prefer to act in the spirit of the measures being taken, rather than trying to work to the limits of what we can get away with.
Thankfully, Hreod Burna Urban Forest remains a fantastic place for people to come for their daily exercise. An oasis in the middle of Gorse Hill and Pinehurst.
We’ll be back up and running normally just as soon as we can. In the meantime we are looking at ways that you or your family group might be able to ‘adopt’ an area to look after on an individual basis, without the need for us to all meet up. For instance, maybe you could adopt an area of planting and keep the saplings staked and protected. We’ll be exploring the practicalities of that over the coming week.
If you’re not already, please do consider subscribing to our mailing list to be the first to hear of our plans as they unfold.
On a cold, greyish, misty-moisty morning, a group of fifteen people came together to work. While twelve chose slipping about in the afore-mentioned mud, trying their hands at coppicing, the rest adjourned to the wildflower meadow to finish this year’s planting.
Coppicing is, basically, clearing parts of the woodland in order to create space for the remaining trees to grow into large trees, thus being able to fulfil their potential. There is, paradoxically, a certain amount of cutting trees to the ground that goes on initially, accompanied by tidying away of undergrowth and brush. These trees will not die, however, but will make new growth from the stump.
This took place last Sunday, 6th December 2020, in the adjoining area to that which was begun last year. The plan is then to plant under-storey trees in the areas that have been cleared, for example holly, yew, hazel – sometime soon in the new year, we hope. There will still need to be some clearing up of undergrowth to take place at our first work party of 2021 in January.
While this was taking place in one area, in the wildflower meadow a smaller group of three people finished planting up the fritillaries; the First-Sunday work party in November had planted just over half of the thousand bulbs, together with five hundred wildflower plug plants, comprising field geranium, birds foot trefoil, ox eye daisy, red campion, meadow buttercup, cowslip, common toadflax, field scabious and rough hawkbit (hope I’ve left nothing out). So, next spring, we are hoping for a burgeoning forth of an amazing nature!
Juanjo also managed to capture the day on film
So, all our gratitude goes to our stalwart band of workers, including newcomers Gabby, Juanjo (photographer) and Ian, and then Jason (tree surgeon), his two daughters, Dave, Jake, Kate H, Kate R, Sue, Carol, Bob, Steve and Mary.
So that it can reach its full potential as a haven for wildlife and people alike in the urban landscape of Swindon, the Hreod Burna Urban Forest needs a lot of work.
Following on from the huge success of our efforts to mow the wildflower meadow in September, we have plans to take on a series of vital jobs in other parts of HBUF.
Just some of our wildflower volunteers
Over the coming months we have volunteers from various groups coming in for one-off events and we’re launching a regular get-together once a month to tackle a long list of jobs that the trustees have identified:
Strimming, clearing of brambles and cutting back in some areas to allow new planting and maintain previously planted areas.
Creating a grove of birch trees around the trees rescued from the Moonrakers roadworks.
Preparation and planting of our Celtic tree circle.
Strimming and clearance of existing paths and cutting back trees/undergrowth in preparation for laying of new paths.
Coppicing – this was started last autumn and needs to be maintained.
Planting of trees & under-storey shrubs (e.g. box, yew, holly).
Planting of 1,000 fritillaries and wildflower plug plants in the wildflower meadow.
Clearance of the Himalayan balsam growing along the brook – it’s an invasive species.
Our regular work parties will be on the first Sunday of every month, starting on the 1st of November.
The events will be covid-safe. We have plenty of jobs spread across the site to allow small groups to work at distance within government guidelines.
We’ll post more details of the particular works planned each month closer to the date, and what particular skills & equipment (gloves, tools, etc.) might be required. If you can join us every month, or just for an hour or two every now and again, your efforts will be greatly appreciated (not just by us but by everyone that gets such joy from the forest both today and for years to come).
You can check back here or on Facebook for news of upcoming events. If you haven’t already, why not subscribe to our mailing list for advanced warning of events and other updates from HBUF.
