Wood, 'n it be luverley.

As Mr Carter has pointed out, we are doing quite well with stocking our drying shed. While we don't aspire to being a fully fledged social enterprise, these logs do help pay the rent.

Big log

Guy, how long is that log? Is it a "Dave"?

More thinning and formative pruning at Netherwood. Dave was snedding trees that Philip felled today that were not done last week in the lower part of the site (M10b). Guy and Mandy were formative pruning and manual felling at the top of the site (M12c). They met with the landowner to explain why we were thinning and formative pruning -  and then took some of the logs back to the nursery, leaving some for the landowner.

Mulch matting in Marsden

Dianne mulch matting, dogs watching.

This week we were up above Marsden, planting a further 90 Alder and 90 Goat Willow in Neil and Sarah's field. There was a special aspect to this as Neil and Sarah are such diligent landowners that they mulch mat all their trees. This takes a quite a lot more work, but helps ensure vigorous growth from the get go.

We were: myself, Hap, Geoff, Lesley, Robert, Ben the younger, Ben the elder, Jess, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Duncan and Harvey the dog, Neil and Sarah, Peter W., and Stephen O., Andrew and John. Plus special guests, Chloe and Julian, who were there in order to write an article about us for the Huddersfield Examiner.

Cake was apricot and walnut.

We also left 105 Beech and 105 Dogwood for Sarah and Neil to plant, at their leisure!

The Tree Amigos - manage some woodland.

Contrary to scurrilous rumour, Philip, Stephen and Guy were hard at work today. The first photo shows a formative pruned/semi-managed tree in foreground along with 2 Oaks still in guards that now have more light.

The second photo shows a couple of Stephen's log piles and his well stacked brash. All these trees were planted by CVTS about 18 years ago. The small glade created by felling the Alder will allow light to reach to woodland floor and allow biodiversity to do its worst.

The Magnificent Seven

I wonder why they don't let me in front of the camera more often?

Here we were back at Butterly. I say we, but our numbers were significantly down on last week. That said 7 of us did the same work as 23 last week. Old school, rainy day, hard scrabble tree planting.

We were: myself, Geoff, Adrian, Peter W., Dave, Steve and Andrew. We planted 105 Oak, 30 Scots Pine, 30 Bird Cherry, and 30 Birch.

There was another sub-group, the glamorous chainsaw boys were out and about. Stephen K, Philip and Guy may have spent the morning admiring each others chaps and oiling their chains, or doing some well needed thinning and felling. Evidence to follow.

Dampened but unbowed.

There's gonna be a Butterley breakout!

Here we were at Butterley again. Today planting 30 Scots Pine, 105 Sessile Oak, 30 Downy Birch, 15 Bird Cherry, 30 Hazel, and a couple of rogue Alder.

We were: myself, Hap, Philip, John, Adrian, Ros, Tanya, Jess, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Duncan and Harvey the dog, Ben, Steve, Dave, Lesley, Robert, Makun, and Jenny, plus special guests Marsden Thieving Magpie Morris folk Angie, Penny, Alan, Sarah, and Paddy and his dog.

Cake was ginger, and it didn't rain or snow, well, almost.

We were back at the Sair in plenty of time for our mid-season meeting. 

Beginning Butterley

Apols for slight blurriness, twas raining.

Our first Saturday at Butterley for this year, and we planted 45 Scots Pine and 105 Sessile Oak, in the pouring rain. We were: myself, Philip, Dave, Jess, Dan, Dianne and Lizzie the Dog, Duncan and Harvey the Dog, Hap, Stephen K., Ros, Adrian, Lesley and Robert, Ben, and special guests Diane G., Jenny and Makun (all the way from Japan). Cake was pineapple and cherry sponge. Nice. We all had a pretty good time considering the weather, but we were fairly damp by the end.

Back at the Nursery, Geoff, John and Guy were busy producing saleable logs.

There was a third party planting on the other side of the reservoir: Brian, Chris and Ramsay.

All today's trees stakes and guards were acquired through our affiliation with the White Rose Forest and the Woodland Trust.

Duncan happily hammering.