Big sky

 

Back to Meltham Cop again for more guard removal. The weather seemed to deter folk so just 5 of us this week; myself, Michael, Steve, Dave and Geoff.  The sun did  appear occasionally, but so too did wind and showers.

https://youtu.be/zOusKPeH7nU

Hammer to fall

This week we (Geoff, Dianne, Peter, Michael, Dave and Stephen) were back at Meltham Cop for a relatively gentle session completing the de-guarding of the easterly end of the site (ME18/16). There is one working session left to do nearer the western, road end, at the top. Geoff found a heavy mallet sticking out the top of a tree guard of a twelve foot high birch amongst a small, dense grove of them; must have been put there for safe keeping after banging the stake in and then forgotten. It is in excellent condition considering it must have been there ten years or more and seen the tree grow past it towards the sky.

We retrieved a few stakes and guards for re-use and returned them to the nursery (along with the mallet) where Jess had spent the morning sowing 500 acorns she gathered locally for future tree planting stock (having done a further 500 at home). Dave took the rest of the rotted and now useless guards straight to the nearby tip.

https://youtu.be/JU5LMG3WFBw

Nobody's diary

This sunny Saturday we were at Meltham Cop, gathering plastic tubes and stakes from lots of rowan and whitebeam!  We were: myself, Geoff, Cath, Jess, Hap, Dave, Kayleigh, Joanne plus dog, and Steve.

A blogs a kind of diary, so that's my excuse to feature this fried gold one finger synth pop classic.

https://youtu.be/61bnwHOOP2M

The Fuzz

Shelter belt foliage.

This week we were up above Butterley Reservoir, removing stakes and guards from a farmland shelter belt. Pleasant morning with 300+ tubes reclaimed. Though not so many stakes.

We were: myself, Tanya, Geoff, Hap, Stephen, Paul, and Dave.

Top quality photos by Tanya (as usual).

Me and Dave

https://youtu.be/aL6MNGHeEuI

Do they owe us a living?

We spent the morning processing some of the timber we acquired this week. Cross cutting with chainsaw, spliting with axes, mell, and grenade. We were; myself, Geoff, Kayleigh, Dave, Philip, Stephen and Peter.

Once dried, the wood will be distributed locally in exchange for appropriate cash donations. The money will pay for more trees planted, while keeping people of the Colne Valley warm. 

https://youtu.be/jWU-W0SzVE0

The cutter

 

Dave, Stephen and I went to Fixby to collect some wood. This tree was not felled by us, but by professionals. However, the landowner allowed us to take some of that lovely wood away.

https://youtu.be/nMplIrSlg8E

Exactly what nobody wanted

 

This morning we were at the upper end of the Colne Valley removing plastic tubes and stakes from a mature planting site. We were: myself, Hap, Baljit, Dave, Geoff, Stephen, and Michael.

Stephen, Hap and Baljit had also been collecting felled timber from a site in Fixby.

My favourite tune of the month

https://youtu.be/zNyDpFjTlEM

Last of the better days ahead

A few hours spent at the nursery this morning. Clearing paths that some didn't even know existed. 

https://youtu.be/_6ZPVxnBxq0

(nothing but) flowers

Best time of year for heather flowers. Bit of rain would make the colours pop though.

Back to Scout for more plastic gathering. We were; myself, Paul, Geoff, Tanya, Kayleigh, Baljit, Hap, Dave and Stephen. Pictures by Tanya. It was pretty hot.

https://youtu.be/q5-LAb75LpQ

Barbwire

Up to Scout, Marsden, this week. For some tidying and material reclamation. Met the new owner. We were: myself, Geoff, Paul, Jess, Philip, Steve, and Dave. 

I spent the morning crawling around in a micro environment of thorns, barbwire, hawthorn and dogrose. 

Hence, a classic from Nora Dean...

https://youtu.be/9jp6cdgLCRQ

Alberto Balsam

Hap, some stakes, and some decimated Balsam

Back to Scammonden, for the last time for a while? We were: Hap, Geoff, Dave, Tanya, Kayleigh, Cath, Matthew, and myself.

Lots of Balsam got bashed, and some stakes and guards reclaimed.

https://youtu.be/-ZVZgCrHy5E

One fine morning

Geoff and me discouraging the balsam

More reclamation and balsam bashing at Scammonden. We were: myself, Geoff, Tanya, Duncan and Harvey the dog, Peter, Michael, Dave and Matthew. And an honourable mention to Kayleigh, who was sabotaged.

https://youtu.be/8NphJbinncQ

Atom tan

Jess and Philip, saving small trees from being shaded out.

Still working, even in the "heatwave".

Back to Scammonden for more weeding and scrounging for stakes and guards to re-use.

Weeders were myself, Philip and Jess.

Scroungers were Geoff, Dave, Michael, Stephen, Steve, and Tanya.

https://youtu.be/HS5VWNJqQRc

Not everyone love's The Clash, but I do.

I forgot to remember to forget

Important though Summer work is, I have been very slack with recording the sessions for this Summer. Let that all change now. And I am going to cheat and just put a list up.

 Saturday 12^th July Scammonden. 2 groups, me and philip bashing on far side. Dave, Kayleigh, Geoff and Stephen retreiving stakes from SC12

Saturday 5^th July Wessenden weeding. Geoff, Dave, me, Philip, Peter, Michael, Tanya Paul

Saturday 25^th June Wessenden weeding Philip, Geoff, Dave, Paul,

Saturday 18^th June Wessenden weeding Philip Geoff, Dave, Paul

Saturday 11^th June

Spring St. Weeding. Matthew, Paul, Dave, Geoff, Kayleigh, Peter, me, Philip, Steve

Saturday 4^th June

Weeding Hey 2. Matthew, Paul, Dave, Geoff, Jess, Philip, me

Saturday 28^th May

Weeding Waller Clough and Green Edge. Geoff, Philip, Stephen, Kayleigh, Jess, Dave,

https://youtu.be/zXERHsuIyUQ

Cold weather blues

"Lean", by Tanya

 Last day of planting of the season, and we have managed to find homes for all the trees we had in stock.

We were at Scammonden planting 200 sessile oak, and 25 aspen. 

We were: myself, Jess, Geoff, Richard, Stephen, Jon, Tanya, Dave, Kayleigh, Michael, and Peter. Cake was a rather good vegan blackcurrant flapjack.

Nice and sunny, but there was a cold wind, and that took its toll on some.

https://youtu.be/ojfMCYpDda8

Friend army

Jess smiling in the sunshine, and Hap!

 Back to Scammonden to plant a further 135 hazel and 60 downy birch amongst previously planted but diseased ash trees. 

We were: myself, Philip, Stephen, Hap, Dave, Peter T., Jess, and Richard.

https://youtu.be/wTu5HXq4D-Q

Sitting and watching

Back to Scammonden. We planted 105 hawthorn, 45 downy birch and 105 Rowan. We were: myself, Geoff, Dave, Tanya, Philip, Richard, Michael, Steve, Stephen and Hap.

While sitting down having our break Geoff spotted a stoat/weasel, and most of us got a glimpse. Seems the major difference is a black tip to the tail. I don't think any of us got that good a look at it as they are pretty speedy. It disappeared over a wall. But then popped its head back up to look at us! Cute. And as far as I am aware they don't eat trees, so carry on stoat/weasel.

I think there might be a Toots and the Maytals song for every blog entry from now on.

https://youtu.be/ukXlPAm32nM

Hard times

Very occasionally trees don't thrive on a site. On this particular patch at Scammonden this was due to ash die-back disease, and an unknown problem with a batch of alder trees. So we spent today inter-planting oaks and aspen amongst the dead and dying.

We were: Geoff, Dave, Philip, Richard, Adrian, Matthew, Jess, Kayleigh, Stephen, Steve, and myself.

I think we planted 50 aspen and 175 sessile oak?

Hard times to be positive. But we do what we can. Some, like Adrian, go that bit further (literally).

https://youtu.be/zMIzTh0Lafg

More than enough

It was a nice sunny morning and quite warm today as we planted 240 trees (150 sessile oak, 60 hazel, and 15 each of birch and rowan), on the south-west side of Scammonden, to 'beat up' (replace) lots of ash we planted quite some years back that have now all succumbed to die-back. Though steepish, it was quite easy planting with soft soil making screefing and staking a breeze. There was a hold-up at the start as a car got stuck in the muddy verge which we could not budge but Jess's Dad responded to her call to save the day with his van and tow-rope. A bit more to do here next time plus a similar job higher up the hillside to replace lots of red alder (not planted by us) that died quite suddenly and somewhat mysteriously after about 15 years.

We were: Geoff, Dave, Hap, Peter, Tanya, Jess, Richard, Philip, Michael, Steve G, Joanna and small dog. Photos by Tanya and Geoff.

https://youtu.be/BzsmciMNAGU

Прекратить войну!

 

Last day at this particular spot at Scammonden. We were: myself, Jess, Lee, Philip + friend and dog, Geoff, Dave, Richard, Jon and Tessie, Julia, and Steve.

We planted 100 Sessile oak, 50 Aspen and 25 Rowan - next to an existing stand of Birches.

I probably shouldn't have been there, as I was in the beginnings of covid. And now feel quite rough. Still it was outdoors, and I stayed away from everyone. Not a big deal in the current grand scheme?!

https://youtu.be/GOwVxvGIER8