High Wood week 2

Another fine morning, glorious in fact. Back again to the site above Slaithwaite, we are likely to be coming back here a fair bit, as it is a big site with several fields to be planted. This morning we were planting Hawthorn down one side of a field, plus some oak in the field itself. Also, willow sticks were planted. We cut some willow sticks while at the nursery first thing in the morning, then I managed to jam a load of them in my ancient Fiat panda. They were sticking out the front and out the back, they were quite long sticks. Anyway, made it to the site safely. Those sticks were then cut in half and we jammed all the sticks into the ground up and down the length of a small stream that runs through the fiend we were working in. The theory is that the willow sticks will sprout and grow roots in the wet ground, so fingers crossed. First picture up shows the hillside, wall where we planted the Hawthorn in the background, stream running down the centre, and those reddish sticks are our willow. Left to right, Philip, Geoff, and Heidi.


Second photo is of Society patriach, Brian, busy putting guards on the new trees.

This weeks cake was chocolate cake, made with the finest Green and Blacks organic chocolate.

High Wood

First week on a new site, High Wood, above Crimble above Slaithwaite. A fairly glorious sunny morning, on a site with a nice south facing aspect. Despite having to carry all our kit across a couple of fields to get to the site we managed to plant over three hundred trees this morning. Photo is of a team meeting, some important matter of strategy being discussed I am sure.

Nursery work

I didn't make it to work this saturday, it snowed, so I took the morning off to go sledging. Geoff kindly sent in the following entry and photographs though:

A snowy and windswept day and only 3 of us out today:
Philip, Geoff and David.We spent a leisurely morning
sorting out the wood we gathered from our thinning
efforts of the previous week; we transferred it for
storage and seasoning to one of the old sheds in the
tree nursery. Driving conditions were poor so we decided
not to visit Netherwood to finish off some guarding as
planned and since therewas no cake of any description
Philip and I went to a local cafe for a full
English then to the pub as usual.

Royd House Wood

A morning of woodland upkeep, rather than planting. We had been asked by some local residents to thin out some trees that the Society planted some years ago, and we were happy to oblige. This week we had extra helpers, some local Scouts, some friends of Brian's, and several volunteers and veterans who don't get to come out with us very much. Philip had his chainsaw again, and rest of us wielded a selection of pruning saws, bow-saws, hand saws and an axe. It was hard work. Wood warms you twice, as they say, once when you cut it, and again on the fire (some wood was taken off site for firewood, but most stayed on site in the form of brushwood habitat piles).

Pictures this week include Dave looking like Daniel Day-Lewis in last of the Mohicans. Heidi building a den in the woods. Trevor and friend being careful to cut the log not the fence. And Philip and his trusty chainsaw.

Cake was mincemeat cake. Very nice. So too was the beer afterwards.