Slaithwaite WW1 planting

Someone is looking jaunty there in the middle.

The second week of our commemorative planting for the Colne Valley. This week we planted 118 Oaks to represent those lost from Slaithwaite. We also planted 25 Scots Pine and 75 Alder to act as nurse species for the Oaks.

We were: myself, Philip, Dave, Ben, Cath, Trevor, Peter W., Peter T., Stephen, Steve, Geoff, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Duncan and Harvey the Dog, Jess, Neil and Vashti.

Cake was Cherry rock cakes.

It snowed. Quite a lot.

Dave, on the right, clearly isn't letting the weather get him down.

First day of World War 1 memorial planting

 

Today was the first day of our memorial planting to mark the anniversary of the start of World War 1. The intention is to plant an Oak tree for every person from the Colne Valley who was killed during the conflict. The site is above Butterley dam, looking down on Marsden, and we intend to plant groups representing the villages of the Valley. So today we planted 147 Oaks, representing the casualties from Marsden, together with 150 nurse species of Alder, Rowan and Scots Pine. We were: Hap, Philip, Vashti, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Jess, Duncan and Harvey the dog, Geoff, Dave, Ben, myself, Trevor, Peter W., and Stephen. Over the next few weeks we will return to the site, and plant groups representing the other villages.

Who ate all the Willow?

Philip, Peter T., Steve, Cath, Simon, Stephen, Hap and Dave.

So here we were again at Butterley. The weather wasn't as nice as it was supposed to be, it kept on sleeting when it was meant to stop. But we kept busy and planted another 200 trees. We were: myself, Philip, Steve, Stephen, Peter T. Hap, Dave, Geoff and Cath. Cake was jam sponge.

Some critter had eaten some of the trees we had left on site, despite them being very well covered with stakes and guards. Only ate the Willow, and devoured the whole stems. A hare? So we lost 45 of our Woodland Trust Willow. But we still had lots of TCV trees.

There are 30 Oak still on site, together with just over 200 deer stakes and guards, and 50 hare stakes and guards. There are another 60 or so trees still at the nursery for here. And a further 250 trees for here due with the next Woodland Trust delivery.

Snow show

Stephen, Vashti, Steve.

'Twas the day after Boxing day, and the snow lay round about. Mainly on the ungritted roads, so that hardly anyone could get to Marsden. Vashti, Steve and I had walked up, Stephen intrepidly drove. We managed to plant a further 31 Oaks, which wasn't bad going given the conditions. Leftover mince pies were shared.