Green Owlers week 2

See the many many trees planted, and the tired volunteers packing up

Amazingly, we got most of this site finished today. Over 1000 trees planted in two weekends, two Saturdays and a Sunday. My estimate is that we have 45 Hawthorn, and 30 Holly left from the original order, and maybe some extra Willow to bung in if we feel so inclined. We also came up short on stakes and guards too, so there are maybe 100 guards needed in total, and a similar number of stakes. I'll probably try to get these done one day this week, maybe with Trevors help. So, it was hard work, and we are all  probably quite tired, and the project management skills went a bit awry. But overall we can be quite proud that we got this done in so short a space of time. Nobody pays us to do this you know, we must be mad. Mind, we did have a very nice chocolate cake, made with Green and Blacks, maybe they'd like to sponsor us?

More tired volunteers, and another view of all our labours.

Green Owlers and Lindley School Owls

Mrs Shires, plus an Owl and parent, my mother in red hat lurking in the background

Every year we have a sunday when we are visited by the Lindley Owls. Mrs Shires organised a fantastic turnout and we got a huge amount of planting done, before the rain and snow and sleet set in. Home made biscuits were distributed, and the landowners made us a tea and coffee. A great morning was had, it was only the last half hour when it got a bit inhospitable.

Panorama of the site and Owls at work

Once again, a huge thankyou to Mrs Shires and colleagues for organising this, it gave us a big boost on this site and we got hundreds of trees planted.

Green Owlers. Dig, dig.... dig!

Duncan displays his supervisory skills

Our first week at a new site at the head of the Colne Valley. We have just over 1000 trees to plant in this field. The site is adjacent to previous planting from some years ago, so it all contributes to the gradual forestation! Though you can see by the landscape around, we have a fair way to go before its all woodland again. This morning we concentrated on digging holes, as we have the Lindley school Owls group coming out with us to plant tomorrow, and so we were preparing the ground for them. Its hard work digging all morning, so we needed our homemade Eccles cakes.

                                                                   Cath digs for victory                                                                                                    

See the barren moorland needing trees!

Well House Farm. Week 2. Sheep attack! And Arborial art.

 

Geoff was distraught when Philip told him about the Sheep attack.

They really are the bane of our lives, sheep. They had got onto this site after our first days planting, and nibbled a lot of the trees, some were completely eaten. We think that the Hawthorn (which was the bulk of the planting) will survive, and the field has now been made 100% secure. 

Despite this setback we carried on and planted another 300 trees.

We bulked out the Hawthorn hedge, it will be a thorny thicket worthy of Sleeping Beauty's castle.

On the other side of the field we planted Lime, Whitebeam, Rowan, Bird Cherry, and Wild Pear. The varieties have been carefully laid out, so that the sizes of tree should gradually rise, from the edge of the open meadow area, up to meet the existing tall trees on neighbouring land. We are arborial artists us.

Top photo is actually of Geoff eating carrot cake. There is also a before and after photo of Hawthorn, nibbled in ground, and unnibbled waiting to be planted.  Last photo is of  some of those present, left to right, James, Oliver, Geoff, Dave, Duncan and Cath.

Scotland Farm

Another week organised by Brian. This week were attempting to plant shelter belts across 5 fields on Scotland farm above Slaithwaite. We did our manful best, but I think we bit off more than we could chew. We had enough people for teams of 4/5 for three of the fields. In our field there were myself, Philip, Geoff and Duncan. We planted 136 trees in our first field, and then managed another 35 in the second. Our problem was that we were supposed to plant 300 trees in that first field, but there just wasn't enough room to plant them where the farmer wanted them. We were working in a narrow space between a dry stone wall and a barbed wire fence.  As I said, we did our best. I'm not sure how the other teams fared. Highlight of the morning though was being delivered bacon butties by quad bike. Very nice man that farmer. And we worked hard for him. But I do wonder what will happen to all the leftover trees, especially the bare-rooted stuff which will die pretty quick if not looked after right. Top photo shows the narrow gap we were working in. Bottom photo shows Duncan, Geoff and Philip enjoying coffee, scones, and the view.

Well House Farm

First week at Well House farm and there was still a fair amount of quite crusty snow on the ground. It wasn't as bad as it looked though, and with a generous number of volunteers we planted around 300 trees. Lots of Hawthorn, in a big hedge up one side fo the field, then some Holly, Hazel, Oak and Scots Pine in the lower part of the field. Lots more trees to plant here, so we will be back in a couple of weeks. This field has been very well fenced by the landowner, and Brian and Duncan were unable to escape.

We haven't staked or guarded the trees here yet, we are waiting on a batch of coil guards and canes, which Guy is sourcing for us. Todays cake was a rather nice Bakewell mincemeat hybrid. An excellent and thoroughly enjoyable mornings work.

Oh snow you don't! Formative pruning at Royd House Wood

Dear Simon

I thought I'd have a go at your blog in your absence - is this ok? Phillip was going to try and email me some photos but they might not materialise!

A change of plan this week due to the weather; the site we were meant to be planting at in Marsden was inaccessible because of the snow so we stayed closer to home and did some maintenance at Royd House Wood. We had a good turnout considering with Phillip, Guy, Neil, Duncan & Heidi. Royd House Wood is a site just down the road from the Nursery in Linthwaite planted some years ago by the society where we did a lot of thinning out last season; today we spent a gloriously sunny morning in a different part of the wood pruning oak trees plus a rather attractive avenue of lime trees. The wood did look quite Narnia-esque in the snow, but lopping off bits of trees did incur the occupational hazard of getting lots of white stuff down the back of your neck. Sadly due to the absence of Simon we were also bereft of Simon's Mum's cake, so we had to make do with a packet of chocolate hob nobs from my bag, circa. 2006.

Best Wishes

Heidi

Hemplow Wood beat up

"Beat up" is the term we use for going back to a previously planted site, and bunging in a few extra trees to fill gaps and replace failed trees. Sometimes certain types of tree won't thrive on a particular site, or will have been eaten by sheep. Today we went back to Hemplow Wood, which is either side of a clough next to Butterly Reservoir. We planted 170 trees, Scots Pine, Larch, and Oak. All the stakes we used this morning were ones reclaimed from earlier planting, and even some of the guards were re-used.  It was hard work clambering up and down the steep sides of the clough, but that's not unusual round these parts. In the first picture you can just about see Heidi, Philip and Duncan planting on the  lower slope, above them is Marsden Golf course, with an area we planted about 10 years ago. This site is doing particularly well, though in the winter depths of January, its really only the Sitka Spruce that stand out. This mornings cake was the always popular coconut crunch top. Philip's Fleet Foxes beard is coming along nicely too.