Scout Top II - the return

New trees to left of wall, older trees to the right.

This morning we were back at Scout Top, above the Tunnel End, Marsden. We were: myself, Philip, Geoff, Guy, Mandy, Cath, Amanda, Stephen, Steve, Ben, Jess, Dan, Hap, Peter, Ramsay and Vashti. We planted 150 Scots Pine and 30 Holly. Cake was very sweet, but necessary in the wind, sun and snow.

Add to those 16, Brian, Dianne and Chris who went to Copley bank to plant more there.

So a bumper day.

Scout top, our vertical limit

Philip in his Love Trees hat.

This morning we were at Scout Top, high above the Tunnel End Marsden. We first planted at this site in 2006/7, and growth has been slow and patchy. This Winter we are trying to remedy that. Today we planted 30 Hazel, 30 Hornbeam, 30 Bird Cherry, 45 Common Oak, and 45 Sessile Oak. First we had to get all the stuff up there, and even with help from a nice man with quad bike and trailer, it was still a heart-bursting carry up a near vertical hillside. Nice once were there though. We comprised: myself, Ramsay, Ros, Geoff, Steve, Stephen, Peter W., Philip, Cath, Dave, and Hap. The weather threatened, but in the end we stayed mostly dry.

Geoff took some good pictures with his new camera.

We left 29 deer guards and 32 stakes on site. Jess met us in the pub afterwards, and we discussed her holiday to Cape Verde, and Geoff's career as an indie popster.

 

First day of the Season

Dianne trials new rainwear.

Today was the first day of the planting Season, and despite the damp weather we managed to plant 300 Hawthorn at Copley Bank. We were: myself, Roz, Stephen O., Steve, Peter T., Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Ben G., Ben D., Hap, Guy, Geoff, Philip, Cath and Dave. Cake was the ever popular crunchy topped coconut one.

Copley bank is due to get another 150 Hawthorn, 30 Hazel, 30 Rowan, 15 Common Oak and 25 Whitebeam.

Peter T. looks damp but cheerful.

All the way from Scotland...

More tubes than we would know what to do with.

Today we received our second delivery of the week. Tuesday 4110 trees arrived, Peter and I dealt with that. Today was a the much larger affair of the corresponding stakes and guards. The truck arrived at 12, and myself, Tanya, Philip, John, Stephen and Dave begun unloading the tubes, while the truck driver Scott used his forklift to take the stakes down the road and into the nursery.

After a while Philip had pause to think, wasn't there a bit too much stuff? Our spec. and the delivery note were compared. And yes, there was a bit too much stuff. 3600 too many stakes and guards! So just about twice what there should have been. A lot of checking, counting, and phone calling then went on. And we put 3600 stakes and guards back on the truck to go back to Scotland. Quite a lot of hard work for us, and for Scott the driver who had set off from Edinburgh at 5am.

But it was all right in the end.

Now we are properly ready for the season.

Counting, and calling.

More Nursery antics

We remain on tenterhooks waiting for our delivery of trees for the season, so distracted ourselves by working at the Nursery. Logs were cut and split for selling, and a cherry tree was felled to placate a neighbour who felt in need of more daylight. The tree felling involved me climbing a tree, and also use of our arborist rope to stop the tree being felled from falling into the neighbours garden. We were: myself, Philip and his chainsaw, Jess and Lizzie the dog, Dave, Peter W., Guy, Mandy, and Amanda. Cake was lemon drizzle.

Current tally for stock at B site. 250 deer stakes, 180 deer guards, 50 hare stakes and 100 hare guards.

Which means we still need to take up 150 deer stakes, 220 deer guards, 100 shrubshelters (not yet in stock) and 100 more hare stakes.

Geoff's birthday treat - a day at the Nursery.

Today we stayed at the Nursery and prepared for the forthcoming planting season. We were: myself, Philip, Jess, Geoff, Steve, Ben, Dave and Guy.

We cleared a patch of ground for healing in the root stock when it arrives, cleared the access path so that we could get in and out of that area, tied reclaimed guards into bundles of 50, tied reclaimed stakes into bundles of 9, sawed logs, sold logs to the Sair, picked apples - and ate Bakewell tart.

All very productive.

No pictures today though, I forgot.

And it was Geoff's birthday.

PS. There are now 250 deer stakes, 130 deer guards, 50 hare stakes and 100 hare guards on site at B.  Which means we need to take another 200 deer stakes and 320 deer guards up there. And either use the hare guards for Scots Pine, or swap those out for shrubshelters.

More Scammonden scrounging

Leaves neatly nibbled.

We popped back to the mega-site at Scammonden reservoir to tidy and reclaim materials. We were myself, Jess, Dianne, Ben, John, Geoff and Hap. Cake was ginger. And we returned to the Nursery with about 50 deer stakes and guards.

Saw some evidence of deer browsing, though it tended to be alongside the little deer trails across the hillside, most of the trees are doing well.

Yorkshire Building Society lend their support

The good folks of YBS

Jess's employer, YBS encourages its employees to do charitable works, so she organised her colleagues to do a day's work at our nursery. They cut hedges, cleared paths, and cut and split logs for us to sell to raise money.

Hats off to Jess and the YBS.