All coppice work and related clearance of the hazel and sycamore stools ended with the last day in March. This is to give the site’s flora and fauna some peace and quiet for the coming season.
There is a large amount of cut material which will be moving up to the Butser Ancient Farm for the festival of Beltane (see earlier post). A certain amount will also be chipped to improve the path surfacing.
Attention is now focussed on the large pond located to the north of the site. This area is in desperate need of attention and todays work party made good progress. The dam wall is very overgrown and leaking, the three sluices blocked and there is yet more rubbish to be cleared.
The work party was made up of a group of friends, principally from the London area, with a love of the great outdoors and of making a difference by getting involved in community or conservation projects. This is their third visit to the site and what a difference they have made.
One of the rangers from Queen Elizabeth Country Park was on hand to provide help with a chainsaw for the larger logs but otherwise all the hard work was carried out with bow-saws, forks and spades. The group meets on a regular basis and welcomes new members.
johnstonscoppice 