Osterley Park M4 Wood, laurel clearance and tree planting, Saturday February 22nd, 2014

Today, our volunteers made a return visit to the National Trust's Osterley Park and to the M4 Wood. According to the BBC's Reel History of Britain, the Home Guard was created at Osterley Park in 1940, and was featured in a programme aired on February 26th 2014 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014r143.

Our task was to continue removing cherry laurel trees, which if left to their own devices will negatively impact the wood as they grow vigorously in the absence of anything that feeds on them, and also they shade out native plants. The other task was to continue removing redundant tree guards, most of which have now been collected, and many reused here and elsewhere. Twenty hazel whips were also planted amongst the existing trees to improve the species and age diversity of this small patch of woodland.

The M4 Wood is coming back to life as the effects of the mild winter are felt.

Previously cut laurel is starting to rot, although it's a slow process with this species.

We'll need to check next year to ensure no cuttings have re-rooted.

Phil tackles a particularly large plant, with the noisy M4 in the background.

Unfortunately, where laurel trees have been removed, we're now finding laurel seedlings starting to germinate. At least these are easier to remove by hand weeding. Field maple seedlings were also observed, not to be confused with sycamore.

An un-germinated laurel seed.

A hawthorn tree which has swallowed up a tree guard. Tree guards left on trees too long, tend to encourage wood-loving insects such as woodlice and beetles, which in turn can result in the death of a young tree. This one seems ok, if a little deformed.

Early-flowering cow parsley. 

Red dead-nettle.

Volunteers were treated to Taiwanese Sunmerry crispy butter cakes brought all the way from the famous Yongkang Street (永康街) in Taipei. Sorry about the excessive packaging! 

We find some funny things during our projects, but this has to be one of the creepiest finds - 'If you go down in the woods today your sure of a big surprise ...'

 

 

 

Tolworth Brook, coppicing and rubbish removal, Tuesday February 4th, 2014

The Environment Trust's Kingston Greenspace Volunteers were back at Meldone Close along the Tolworth Brook in Berrylands to continue the job of coppicing a group of hazel trees. Some hazel was coppiced and will be used to extend the living and dead hedge started by Gerrard last year. Unfortunately, much of our time was taken up with removing rubbish dumped over a householder's back fence. Thankfully, Quadron Services provided us with a trailer in which to deposit the rubbish. Other rubbish was cleared from around the car park, which is a notorious area for fly-tipping. Hopefully, now most of the rubbish has been cleared away from the fence line, we can get on with the task of coppicing and creating a living hedge, when we're back here on March 4th. Please join us, if you can. 

Talking of Gerrard, after working with us for two years, he has finally found a full-time job working for an environmental consultancy based in the Nottingham area. We thank him for his hard work and enthusiasm while he was with the Environment Trust, and wish him best of luck 'up north!'

This also means, that there is a vacancy for a project assistant, to help organise our nature conservation volunteering activities, including working with schools and corporate volunteers. Please forward a CV and covering letter to Chris at chris.cockel@environmenttrust.co.uk.

Gerrard's hedge, still intact and looking good in the winter sun.

Rubbish dumped over a fence into the public area.

The mark on the fence is the height to which dumped grass clippings had reached. We were careful to make sure no hedgehogs were hibernating in the pile. 

A family who no longer needed seesaws, a trampoline, numerous balls, and an ornamental brick well.

 

Harlequin or native? 

Quadron's trailer was half filled with rubbish dumped over the fence of just one property.

 

 

Hedge repair, St. Mary's Church, Chessington/Churchfields Recreation Ground, Saturday February 1st, 2014

Today the Environment Trust returned to Churchfields Recreation Ground in Chessington, and to St. Mary's churchyard. The old grave yard is edged by an ancient hedge that has become overly tall and with gaps that have been used by people to cut through. The task was to fill the gaps with hurdles made from sycamore harvested from the woodland at the end of the churchyard. By removing the sycamore, the hope is that the woodland flora will benefit, and prevent young woodland on the neighbouring recreation ground becoming invaded by sycamore. A well as filling the gaps with sycamore hurdles, hawthorn whips were planted to provide a prickly barrier.

On the recreation ground itself, tree guards were replaced and stakes where they have 'disappeared' from trees planted in November 2012. We'll be back at Churchfields on Saturday March 1st, to fill the remaining gaps in the hedge, and continue the hazel coppicing in nearby woodland.

John clears sycamore saplings from the woodland. 

Early-flowering cow parsley gives a hint of spring.

Bluebells are starting to emerge, although these look to be non-native Spanish.

The hedge has become 'gappy' due to lack of appropriate maintenance.

Ramal works to fill a gap with a natural 'hurdle'.

The finished article should prevent people from taking a short-cut. 

This gap was right behind a grave stone. 

Another neatly fill gap.

The trees planted in November 2012 are doing well, and already creating habitat diversity at the edge of the field.

Missing tree guards were replaced using some of those salvaged from Osterley Park.