Diary 2017

To see last year’s work go to Diary 2016

December 2017

cutting back encroaching bramble next to a path

cutting the lower branches to provide access under an oak

Improving walkers’ access on Dial Hill by cutting back brambles and lopping low branches

patch on Dial Hill cleared of bramble roots

Grubbing out bramble roots on Dial Hill and planting wild bluebells in Quinney’s Wood

Quinney’s Wood – felling a field maple for added light, and coppicing hazel

November 2017

planting Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa) in the hedge

planting two Purging Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

tree branches and brambles cut back from the fence

Planting 13 young trees to add 7 new native species to the collection in Quinney’s Wood. Overhanging branches & encroaching brambles cut back from the lower boundary fence.

The Woodcutters receive a generous donation in return for some serious garden work

more trees need to come out to improve the view

contractor Malcolm Dowling as a volunteer helps the Woodcutters

scrub clearing behind houses along Dial Hill Road

Improving a view over Clevedon Bay from Dial Hill, with help from Malcolm Dowling. More brambles and scrub are also cleared to extend the area of original grassland.

A view of St Andrew’s Church is improved by cutting back vegetation overhanging a wall

To assist the Friends of Poets’ Walk, nettles along the formal path between Church Hill and the cemetery are brush-cut. Competing sycamore shoots are cut out from the thicket.

cutting back brambles with loppers and hook

Clearing a patch of scrub on Dial Hill where invasive everlasting pea has become established. This non-native is already being controlled in neighbouring grassland.

October 2017

Clevedon School – further enhancement of the woodland trail area, and brush-cutting

the top of Dial Hill is tractor mown in October

After a long wet period, the more accessible parts of Dial Hill can at last be tractor mown (mid October). The Woodcutters brush-cut other areas to control scrub re-growth.

brushcutting and raking up to promote good grassland

the margins of the former sumac grove are brushcut prior to tractor mowing of the rest

Dial Hill – while still awaiting the late summer cut by the contractor, the less accessible areas are brush cut and raked off. The former sumac grove has been colonised by oxeye daisies and purple toadflax together with fresh sumac shoots.

Working on behalf of the Friends of Poets’ Walk in Salthouse Woods – repairing and clearing back vegetation from woodland steps and maintaining adjoining paths

September 2017

the orchard floor mown ready for the cider apple harvest

The Millenium Community Orchard – mowing the orchard floor by machine and scythe to facilitate hand harvesting of the cider apples in late October. A good crop this year.

Quinney’s Wood – late summer mowing to promote good grassland between trees

August 2017

woodland trail tidied and sycamore shoots cut

brush cutting vegetation after pulling ragwort

Clevedon School – tidying the woodland trail, pulling nettles and brush-cutting

a newly planted whitebeam has established well beside the lower path

The main paths in Quinney’s Wood are mown again to maintain good access

After a prolonged wet start to August, work finally gets underway again on Dial Hill

July 2017

brush-cutting and raking the orchard floor

trimming back blackthorn and brambles at the orchard entrance

the orchard floor brush-cut and raked up

The Millennium Community Orchard – the orchard floor is mowed and raked to control rank grass and weeds, and access is improved by cutting back overgrown vegetation

mowing everlasting sweetpea for the 3rd time this year to prevent flowering and seeding

Dial Hill – controlling ragwort, annual sow thistle and non-native everlasting sweetpea

The Community Orchard - path and picnic area mown

The Community Orchard's path and picnic area mown

The Millennium Community Orchard – the path and picnic area mown again

The paths in Quinney’s Wood are mown and the new trees mulched with grass mowings

Dial Hill – sumac suckers have regrown since May and are brush-cut again and raked off

June 2017

the main paths are mown throughout the summer

the picnic area scythed; good quality grass left uncut

rank grass with hogweed under trees brush-cut

The Millenium Community Orchard – the picnic area scythed and sections with rank weeds brush-cut to promote development of species-rich grass areas as wildlife habitat

Cutting annual sowthistle, everlasting sweet pea and nettles, and pulling ragwort and thistles to allow valuable but less vigorous flowering native species to flourish

May 2017

sumac suckers brush-cut or roots grubbed out

Follow-up control of invasive, non-native sumac on Dial Hill – using a brush-cutter where new shoots are dense and grubbing out suckering roots where plants are more isolated

Path mowing and woodland management at Quinney’s Wood

2 pussy willows watered and mulched with grass mowings

Quinney’s Wood – the main paths are mown, some hogweed is cut and raked off, and 7 new trees (planted last autumn) are watered and mulched after a dry spell of weather.

nettles and debris cleared under hawthorns

Scrub control on Dial Hill – clearing nettles on a grassy bank and under trees

April 2017

Improving reclaimed grassland on Dial Hill by mowing non-native everlasting sweet pea, pulling goosegrass (cleavers), forking out ragwort and thistles, and grubbing brambles

Norton’s Wood (Clevedon Court Estate) – tidying the bridle path and preserving a south-facing rock face for wildlife by controlling invasive Holm oak, ash, brambles & buddleia

March 2017

thistles, ragwort and nettles forked out

rooting out ragwort and thistles with ragforks

Continuing grassland restoration on Dial Hill – invasive plants are rooted out to promote the growth of valuable grass species and a wide variety of wild flowers.

Another community project – overgrown vegetation is cleared along the Motorway bridge path in east Clevedon to assist the Land Yeo Friends.

Zig Zag steps cleared and swept after cutting back sycamore

The steps to be cleared of weeds and mud

sycamore regrowth cut back and taken off site

A community service – The Hill Road Zig Zag steps are cleared of weeds and mud. Sycamore regrowth from trees felled a few years ago is cut back and removed.

Access along other paths in Strawberry Hill Woods is improved by cutting back vegetation

cutting self-set saplings to increase sunlight and expose the rock face

Opening up the main path through Strawberry Hill Woods to allow in more sunlight

the-fir-woods-now-commonly-known-as-strawberry-hill-woods

The Woodcutters’ annual foray into Strawberry Hill Woods to cut brambles near the path, thin sycamore, cut back overhanging branches and remove fallen trees across the path.

February 2017

Dial Hill – continued grassland restoration by grubbing out of young brambles and thistles, and management of mature trees in grassland by removal of some lower branches

The Millennium Community Orchard – the orchard floor area is enlarged and sunlight to the apple trees increased by cutting back scrub around the margins. Brash is burnt.

Clevedon School – the 6th Form plot is cleared of major weeds to encourage students to get busy in the spring, while hazels in a coppice area are freed from dense brambles.

January 2017

the-last-sycamore-to-be-felled-in-the-thicket-area

attaching-a-rope-to-ensure-the-direction-of-fall

the-thicket-habitat-is-enhanced-by-removing-competitive-sycamore

A valuable thicket habitat on Poets’ Walk is enhanced by removing the last self-set sycamore. The remaining species are mainly hawthorn, elder, blackthorn and bramble.

cut-branches-are-used-to-create-a-wildlife-habitat-pile

sunlight-reaches-the-glade-after-self-set-sycamores-are-felled

Four self-set sycamore on Poets’ Walk are felled to allow sunlight to reach a glade.

Quinney’s Wood – cutting back the top hedge to about 6ft and burning the resulting brash

Clearing of non-native, invasive stag’s horn sumach continues on Dial Hill, arisings being burnt on site. Bramble in the same patch is also cut and grubbed out and the site raked.