CROW (Conserve Reading on Wednesdays)
Wednesday, 21st March 2018
Furze Plat, Emmer Green ~ Woodland management

With the recent coppicing undertaken both by ourselves and The Conservation Volunteers now complete, it was time to do some 'tidying'. The brash (waste) was to be used to protect the coppiced stools from deer damage or be burnt. For a relatively small area of woodland surrounded by houses and occasionally used by walkers, there was a surprising amount of deer damage.

Blackthorn - one of the first signs of spring.

In an attempt to increase the number of hazel stools some stems were lowered to ground .....

..... and then pegged to hold in contact with the soil so that roots may form, a gardening technique known as 'layering'.

The site has a number of cherry trees, not a species known for its longevity. These two had come to the end of their lives and were now being held up by the adjacent oaks.

Created: Thursday, 29th March 2018
Photographs: Alan Stevens