THE Friends of Gorse Covert Mounds held their annual Autumn Coppicing event at the weekend.
It was a great day for being outdoors, dry and cool with little breeze, so the Group was able to crack on with the tasks on the list (photos attached).
The Volunteers cleaned some signs near the car park and swept-up leaves before trooping off with hand tools to the viewpoint at the site’s Pestfurlong Moss interpretation board, collecting a few items of litter along the way. The main objective of the day was to improve the view down onto the Moss.
After the workday, Group Chair Nigel Balding said “The view onto Pestfurlong Moss is looking better now than at any time I can remember, particularly as the mossland is recovering following the Woodland Trust’s restoration works. There is a little more to do to finish the planned clearance works, with a couple of small patches of scrub regeneration which we didn’t have time to tackle. We may ask volunteers to see if another action day can be arranged and, in the meantime, we’ll ask visitors what they think.”
“We found and cleared some rhododendron regrowing from a point where we had once cleared a large patch. The previous work took many volunteers several hours, but this time one of us seemed to clear it in no time, so we’re winning this particular battle.”
“Down on Pestfurlong Moss itself, I can’t remember the sphagnum mosses and other mossland plant life looking so healthy. It’s part of a patchwork of lowland raised peat bogs in Northern England which is part of our historical legacy from the last ice age, and a rare wildlife habitat.”
The Group would like to give its thanks to Paul, Malcolm, Daniela, Stephen and Nigel for helping, as well as to Woodland Trust Site Manager Neil Oxley for helping with the planning.
The Friends of Gorse Covert Mounds will now be preparing for their next event, which is holding a stall at the Birchwood WI Craft Fair, to be held at Gorse Covert Primary School on Saturday 30 November. They’re hoping to sell handmade willow stars, hearts and reindeer. If anyone wishes to join the Woodland Trust volunteer Group then they should contact the WT direct, or Nigel on [email protected]
