WARRINGTON’S Friends of Gorse Covert Mounds held an action day with the dual purpose of opening up and marking a path through Pestfurlong Woods and tackling invasive rhododendron.
With the rewetting of Pestfurlong Moss over the last few years, walking directly across the mossland has become less practical and as a result, a series of informal “paths of desire” has developed in the wooded area to the west.
These routes vary in quality – with some very tricky.
Planning took place last month with support from the Woodland Trust who own the site. Temporary markers were placed to help design a route by linking-up existing informal paths and identifying where to open up the trail, including the removal of a few small trees and bushes.
Now volunteers from the Friends have trimmed back vegetation where it obstructed progress, installed way-marker signs to guide the route, and created wildlife habitat piles to direct walkers away from boggy areas. The result is a clearer path—easy to follow yet still engaging, weaving through woods and open spaces.
Then they focused on cutting back rhododendron and removing stumps where possible to prevent regrowth. Rhododendron is an invasive species in many mossland areas, altering the fragile habitat.
Thanks to support from the Woodland Trust and other organisations, Pestfurlong Moss is now clear of rhododendron—but it still persists between Silver Lane and the fields.
While the group made great progress in a short time, there’s still much to be done. A further action day is being considered before next spring.
Friends’ chair Nigel Balding, said: “I’d like to thank Stephen, Daniela, Malcolm, Elaine, Mark, Annie, Tuula, Phil, and Rawdon for their help. We were fortunate to have great weather and a fantastic team spirit—it’s amazing what can be achieved in such a short time
“ I’m looking forward to seeing how well the new path is used and enjoyed by the site’s many visitors. As for the rhododendron, we’ll need a lot more volunteer time to fully eradicate it. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact the Woodland Trust or email me at [email protected].”
