Summerstones: part 2 : 23/04/2024

 

TRUE GRIT

This week was not for the faint hearted. Having already undertaken one day of tree management in bad weather on the Summerstones estate near Scarhouse, only those NCVs who had the requisite levels of perseverance could be expected to turn out a second time.

But turn out they did - as you can see below; AND the weather was not too bad either.

 

Right - let's set up base camp

 here and get busy.

 

How many tree tubes 

can you carry this week Roy? 

 

Well - here's another one for him. 

 

 

This one can keep its tube for a bit longer.

 

 Yes - this one too. 

 

Oh dear.

Anyone got a right angled tube? 

 

Time for a bit of a lie down. 

 

New NCV Amy seemed to

 thoroughly enjoy her first task day.

 

 Tubes kept mounting up... 

 

....and getting carried away. 

 

Thank goodness for the Tubex

tree tube recycling scheme!! 

 

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb.

Anyone? 

Hedge Nook Cottage, Laverton: 16-04-2024

  

An ongoing theme.

This week trees were, once again, on the agenda. The NCVs needed to plant 400 saplings, at Hedge Nook Cottage in Laverton, before the tree planting season comes to an end.

Luckily, they were cell grown. This meant that there were no unruly bare roots to deal with.

So - did the trees get planted? Read on to find out.

 

Everyone needed to listen carefully

 to the complicated instructions. 

Hang on - what's that orange thing on

 the floor next to the yellow rucksack?

 

It's our very own, brand

 new, defribrillator!!

Let's hope we never need it!

Now - let's get these trees

 transported to the planting area.

 

Talking of which - there was a sea of

 stakes and tubes being positioned

 at the top of the field....

...as well as on the steep bank below.

However, thanks to hard

 working NCVs like Brenda...

...and Paul, what looked chaotic

gradually turned into a fully 

formed plantation.

Small leaved lime anyone?

Liz: "Now David - what species

 have we here?"

David: " I think that it may be a tree of 

some sort, but I can't be 100% sure."

 

When Dave (aka The Red Peril) attacked

 David's outstretched arm, Liz realised that 

it was clearly time for a sustenance break! 

Inside the stable a banquet 

had been laid out. Many thanks to

 landowner Richard for the goodies!!

 

Outside the gang reclined on various 

chaise longues...

 

... whilst partaking 

of their refreshments. 

 

After lunch all that remained to be 

done was to plant the remaining 80

 trees as a hedge, alongside the track. 

 

Stumpy the dog, who loved fetching sticks,

occasionally hindered proceedings 

by picking up saplings that had

been laid out ready for planting.

Summerstones: 09-04-2024

 

"Listen up you lot!"

The NCVs had a long trek up to Scarhouse reservoir this week. Tree management was required in a plantation of about 5000 trees that had been created in 2018.  

Now, management of trees does not mean standing on the sidelines, shouting out orders or otherwise incentivising them to work harder. That would be easy. No - what had to be done today was the other kind of tree management. The kind that involves removing tree tubes that are no longer required, or ensuring that tubes that have blown over throughout the winter are restored to the vertical. Not quite so easy. 

The weather didn't help either - as you can see below....

 

The wind was blowing and the temperatures 

were low (despite having left relatively

 benign conditions down in Pateley Bridge).

 Never mind - there were 17 of us to

 share the work. Let's crack on! 

 

 

Oh dear. This tree can have its tube 

removed but is too far gone to be 

restored to an upright position!!

 

 

Many of the trees were sitting in 

pits full of water.

Now Friedy - what do you reckon

 with this one?

 

Brenda was able to get this one upright 

by removing the tube - 

its trunk had snapped half 

way through inside.

 

Conditions were a bit damper 

by coffeetime. However...

 

 

...the provision of a tasty iced

sponge tray bake lifted spirits.

Thanks for that Dawn!!

 

Then it was back to the trees.

Roy and Brenda decided to 

play a game of Crackerjack.

All that was needed was a large 

cabbage and he would have won

 the prize.

 

Tubes and stakes built up into piles. 

And the piles got loaded onto the gator 

to be transported to the farm.

As the morning drew to a close

 the rain got heavier.

With 1/4 of the site sorted it was

 time to take shelter in the barn...

 

...where there was a cosy mezzanine eatery,

 just big enough for everyone to sit in.

The rain thundered down on the roof above.

 

Lunch over, it was back on with the 

waterproofs for a final hour. 

Luckily the rain eased at this pont.

Let's hope for better weather for

 our second visit in 2 weeks time.

Ellington Banks: 02/04/2024

 

Wrong uniform - wrong tools!!

Any new NCVs may have been forgiven for turning up looking like the little chap above when they read that this week's task was to be at the MOD training ground at Ellington Banks. If they had done then they would have felt a little foolish. The only tools that were needed were bow saws and loppers, and there was definitely no need for camouflage.

It has been quite a while since the NVCs have been to Ellington Banks - a place where there are some rare magnesian limestone flora and great crested newt ponds to take care of. In fact, the last visit was 21st February 2023, after the cancellation of two other days due to dreadful weather conditions. 

No such worries today. The forecast looked fairly dry, so it was hoped that a good deal of encroaching scrub could be removed. Certainly there was plenty to get rid of!! The pictures below show how the gang got on.

 

As expected, the area to be de-scrubbed

was thick with saplings both

 here in the top half of the site...

...and here, lower down.

This was not going to be easy!!

 

From time to time it felt like 

traversing an assault course

there were so many lumps and bumps!

Osian deployed the troops 

then set about making the bonfire.

This soon got going well

despite the damp material.

 

The team used the 'mob grazing' approach

and worked in a line, nibbling back 

the scrub, until finally...

Oh I say - you chaps - 

there was a large pond hiding here!!

Everyone enjoyed the 

sun during lunchbreak.

Now - what are these four

plotting? Alistair looks decidely 

shifty!

Post lunch, Paul lorded it over 

his minions.

 

By close of play the area looked 

very different, both at the top...

 

...and at the bottom.

MOD ecologist Karen will spray the new 

shoots when they emerge. Apparently 

this has been very effective in other

 areas of the site.

Time to stop burning, or

 brash piling, and go home.

Karen and Friedy are now

working for 

"Help the Aged".

(NB The lead was not for Will!)

Before departing the team took a little

 walk up to the newt ponds...

 

...and were rewarded with many

 sightings, including this smooth newt.

Whilst all that hard work was going on, back in the NCV barn three others were working hard to ensure that the tools were in good condition. Thanks for that Team Tool!!