The Bramble Road Boundary
Autumn 1995
Major Work Necessary on the Bramble Road Boundary
We have been advised by the local authority that we must trim back all the trees on our southern boundary, at least 1 metre back from the road surface, to a height of 5 metres. This is to clear the road for legitimate vehicle use.
We cannot use volunteer labour for this purpose as it would involve working off the ground, under power cables, and felling onto the road. It will be a costly exercise and unfortunately Eastern Electricity were not able to help. The worry is that the job will need to be done again in another 4 or 5 years.
With the exception of one or two standard oaks (which need trimming) all the trees are hombeam coppice which should have been cut regularly over the last 40 years, but haven’t. The alternative is to have the whole fence line re-coppiced professionally, after which our volunteers can keep the re-growth down to a manageable height, on a regular basis. Naturally this will cost more initially but a lot less in the long run.
We have decided on this latter course of action, and we must therefore advise you that this work will be undertaken in the early autumn. It may be necessary to coppice the first six metres of the wood in order to create a safe felling line. This is bound to be disruptive and unsightly for a short while, but our contractors will be tidying up as they proceed.
January 1996
Bramble Road Boundary: First Stages Completed
The trimming work along Bramble Rd is now complete and volunteers have been working to tidy up the boundary. It was time for the grey-greenies (the nick-name for our Tuesday team of mostly retired volunteers) to exercise their minds and hands to the job of creating a temporary barrier to keep out unwanted vehicles and the like. Vertical poles had been left on the hornbeam stools to provide posts for the fence without having to dig too many holes. The first task is to ensure that the trimmed-back trees do not grow up again to interfere with the traffic or the electricity cables. The next task is then to form a hedge from these trees. They were ring-barked to ensure regrowth comes from the stool (not the tip of the pole) and the poles were used to support horizontals. Brash (small branches from the tops of felled trees) was then woven into the structure following the traditional art of dead-hedging. They were delighted to receive an accolade from a neighbour for a job well done.
By the time you read this newsletter we hope to have visited the site again to convert the remaining brash to woodchips. In the spring we will plant hazel, hawthorn, holly and honeysuckle to fill the gaps but also to provide flowers and pollen, seed and berries in their due season. But the main strength of the barrier will be the young saplings from the hornbeam stools which will be worked into a live-hedge.
It took just 8 working days for our contractor and his assistant to coppice the hombeam trees growing on the earthbank at the southern edge of Pound Wood. The many fine standard oaks were expertly limbed to ensure free movement for road vehicles. Thanks to Patrick Atterbury for a very professional job and to our neighbours who were so patient and understanding.
Not everyone can accept that in order to conserve a wood, one sometimes has to cut down trees, so it is quite surprising that we had only two complaints. As a result of our subsequent explanation, one of the people decided to join the Trust, but the other did not give a complete address for a response. We do try to keep everyone informed but we invite you to make this easier for us by enrolling as a member.