With a little help from...

Main 'gate' to Lodge Park

This weeks task began with re-gravelling the 'old' entrance to Lodge Park. Two key helpers were the tractor and Maddie, who provided valuable support to Mike & I, albeit with very differing roles. Seven Tonne bags of gravel later the job was done and although much energy was expended I wouldn't have like to have done it without the tractor and Mike's expert skills at the tractor controls.

Woodland menace!

Self portrait, at the edge of  Ragged Copse?

Thus far I have resisted in sharing my frustrations with some of the issues I have come across with our countryside mainly because generally I like to be upbeat and genuinely enjoy my time in the great outdoors. However I can't resist a bit of a rant about tree damage by that 'cute' little grey squirrel some clever person(s) decided to introduce to this Island in the period 1876-1920. It stems from my short walk around Ragged Copse at Sherborne in my lunchtime followed by the work we did to make safe the woodland play area for local school children  at the Pleasure Grounds.  Although I did enjoy the lunchtime walk around Ragged Copse , especially seeing healthy growth of the ash planted this year, the gloss was taken off by observing the really bad squirrel damage to the line of young to maturing broadleaf {mainly Beech}  trees. This was followed up by  even more damage to young broadleaf trees at the Pleasure Ground area we were working in, these trees will die, or when Mike can fit it in his busy schedule, will be felled.  Unfortunately I have seen such damage in most of the woodland areas both at Sherborne and in the wider North Cotswolds NT sites. I have also read articles which question whether Squirrels do that much damage and even suggest that young trees are not at risk. What nonsense, I can only hope that the results of the Forestry Commission survey regarding this issue, due 2011, come up with something that will make a difference {I haven't yet tracked down its conclusions/action plan}.