Wildwood, a reminder to all of basic conservation in our countryside

Ragged Copse colour change

Mike and some really accurate felling in West Belt

Mike tipped me off this week regards a new BBC4 6 part series Wildwood which looks to be a good basic primer to good woodland management and the benefits to be accrued from this activity. Although I don't own a broadleaf woodland like strawberry cottage wood I can relate to the learning experiences the star of this series has gone through in his first year. Mine have been through working in woodland with NT rangers in the North Cotswolds over the last 18 months. They have generally been good experiences but sadly I feel mostly unadvertised and undervalued in todays NT organisation. This country has little enough of its woodland left that one its biggest landowners seems to be neglecting {or at least steadily reducing resources}  its conservation activities in the countryside {aside from a chosen few flagship areas}. True such activities tend not to be revenue producers but erosion of the sustained care needed in countryside activities like this, along with the skilled ranger resources, will not be recoverable longterm and thats not what I thought the NT stood for. Anyway programmes like Wildwood at least help to give an interesting portrayal of an important countryside activity which needs all the good publicity it can get. It might be nice for the NT to balance its Property & Commercially  biassed {Theme park trend?} communications /support with something on core countryside management,  I can offer up  some suggestions.

Anyway back to this week which although dismal weather wise provided a variety of experiences. We started with some wood deliveries to local customers the first of which was in Windrush. I was pleasantly surprised when we delivered the wood that this new customer had a good appreciation of what work was involved in providing the wood, from 'felling through to splitting'. Having completed the deliveries it was back to the nursery to block and split some more wood which was to be stored in the newly formed shelter. In future blocking and splitting is aimed to be done by machine,  loaned by Ebworth,  which means my axe skills will no longer be required. This means more time will be available for working the woodland and countryside which should be  good for wildlife habitats in general. Interesting to note that in our morning travels we encountered the 'local' hunt in full progress, attended by locals in support. Obviously difficult to stop this tradition and one more countryside activity I am not keen on but 'understand'  along with the Badger cull which thankfully has been postponed { grateful for its about TB Mark Avery blog}.

The afternoon was spent in the West Belt on continued thinning, part 3 of Wildwood next week, where Mike's experience clearly in evidence especially when felling a sizeable sycamore into a very narrow gap and without destroying my pile of cord wood!