And Still the Coppicing Continues…
Tuesday, January 10th 2017
Our Tuesday volunteers continued this year’s coppice block today as the main task, with help from the Dales School who were back at Foxglove after the Christmas holidays.
Coppicing involves repeatedly felling the same stump near to the ground and then allowing shoots to re-grow. This maintains trees at a juvenile stage and creates woodland with multi-stemmed trees. Along boundaries and net rides we sometime pollard trees instead. This involves removal of the upper branches of a tree nearly back to the trunk, promoting a dense head of new growth. Pollards are a traditional method of marking boundaries. Although it can initially look quite bare: Once an area has been cut, the soil is warmed by the additional light reaching the ground and there is an explosion of plant life as the seed bank is stimulated.
The Willow Carr running through the centre of the reserve is managed on a ten year coppice rotation. The area is split into five blocks, one of which is cut every second year. This creates a habitat mosaic with a variety of stages of growth, so lots of niches for our wildlife! This year’s block is close to the car park and the Field Centre.
We also leave some trees as standards, but these needed thinning so as not to produce too much shade, which could stunt the regeneration of the coppice stools. This is a job to do carefully, making sure to look regularly at the bigger picture, so any trees to go were marked up in fluorescent pink spray paint to avoid any confusion.
Semi-useful fact of the day: fluorescent pink spray paint is not easy to see if you’re red/green colour blind!
Meanwhile, back at the Field Centre Ann, Ann and Bob were tidying up the garden. Clemie looked like she wanted to help too!
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Jubilee Trail
Friday 27th May 2022 | During Reserve Opening Times
A trail around the red route (wheelchair friendly) to find all things red, white and blue! Pick up a clue sheet from the Field Centre for only £1 and learn some amazing facts about British wildlife as you stroll around the reserve.
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The clues will be out for the duration of the Whitsun school holidays (North Yorkshire dates).
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Enjoy a walk around the red route (easy access trail) and find the clues to learn all about these wonderful insects.
Pick up a clue sheet from the Field Centre for only £1 and check your answers at the end.
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The clues will be out for the duration of the school summer holidays (North Yorkshire dates).
Undergrowth Newsletter
Undergrowth Newsletter Winter 2020/21 Issue 54

Find out what has been going on at the reserve during the lockdown!
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Recent Blog Posts
- Plenty To See
- No Snow, No Hail
- Tawny Owls and Grey Herons
- More Flowers
- Nature
- Moving Slowly Through Spring
- Nesting Time
- Winter Spring
- Warm Days
- Biscoff Cheesecake, Brownies and Bakewell Tarts!
- A Busy Day for Some
- Volunteers at Work
- Around the Reserve
- A Ringing Day
- Flowers at Last!
- More Spring Photos
- Moths!
- A Special Visit
- Spring Has Sprung!
- Reducing, Reusing and Recycling!
- Almost Spring
- Thank you!
- Ringing Resumes!
- Arrival of Spring
- Strong Support
- Back To Work!
- We Are Open!
- Update
- Temporary Closure
- Large, Little and In Between
- The Weather
- A Wild Worky Day!
- Malik and Corrie
- Forest School Fun
- Winter Work
- Preventing The Spread of Bird Flu
- Thank You and Congratulations!
- Job Jobbed!
- Hazel, a Hedge and more High Vis!
- Moths
- Many Happy Returns!
- Winter Scenes at Foxglove
- Sheer Dedication!
- Back to Work
- Happy New Year!
- All Kinds of Weather
- Last Volunteer Day 2021
- Pillwort
- Volunteers at Work
- Winter Work Continues
- Edward the Elf Returns!
- Sunshine and Blue Skies
- More Clearing Up
- December Winter Worky Day
- Dangerous Trees
- Tidying Up After Storm Arwen
- Storm Damage
- Willow Weaving
- Considerate Contributions
- Storm Arwen
- Look Both Ways
- Never Work With Wildlife
- Traditional Woodland Skills
- Technicolour Nature!
- November Worky Day
- Woodland Work
- All About Fungi
- Look North
- Autumn Views at Foxglove
- Happy Halloween
- Bat Monitoring
- Forest Fun
- Hazel Coppice
- Wildlife Activity Day
- Winter Visitors
- Fungi Walk
- Happy Holidays!
- Bakewells, Banana Cake and Brushcutting!
- A Busy ‘Typical’ Day?
- Wet and Wild!
- Autumn Bird Ringing
- Changing Seasons
- Moths
- Extra Help
- Redwing
- Lively Livestock!
- Meadow Management
- Half Term Plans
- Autumn Worky Day
- QAVS Award on Display
- The Beginnings of Autumn
- Weekly Round Up
- Busy Bees
- Views Around the Reserve
- Colours
- Army Welfare Service
- Ringing at the Crater
- Hints of Autumn
- Sightings Various
- Moths Butterflies and a ‘Dragon’
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