Hedge Repairs

Strong winds this winter and early spring have had an impact on some of the infrastructure at Foxglove Covert. 

Last year, volunteers constructed a dead hedge along the back of the wildflower meadow to more clearly mark the reserve boundary, where it borders on the Catterick Training Area. Unfortunately a series of very windy days toppled much of the hedge. 

Image: a collapsed dead hedge.

The last couple of weeks, volunteers have dismantled and re-built the sections of the hedge which were knocked over by the wind. Many of the posts were snapped at the base, so whole chunks of the hedge had to be fully removed and new posts installed to replace the snapped ones. The new posts are shorter than the originals, so the overall height of the hedge is reduced. 

Image: volunteers repairing the hedge.

Once all the new posts were in place, the hedge could be filled with sticks, which were woven in between the posts. The hedge is now fully repaired. 

Leftover material from the repairs will be moved to other areas of the reserve where it can be used in habitat piles and other dead hedges.

Image: the repaired dead hedge.