Braving the weather!

Like everywhere else in the country, we’ve recently been having a lot of very windy weather. In places there have been vortices that have touched ground and ripped out a lot of trees. Sometimes we have lost larches and occasionally oaks but this is just a natural process. Trees grow up; they are battered by the elements and eventually they fall down.

Our foresters have had a busy time checking and clearing unsafe ones, especially near footpaths.

Since our trip to take materials up Langstrath we’ve been back to begin tree planting. Our original day to begin planting had to be cancelled because of strong winds but eventually we were able to make a start. We had a large working group of Rangers and volunteers. I spent most of the day carrying posts and tree guards up the hill. Rangers Maurice and Jack worked with the volunteers planting the trees. Generally speaking, if the soil on the hills is deep enough to grow bracken, it will also be deep enough for trees.

The weather was a bit grim with some heavy rain coming in waves. Despite that, a lot of planting was done and it was really satisfying to see the pattern of planting developing on the hill-side. All in all, it was a successful day and, with the help of the volunteers, a lot was achieved. These were the volunteers who had worked so hard to shift the section of tree trunk to act as more seating at the amphitheatre beside the shop. They have fantastic amounts of energy and commitment!

Hi from Daisy. I wish it would stop raining. Ah well I've got a jacket.