Calling in the pros.

The big job last week was one where I had to call in our team of foresters to help me fell some trees near Friars Crag.  Our foresters are all qualified tree surgeons and were able to fell trees exactly where I wanted them. I needed them to fell several trees but into quite precise positions.  As you can see from the pictures, one of them also worked in a tree removing some quite large branches. These guys are incredibly skilful and professional about what they do. I'm qualified to cut down trees but I certainly don’t have the experience or skills to work in the tree canopy as they do. 

Thinning out the trees will allow in more light and should improve growing conditions for plants.  But, on this occasion, there is another important aspect to the work.  When the lake level is high, the path to Friars Crag is protected from erosion by a series of gabions formed with rocks in metal baskets.  These are now over 20 years old and are beginning to decay so I have decided to try a different technique.  The felled trees are going to be left in place with the old gabions.  They will be covered by soil that comes from some dredging at the island’s landing stage and from a job on Crow Park.  These new slopes will then be seeded and hopefully the vegetation will anchor it all.

We hope they will do the job of protecting the path whilst being aesthetically more sensitive and sustainable for the location. We just have to hope that there is no serious flooding before the vegetation is well-established.  It is a method we have not tried before but we really hope it works because it will be so much more sympathetic to the environment.  

I also took the opportunity to extend one of our fences whilst the lake level is low during the current dry spell and it was then that I found some broken glass.  This doesn’t happen very often because there are so many people who pick up rubbish whilst out walking. There are just a few though who have no thought for the safety of others. Broken glass is clearly very dangerous especially for paddling and swimming children or animals and it is particularly difficult to spot in the water at the lake shore.  So, when we find it, we are especially careful to pick up all that we can find.

                                                                                                             

Daisy here,

I’ve been working with the foresters.  The foresters are great.