Regeneration in action
Robin Hall
This year the first trees have emerged in the spaces that have been cleared during our woodland regeneration project. After lying dormant for years under a dense canopy of Rhododendron and Cherry Laurel, various native tree seeds have been able to germinate. A small circular enclosure made of stock netting was installed last winter. This serves to discourage deer from browsing and within this area one can now see Alder, Rowan, Birch and Ash growing. The diversity of flora now present is a remarkable transformation of an area that was completely barren for many years.
An established group of volunteers have been continuing to clear the site and there has been excellent progress with this. Most of the bamboo has been removed and large areas are now free of invasive non-native species. However, work continues with the removal of new growth from the Rhododendron and Laurel stumps. As it is a policy not to use glyphosate to kill these species, it will require several years of persistent “weeding” to stop them recolonising the woods.
