Woodland Conservation

28th February 2025

Spring is coming!

The sun shone upon our 16 volunteers as we carried out another 45 hours of sustained work restoring the ecology in Jack Wood.

1. Protecting wild flowers at the opening to Lower Path.

2. Vegetation clearance from existing and potential small ponds in readiness for our pond event next Saturday.

3. Clearance of invasive and competitive species.

Join our friendly group/s to help improve the woodlands.

Contact: Christine at: Oxleas.volunteers@gmail.com

One of the seasonal streams in Jack Wood is flowing well following the recent rainfall. This water flows downhill and straight out of the woods via a culvert.

Completing the work on the slopes at the far end of the path - still a pile of brash to go into the hedge at another session.

This dead hedge protects the area while the area in the foreground is a desire path running through the wood. Finished at 1 pm but by 5 pm the hedge had already been pushed aside by some determined walker.

A stream in Jack Wood feeds this natural pond. The volunteers cleared some vegetation from the area in readiness for enlarging the pond and building a dam to retain more water in the woods for wildlife.

This unfinished dead hedge runs alongside the lower path along the line of the previously diverted route. Look closely and you will see a path right through the middle of the area. No flowers are coming through here because the ground has been compacted by trampling.

Clearing the very competitive species, holly, to enable access to one of the potential pond areas.

Again, holly is being clipped back.

This is an area of woodland right next to Oxleas Meadow. Last year we removed some of the holly blocking light when we found some small areas of woodland flowers. We are delighted to see that there are numerous flowers emerging this year. Sadly, they are being trampled by walkers criss-crossing the area so we have built some dead hedging to deter them and protect the flora. This hedging runs alongside a minor desire path through the wood.