28 Feb 2018

Rhododendron Clearance - next steps

We have now completed our latest phase of rhododendron clearance in Darch's Wood. Our contractors, Agrifactors Ltd., cleared over 3 acres over a two week period, and the improvement is as noticeable as it is dramatic, especially around the pond!

The next stage is to clear the ground of all the sticks and debris left behind, and we have already cleared much of the area around the pond with help from a number of volunteers.  There is much more to be done, and we are going to have regular sessions on the third Sunday of every month between 11am and 4pm, where we hope some of our regular users if the wood will help out.  The more that help, the quicker we can clear the debris and set about grassing the cleared areas and seeding wildflowers.

As part of the clearance effort, we aim to create a new path running alongside the stream from the other new path we constructed last year down to the pond using the wood chippings from the rhododendron. So the more people that help, the quicker you get your new path!

The soil in the areas cleared of rhododendron is too acidic to seed at the moment, so we are going to create a small test area where we will spread granulated lime on the ground and then seed it with grass. The results will hopefully speak for themselves.


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