A wet winter in the copse

In the middle of a very wet winter, this is not the season for work days in Three Cornered Copse, because it's the season of mud.

The rain has been persistently falling and the paths through the woods are slippery and almost unpassable to all but the sure-footed. Happily in December we managed a final work day of the year, attended by a strong team of a dozen volunteers. Several jobs were tackled, fuelled appropriately by hot drinks and mince pies. The newly planted whips had brambles and weeds around them, so we cleared them away to allow the new growth to begin when Spring finally arrives. A few trees had fallen across pathways, which were cleared, the large beech branch which had fallen across the grass area was removed, and sawn into logs. And of course, the litter always needs collecting and disposing. Our first work day of the new year has yet to be scheduled; let's hope the mud dries before then.

Lately, our committee has been in contact with the Ash Dieback team at the City Council. There are still a few ash trees which they seem to want to bring down, but their intention is to plant around 1,500 whips in Three Cornered Copse, beginning in February. There are a variety of species: hornbeam, beech, oak. hazel, wild hedge mix, and hawthorn. Our main concern was the timing of all this, as the bird nesting season in the past few years has been disturbed by previous projects involving tree surgeons and equipment: a settled period to allow the birds to recover would be preferred. We will stick close to this project, thankfully the team in the council are being helpful and communicative. They are asking for volunteers to help: following the link at the bottom shows details on how to apply.

At the end of December a team of contractors were busy replacing the cap on the gas junction near to Dyke Road Avenue, which is actually in the copse. This has all been completed and the ground has been restored and seeded, including the gap in the bund where they accessed the site.

Thanks to the tents team at the council, the three tents which appeared in the weeks leading up to Christmas in the top woodland have now disappeared and the sites have been cleared. Let's hope their occupants have found somewhere less muddy to stay this year.

https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/jobs/volunteering/volunteer-conservation-groups

Simon Baxendale