April 2013 - What have you been doing this month?

[docsquid]

What it says on the tin (or in the title). What have you been doing this month?

We held our first Open Days over Easter (Sunday and Monday) and had over 50 visitors, despite the arctic conditions and the need to wear ski clothing just to make it tolerable. I did some green wood-turning demos and let a few folk have a go, which they enjoyed. I've also been doing more photography of birds using my pop-up camo hide. Last weekend we finally managed to get a trailer around the woods, and pick up, cut and split enough wood to almost fill our wood-store. Something we haven't been able to do since the autumn. We have also rigged covers over more of our outdoor wood stacks, which should help them dry out over the spring and summer. We have been planning new coppice coupes for our next woodland management plan, made possible by purchasing the field next door, and giving us the opportunity to open up the hedge/boundary and let more light into the woods. Exciting stuff!

And planning our holidays. Wedding anniversary trip to...a woodland. Main holiday...a chainsaw course. Not that we are obsessed with woodlands or anything

[SimonFisher]

We've put up an owl nesting box. Really helpful chap at The Barn Own Centre from where we've bought our boxes - http://www.barnowl.co.uk/product87.asp

[The Barrowers]

Built another wood store from marine ply we rescued a couple of years ago, hope nobody thinks its a structure, we could sit in it with a camo front and call it a hide

Masticed (if there is such a word) a leaky caravan top (used as a woodland workers refuse)

Cleared some 15 to 25 year old deer fencing that was only directing my herds on a specific route but was also killing them (not pretty and very distressing for deer) when they got trapped usually leg first and unable to get themselves out
Will reuse this to stop them stripping new planting / coppice hazel and some sweet chestnut that is blooming

Waiting for Spring which is coming and is actually visible in some areas

B and T

[MattF]

We had the first meeting of the Derbyshire Bushcrafter's in the wood who are helping me with it plus its nice to sleep out when I can.

[Treeation]

Hi,

This month I have been mainly -

Splitting 9-12months old cord wood into logs and getting them piled up in a dutch barn ready for selling next winter.

Fininshing off a management plan for a client in Gloucestershire.

Finishing off coppicing some ancient overstood field maple & ash stools as well as removing non-native pops - Poplus robustica from an ancient woodland (Lower Woods, South Gloucs.

Enough to keep me out of mischief!!