February - What I have done in this month

[MartreCycle]

An opportunity to share information about the work/tasks/activities done in your woodland during February.

Can be exciting, interesting, laborious, tedious, relaxing, mundane, life enhancing, dangerous, even spiritual etc. The item does not have be original and can be the same as other activities done in any other month.

The aim of this months thread is to give folk an idea of what owning a wood involves - glamourous, not so glamourous, big projects and small projects.

...In woodland management, February is usually the last month before the bird nesting season and is the last opportunity for a few months to do clearance, felling etc.

[jillybean]

I have hauled a caravan on to the land to use as a site hut. Its changed everything. now my woodsman has somewhere to have a coffee that is warm and out of the rain. I can store some reference books, use my shave horse, and make beans on toast. my wheelchair bound friend can sit comfortably instead of sinking into the soft mud. I have arrived earlier and stayed later. I have been drawing, and watching with binoculars the Jays, Treecreepers, Phesants, Tits Wrens and rabbits all feeding at or under the bird table. When outside, Ive been too cold to sit still for long.now I can have a walk and get wet, and not have to go straight home. just hope the night visitors dont wreck it though.

The woodsman has cut an acre of 70 year old overgrown hornbeam coppice that has transformed the area,Leaving just the Standards. already the bluebells are appearing. The spring promises many great things for this now sunny corner.

[tracy]

Sounds brilliant Jillybean! If only others could understand why we need some simple shelter!

[Darren]

been thinning out scots pine to make way for the ash, hornbeam and hazel growing underneath it. Bent my guide bar on a snagged pine tree. Fixed a few problem with a lawnmower tractor, just need to get the flaming wheel off to put on a new tyre.

[woodbodger]

The weather has been cold but fine here in wales lately. I have cleared a large area of scrub goat willow of about an acre that borders a small river to create a glade area which I hope will encourage more bird life in particular Barn owls. Before any one gets excited this was originally a field but has just been left to go wild and no trees of any size were harmed . I have planted a couple of hundred of various willow cuttings at one end for basket making and in the rest I have huge mounds of scruffy branches that have to be cleared eventually when all tidied up this should create a quiet recreational area with some larger trees in it which will benefit from a little space around them.