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Recent activities and news
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November
and December work sessions
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Sunday 7th November 2021 was our first
proper volunteer session for a very long time and it was lovely to have
five new volunteers come along for it. We split into two groups- One cut
back North Hedge which runs along the Golf Club driveway. FHBW planted this
hedge years ago and we cut it back to help it thicken, as well as to keep it
off the driveway.
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The second group reduced the height of the
Elm hedge that runs alongside Ditchling Road. We do this because the Bark
Beetles that spread Dutch Elm disease fly at a height of around 9 metres so
trees above this height are more likely to get the disease. So far the
hedge has remained disease free. A fun session and beautiful weather for
it!
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In December we had another lovely sunny day for our
volunteer work session. We carried on with the tasks from November, so
trimming back the North Hedge and reducing the height of the Ditchling Road
Elm hedge. Again, it was great to have some more new volunteers join us in
the sunshine, plus Panettone and Mince pies at tea break made for a great
session.
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Friends
of Hollingbury and Burstead Woods – 30th anniversary
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Friends of Hollingbury and Burstead Woods
celebrated 30 years of existence in October 2021 with a fantastic meal at
the lovely Cleveland Arms. Our Chair, Peter Jarman, gave a speech reminding
us of the history of the group which was formed after the 1987 Great Storm.
Virtually all the Beech trees blew down that night and it was obvious that
there was an opportunity to manage the area as new vegetation grew,
creating glades to allow more light in and increase biodiversity, as well
as keeping as many fallen trees as possible to decompose naturally. A
small local group got together, discussed their ideas with the Council, and
FHBW was formed! The woods are completely different now; new trees have grown
up, the glades have matured and are full of wildflowers, and new paths have
been created so that people can enjoy the area. FHBW itself has grown
too and is now a large volunteer group with about 60 members. We
raised our glasses to all those successes. Cheers!
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Sad
news – ash dieback
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Burstead Wood - ash bud
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In
2012 the spores of this fungal pathogen were found on Ash trees in the
south-east and it has now spread to all counties of England. It is
thought that the disease arrived on imported nursey stock from Europe, but
the spores could also have been blown across the channel. Unfortunately,
some of the Ash trees in our woods have already succumbed and others are
showing signs of the disease.
As
there is a high percentage of Ash in our woods we sought further
clarification from the Council’s arboriculture team to carry out a survey
and assess the situation.
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The newly appointed Ash Dieback Officer
for Brighton Council has now assessed the extent of the problem in the
woods. As we suspected, there is a lot of Ash Dieback, particularly in
Burstead Woods. The Council will begin to clear the affected trees in
November which will dramatically change so our woodland landscape.
Although very sad it will give us an opportunity to plant a more mixed
woodland and create new glades. Some of the beautiful veteran Beech
trees will be more prominent, and there will be plenty of wood piled on the
ground for our decomposers.
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Burstead Wood - ash flower
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Woodland projects
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Chalk
banks
Our
Friends of Hollingbury and Burstead Woods group created a south-facing
chalk bank at the top end of Hollingbury Park just below the golf club access
road. The purpose of this bank is to encourage the growth of downland
wildflowers which support some of the rarer downland butterflies and
bees.
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We planted seeds and wildflower plugs
into artificially created piles of chalk, and were extremely pleased that
by mid-summer the banks were a riot of gorgeous colours with red poppies,
yellow corn marigolds, white ox-eye daisies and blue cornflowers
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Hollingbury Woods - chalk banks
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Hedges
Our
group planted a long hedge along the golf club access road. If you walk
along the hedge from east to west, you'll see the difference between the
oldest part, which is well established, and the newer sections near the recycling
bins off Ditchling Road. We have also erected a fence along the southern
boundary of Hollingbury Woods in Hollingbury Rise West. This attracted
good feedback from local residents who said they appreciate the work we
do.
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South Downs National Park
The
boundaries of FHBW woods have not, we think, ever been formally
defined. However, in practice we have taken the road to the Golf
Clubhouse as marking the northern limit of Hollingbury Woods, and we have
not been active beyond the east-west path at the northern end of Burstead
Woods. In discussions with the Council and Hollingbury Golf Club, we
were given the authority to carry out woodland management activities in
these two further areas. As each of these areas fall within the boundary of
the South Downs National Park, we were delighted.
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National
Park Wood – Hollingbury Wood - Tree planting and new coppice
To
the north of the golf club access road, we defined a path, planted bluebells,
cleared a glade, planted a number of native trees, and planted a hazel
coppice.
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Butterfly
Glade – Burstead Wood – Clearance and wildflower planting
A
new circular path was built by this new glade at the north end of Burstead
Wood. This glade is in an especially sunny part of the wood, and it should
attract numerous butterflies. We’ve cleared some of the growth, leaving the
nettles in place, and planted native wildflowers that are beneficial to
butterflies.
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Woodland Management Aims
A
management plan for Hollingbury and Burstead Woods was created by FHBW in
conjunction with Brighton and Hove City Council in early 2012. See details
on the Council website.
http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/leisure-and-libraries/parks-and-green-spaces/hollingbury-woods-and-burstead-woods-management
The
goals of the plan are to:
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Maintain
the woodland
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Support wildlife
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Balance the woodland tree population
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Conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the woodland
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Encourage public awareness and enjoyment of the woods
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Enable responsible public access to the woods
The
key themes in the plan are:
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Creating
a butterfly glade and new path at the north end of Burstead Woods in the
South Downs National Park
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Increasing the woods slightly at the edges of Hollingbury Park
to encourage more wildlife
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Increasing wildlife habitat by felling a few larger trees due
to the reduced amount of lying dead wood
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Safeguarding and nurturing a few key large old trees as
“Veterans”
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Thinning young trees that have grown after the 1987 storm – to
increase diversity
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Deterring litter, dumping and dog fouling – and other
anti-social behaviour
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