Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2013 | Page 71

COUNTRY LIFE

By Tony Ridd
In January, 30 volunteers from
the island and mainland met
to carry out a weekend of
woodland tasks at Briddlesford
Copse in Wootton.
Owned and managed by The
People’s Trust for Endangered
Species (PTES), who organise
and run the event, this one
was their most successful to
date.
So keen was everyone, that
not even a heavy fall of snow
on the Friday failed to stop
them travelling down and
staying the night on the
Island, prior to an early start
Saturday morning.
Jobs such as coppicing, ride
(woodland track) widening,
brash burning, sycamore
control and clearing fallen
trees from fences were on
the menu and the group was
divided up and sent off in
different directions to set
about their allotted tasks.
Briddlesford Copse is well
known for its red squirrels and
dormouse population, and
after years of neglect the hazel
coppice, (hazel nuts being a
major food source for both) is
beginning to suffer. Cutting
hazel stools and a thinning
of the over shading trees in
coupes is a traditional method
of managing the woodland and
allows the hazel to grow back
more vigorously and in turn
produce more nuts.

But, Briddlesford is not just
important for its mammals.
Being a SSSI (Scientific Site
of Special Interest) there are
also some important plant
species, and like the hazel,
they too need light. This
is where the ride widening
is important. Many of the
plants have been growing on
the tracks as this is where
the light has been getting
through as the woodland
has become overgrown. By
clearing a section alongside the
paths, it allows the plants the
opportunity to spread out and
increase in density.
Sycamore is very good at
reproducing through seed; so
good in fact that it will very
quickly dominate an area,
and with its large leaves cast
a complete shadow over the
woodland floor. In doing
so, it will then, out compete
with its native neighbours,
killing them off, to leave a
very monocultured woodland.
After cutting, the stumps
have to quickly be treated
with glysophate to stop them
re-growing. A blue die is used
in the chemical, so that we can
see where we’ve been.
To find out more about
the PTES and the work at
Briddleford Copse, phone Ian
White 0207 498 4533 or go to
www.ptes.org

p play!
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