Maintenance is key!

Where were we?

We have started to complete our biannual maintenance around planting sites in Hull from year 2 of the Northern Forest Project. Throughout May we went to North Bransholme where 4100 trees were planted. We estimated about 75% of the trees were still alive and establishing themselves. The dry weather in April could have put too much stress on the young trees which resulted in some of them perishing. We maintained Walter Simpson playing fields situated in West Hull where 1800 trees were planted, again we estimated another 75% had survived.

Poppy flourishing at Rossington colliery

Towards the end of May, beginning of June I had the chance to go to another location outside my office region and assisted TCV York on 3 occasions where I could also catch up with fellow Wildskills trainee Eva. I assisted with tree maintenance on the formidable Rossington colliery site where 16,700 trees were planted in the end of 2020/2021. The team had to cease planting due to the dry weather we had in April as the conditions were not favorable. The survival rate at this site was brilliant and will hopefully continue to grow with the prospects of it becoming a country park, similarly to a nearby site of Brodsworth Community Woodland where I have been recently leading groups in fence removal. The fences have now done their job of protecting the now mature trees from any herbivory pressures and the material can be recycled for other projects.

What were we conserving?

A lot of people believe that once a tree is planted then that is all you must do but that is wrong. The young saplings depend on maintenance in removing any vegetation such as weeds and grasses around and even inside the tubes. By removing the unwanted vegetation, the trees have a better survival rate as they are not competing for natural resources such as light and water and will become more established. The wet weather we experienced in monsoon May meant the seeds from the topsoil at Rossington colliery had geminated and grew so fast. You could not even see the trees and you could have been right next to a spiral and cane- that is how tall the grass was. For example, an Oak tree is a slow growing species, also known as a K selected species as they have an extended longevity and later maturity. Dandelions which are one species which competes with the trees is considered an R selected species as they mature early, have short lifespans, and produce many offspring.

Why is this conservation important?

Meadow Pipit eggs at Rossington colliery

As discussed in my previous blog, trees can provide us with utilities such as Oxygen, timber and flood prevention but can also provide a home for wildlife and biodiversity is another factor vital out existence and without it would disturb our ecosystems. Throughout the past month I have been going to site to maintain trees planted in previous years of the Northern Forest, it has opened my eyes to how much the trees have had an impact on the environment in a short time. I have come across species I haven’t seen before such a Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) at Rossington. This species was nesting amongst the meadow flowers and trees, so we had to be careful where we were placing our feet but were visually in in the sky and singing. Their song is high pitched reaching 460 syllables. I have started to improve my meadow flower ID which I have not had the opportunity to do before and have started taking out a flower ID booklet while I’m out of task. At Brodsworth community woodland Birds-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) was abundant. They are identified by their vibrant cluster of yellow flowers and have seed pods that resemble birds feet -hence the name.

Roe deer Fawn in North Hull

What I’ve found is that planting trees allows long, species rich grass to thrive, compared to mown grasslands, fundamentally accommodating species we would not see especially in an urban setting as it is believed you have to travel to the countryside to see wildlife. From the smallest of insects such as the Froghopper, who creates bubble formations known as Cuckoo spit on long grass blades to protect its young at Brodsworth or the amazing encounter I had in North Hull when we saw a Roe deer fawn (Capreolus capreolus) nestled amongst the long grass and several species of ground nesting birds such as Meadow pipits (Anthus paratensis) and Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) eggs and brooding females when maintaining the trees.

Birds-foot trefoil at Brodsworth Community Woodland

Other important announcements

I started my Wildskills traineeship back in February which I am thoroughly enjoying giving me vital skills such as leadership training, project planning, biodiversity ID, knowledge about the natural world and transferable skills to get into the practical conservation sector. A job advert was advertised to replace Jack who is currently the Tree and Woodland Creation Project Officer at the Hull TCV as he is off back to university. I applied and got shortlisted along with two other applicants. The practical conservation sector is so competitive as it is smaller in relation to other sectors, but I gave it my all at the interview. I was over the moon to be offered the permanent job and have now moved up the career ladder which I am so proud of as I've remained dedicated to what I believe in my heart as the most rewarding sector. I am starting my new role on the 14^th June.