OBJ Morris - 2005 Scrapbook
Coppicing at Dinton Pastures
26 February 2005
We enjoyed our November coppicing outing so much that we could barely
wait until February for another session of "slash and burn" - or "Woodland
Management" as the Countryside Agency experts call it.
The day dawned amid fears of flu outbreaks and blizzards, but we arrived
at Dinton Pastures to find most of OBJ there, and the weather was quite
mild considering the daily snowfall that had preceeded it.
Stuart Croft hosted us, with the help of the lovely Katie. They helped
the day along, and educated us a little along the way. I can't wait to use
the word "snedding" in a sentence. Seriously, they were lovely company.
The coppicers were: Anne, Chris, Colin, Diane, Ian, Jenny, Linda, Nikki,
Rob, Susie&Dave, Tiff.
The star of the day's coppicing was undoubtedly the fire.
Tiff appointed herself as fire monitor - she claimed prior
experience of rubbing boy scouts together (Hmm..)
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Tea break arrived all too soon.
Below left: Diane, Susie, ian and Anne
Below right: Tiff and Linda
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A "work break" then followed, and a good deal of carnage was done
to Sandford Copse.
It was rather uneventful. No-one disturbed a wasps nest and got
stung. No-one had a tree land on them. No-one needed any first-aid
at all. Better luck next time!
This bit has not been captured on camera, as Colins waterproof
trousers are not a pretty sight.
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This small, slow-moving creature was observed high up in the tree
canopy. It is rarely seen during daylight hours.
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Katie (left) is a volunteer helper at Dinton Pastures.
Here, Katie and Chris are watching as Stuart cuts
down the tree previously inhabited by Tiff.
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Jenny's aura shows up really well in this picture
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The results of the days efforts - just over a hundred potential
sticks (and Chris's bike).
They'll be seasoned for a year or so and then bashed into pieces.
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