Small woodlands are just as important as forests

"Small woodlands in farmland have more benefits for humans per area, compared to large forests, according to a new study. The small woodlands, sometimes even smaller than a football field, can easily go unnoticed in agricultural landscapes. Yet, these small forest remnants can store more carbon in the topsoil layer, are more suitable for hunting activities and host fewer ticks than large forests."

We're not planning to do any hunting in Buckle's Wood, but read more about the research from Stockholm University.

Community Coffee Morning

9 - 11am, Thursday 14th November, Methodist Church

The lovely people who run the community coffee mornings have offered to donate the proceeds of tomorrow's event to our funds, which is appreciated, so please go along and enjoy. Sue Mackie plans to be there and will be happy to tell you about the wood, how it started, and what we'll do next. We're installing a new bench to replace the broken one (see previous post) and are planning to provide more activity days for the school and some equipment for keen naturalists of all ages to use.

New seat

This is the new seat we've ordered for the wood. It'll soon be installed to replace the broken one, thanks to everyone who answered our appeal for funds. We hope you'll enjoy sitting on it.

Elmsett school activities in the wood

Two educational support workers from The Green Light Trust spent Thursday 10th October in the wood with children from the school. Each class was involved in a different imaginative activity, learnt a lot and had a great deal of fun.

The oldest class built this new animal habitat, a safe place for overwintering wildlife, from pallets covered in vegetation, so there are lots of hidey-holes. They thought it might be called the Bugingham Hotel!

There were many opportunities to discuss all sorts of environmental issues, from litter to climate change. Each child wrote a short, “I wish” sentence about this.

Sue Mackie

Friends of Buckle's Wood

If you read the post about Paul Marshall's bench that needs to be replaced, it may have occurred to you that we need to buy another that will last at least as long as the old one. Although we have a healthy reserve, we'd like to keep it that way and raise funds for a replacement. Depending on how generous people are, the Buckle's Wood committee would also like to buy some equipment for use in the wood, such as a moth trap, a bat detector, some good field glasses, magnifying glasses and a microscope. They would be available for use in the school or hired for short periods upon payment of a deposit.

Would you like to become a Friend of Buckle's Wood? No need to make a regular commitment - any and all help gratefully received. You can make a one-off or occasional donation in one of several ways, or contribute regularly via a standing order. See the Friends' page for details.

Thanks in anticipation.
Margaret, Buckle's Wood Treasurer

Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay

Help wanted!

Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th September, 2 to 4pm.

Please come along - the more the merrier! - and join the work party.

Tom Hitchcock will cut the wildflowers and grass along the edges of the rides on Thursday. To encourage more flowers next year the debris needs to be raked into heaps between the trees.
Last year a few OAPs did all the work - we could do with some younger helpers!

We'll supply the rakes! You do the work!

To find out more, please get in touch - see tab above.

___________________________________

Update: Thanks to Janette Robinson, Margaret and Robert Funnel, Oswald Simpson, Sue and Paul Edwards, Fiona Potter and Mac, all the work was done on the 7th, so no one was needed on the 8th. Some areas of grass were knocked over by the topper and need to be strimmed down, but this won't take long.

Paul Marshall's bench

The Buckle's Wood Management Group bought this bench and dedicated it to Paul Marshall, Elmsett Primary School's head teacher, on his retirement. His enthusiastic support for creating our new community woodland was a vital element of its success!

                                Paul and Christine trying it for size in December 2007

The weather has taken its toll over the years and sadly the bench had to be removed last weekend.

We hope to raise funds to replace it in the near future!

Have you seen these?

Small heath butterfly

Matt Garnham took these photos in the wood last month. A former pupil of Elmsett Primary, he has a great knowledge of the natural world.

Bee orchid

And he takes lovely pictures!

Summer flowers and butterflies

This early summer the wood has looked great. Lots of wildflowers and now the butterflies are out and about. This Large Skipper--enjoying the sunshine, spread its wings long enough for me to get my camera focused!

Improving the pond

Following a discussion with Charles Course last year about how to improve the pond to attract more wildlife, work  to make it larger and deeper in the middle will start on 

                                                       Monday 25^th June

This work will be carried out by Heathpatch Ltd.

Please be aware that large earth moving machinery will be moving about near the footpath and rides alongside the pond and it would be advisable to enter the wood elsewhere. Your cooperation will be much appreciated!

The wood is looking really good now. Have a wonder around and see if you can spot the Yellow Rattle! In the picture below--Ox-eye Daisies in the evening sunlight.

Wildflower patches

At the end of April Mac cleared  5 patches with his strimmer --one area for the five types of wildflower seeds from Grow Wild. We soaked them with water from the pond and then  went on holiday! Two weeks later, the ground looked very dry, so we have had to use the pond water again. Last week an enthusiastic group of children from the school helped, but it still took about an hour to do all five areas. 
Small plants are growing-- lets hope we get some more rain over half term!

Help needed in the wood.

Earlier this year we applied  for a selection of free packets of wildflower seeds from GrowWild. Our application was successful and our pack arrived last month

The Management Group will prepare five suitable areas beforehand, ready for volunteers to sow a packet of  seeds. These are  the five selections of flower types.   

The wet weather has eased up and spring is in the air, so we shall be sowing our seeds next Saturday 21st April at 10.30 . Everyone is welcome, but the number of packets is limited.so you need to be in the wood on time. We shall give out the seeds by the pond.

Almost Spring

Strong winds in January blew down part of a coppiced ash in the hedge, blocking the ride towards the back of the wood. We hope to clear it out of the way soon. We shall pile up the twiggy bits in amongst the trees to make protective habitats for small animals.

Since writing this; Alan Smyth,  with help from a small group of woodlanders has cut up and removed the main part of the tree, which has just left the twiggy bits piled into heaps nearby.

The stormy winds also tore off  some of the rigid tree guards. I don't like to see plastic lying about-- not good for the environment, so I have been collecting them up and  put in my black, non recyclable bin.

Look out for signs of spring as you wander round and thank you to all the people who clean  up after their dogs--- the dog waste bins fill up really quickly!!!!

Plans for the pond

               

 This  photo of our  pond was taken soon after it had been dug out in 2014. In fact it started to fill up while it was being dug and the men didn't have time to seal the base properly .

This year the pond has had very little water in it since the spring and looks very sad!

 Charles Course from Heathpatch Ltd, suggested that the pond should be made  deeper and perhaps larger and .has offered to use his digger to do the work for us during the winter.
I'm sure that all the pupils from Elmsett School who helped to design our woodland, will be jumping up and down with joy because they knew that a pond  would attract a huge variety of wildlife into our wood.
 Hip Hip hurrah!

Thanks for your help!

The wildflowers along the edge of the rides were cut last week ready for the working party to rake up and put into heaps among the trees.
A small group of 7 retired, over seventies (except one ), managed to rake up most of the debris and heap it  into piles along the rides.

But the dark clouds were looming  ---  time was running out and energy was  ebbing away!

So the  piles still need to  be moved off the rides and heaped between the trees.This will  encourage more wildflowers to grow next year

Strong winds are forecast for Tuesday night, so if anyone has some spare time PLEASE head into the wood with a fork and complete the work that the golden oldies started !!

Lots to see and great to be, in Buckle's Wood

So many Wild flowers!

and birds

and butterflies and moths!

Buckle’s Wood’s 
Report for the Parish Council’s AGM. 2017

The trees are growing well and it is beginning to feel like a “real” wood. Dutch Elm disease has attacked a few trees, but they seem to have survived and have started to make new growth lower.

We have two dog waste bins.  A few dog owners still do not clear up after their pets. This is unpleasant and a health risk, especially for children.

The bird nesting box has been used by Kestrels and Jackdaws, but not Barn Owls.

The school children have planted wild flower plugs, helped by Catherine from Shrublands Nursery.  Last summer, each class spent part of a day in the wood with Becs, from the Green Light Trust. Under her guidance, they did lots of exciting eco- activities.

The children who helped to design our woodland, wanted a pond. James Buckle’s men used a digger to create our pond. As with all other “natural ponds”, it will take a while to seal itself and become established.

We have held working parties, to manage the wood in a way to increase its bio-diversity: raking the grass off the rides, trimming the hedges, making wood piles.

Sadly, there has been some damage. Beastly Towers was set alight. The logs in the school’s seating area were trashed. Large sticks and other items thrown in the pond.

We have paid Alan Smythe to cut the paths and Colin Goodchild to cut the length of hedge that we couldn’t manage. We need to raise funds, so that we can develop and manage the wood for the community.

Our thanks to James Buckle and everyone who has supported and helped our community woodland to thrive and develop over the years.

Sue Mackie

www.facebook.com/BucklesWood

We have a selection of garden tools and other items that were bought for planting our trees which are no longer needed

We are asking for a donation of £5.00 or more for the border spades, forks, lump hammer and long handled rakes-- great for collecting up leaves and long grass.

We also have spare canes, wooden stakes, ridged plastic and spiral tree guards and would just like a donation for these.

Please contact me-- suemackie@tinyworld.co.uk if you would like to inspect the goods and live locally.

Next working party

There will be a short, two hour working party on Saturday 27th Feb.starting at 10 o'clock.

You will need strong gloves, seqateurs and loppers as we shall be continuing  to tidy up the hedgerow and trees along the ride near the pond.

Newcomers will be very welcome.

Sadly this volunteer for out last working party missed it totally!

We have a new email address 4buckleswoodgmail.com

AND 

a page on Facebook.

www.facebook.com/BucklesWood

Early days in the wood