Creating a wildlife pond last week – with a slightly more positive outcome than Clarkson’s Farm attempt to rebuild a dam to create a pond! Following the failure of an old dam, Conservation Contractors were asked to replace the failed structure and clean out the old pond while there.
Tad’s spraying of young trees now showing up to full effect on a site in Hampshire – the best start they can have. Weed control around newly planted young trees help them survive their first growing season
Treatment of oak trees for Oak Processionary Moth control
Forestry Commission guidance is that oak trees within 50m of an infestation removed in 2023 should be treated to control any larvae that have hatched this spring. Treatment is undertaken once the leaves have emerged and provided the larvae with food. 2 treatments, 10 days apart, are undertaken with a naturally- occurring bacteria. This does not affect other wildlife.
Caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (OPM) are a pest which can be a hazard to the health of oak trees, people and animals in this area.
Tad has been busy during the settled weather last week spraying over 100, 000 newly planted trees across Wiltshire and Hampshire to control the weeds to ensure they have the best possible start.
Clear a few small trees over a bridleway was the brief !! The trees were suspended over a dead-end bridleway near Market Lavington. There is one covered in Ivy near which has worsened.
A Cleft sweet chestnut fence around a lake near Devizes and
a guard rail fence was repaired in Westbury
All with no raincoat required !!
March 2024
Cleft rail fences, also known as chestnut fences, are constructed using split logs. We used 2.4m. Commonly, these logs have pre-shaped ends that fit snugly into mortices in the fence posts. This design allows the rails to slot into the timber posts easily. Sweet chestnut does not require any treatment to help improve its lifespan – the timber contains natural preservatives. There is no industry standard for the length of the logs given their curved and bendy nature.