Netherwood Fell and Extract August 2020

If you go down to the woods today be sure of a big surprise. Well you would have been surprised had you visited in August as you would have been welcomed by three very friendly dogs, four strapping carthorses, a caravan, umpteen chainsaws and a great gang of foresters striving to put Netherwood back into shape. Engaged by the Woodlands Trust, Kate, and her team, set foot to fell as many as one quarter of all the trees in order to enable more light in to help the saplings and undergrowth prosper.

Regular visitors to the wood will know how the trees have been allowed to grow with no management for far too long. The trees are too tall and spindly and ash die back is prevalent. And, while the sound of the canopy in a storm is awesome, it has been heartwarming to see that the Woodland Trust are investing in improving the health of the site.

"Fell and extract" simply means the cutting down and removal of crops or trees. It can be extremely dangerous as you can imagine. There are numerous approaches to felling and extracting trees most of which are mechanised. Not so the approach taken by our team. Instead the Gang of Four used four beautifully strong carthorses to extract the logs down to the road.

Next time you take a stroll around the woods notice how wide the path is now and how much lighter it is. If you notice a tree with a red dot on - well they've missed one! It was lovely seeing the horses at rest in the field by the Millennium Rock. It is a pity that they couldn't become a permanent fixture. We wish Kate and her team Good Luck for future projects and thank them, and the Woodland Trust, for all their hard work.