COME ALONG AND JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT TASK…..
RESTORING HEATHLAND BY REMOVING BIRCH SAPLINGS
SUNDAY 19th MARCH, 2017 MEET IN BRUSHES CLOUGH CAR PARK AT 10:30 AM
Our next task is to remove more birch saplings, from within the heather, in the Brushes Clough Spoil Heap area. We managed to move around a 100 on the 5th of March but we still have a long way to go.
We made a wildlife hedge with the trees we took out, which will provide another habitat for birds and small mammals.
A question often asked is……Why do we remove trees from one area, and then plant more trees in different areas on the moor?
A brief answer is that moorland may look natural, but it’s a man-made and managed landscape, which, if not carefully managed would succumb to ecological succession.
What is ecological succession? In this instance the birch trees will rapidly colonise the spoil heap area with their tiny wind-blown seeds, and eventually convert the area into woodland.
Crompton Moor is made up of many diverse habitats, which provide us with rich diverse wildlife, and to protect it we need to manage it to maintain the balance of each habitat it contains.
This is also an opportunity to have a go with a ‘Tree Popper’; a great tool which lifts the trees out of the ground with little disturbance to the vegetation around it. This really does make it much easier to remove the trees. Easy to use and no digging necessary!!
Clothing to suit the weather conditions, and sturdy boots for the uneven ground, are advised.
For further information please contact:
Marian Herod – Secretary – Friends of Crompton Moor
Tel: 07792 156295 Email: cromptonmoor@gmail.com