May 2012
Hollybank Woods, Emsworth, Hampshire.
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Forestry (May 2012)
Forestry work is only carried out between 9.00am and dusk. No forestry vehicles or teams will be in the woodland outside of these hours.
All felled timber within the woodland is used within Hollybank Woods or retained as log piles to create wildlife habitat. Removal of timber from log stacks, or any other cut timber, is treated as theft.
Please keep children, dogs and horses at a safe distance from forestry work and heed any signs that inform you of work being carried out on the paths ahead. Forestry and conservation work is ongoing throughout the year in Hollybank Woods.
ADVANCE NOTICE OF VEHICLE MOVEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE WOODLAND
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 16.05.2012
7.00am to 4.30pm.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry and coppice work will be using the northern entrance, northern and southern bridleway, eastern and western permitted horse route in connection with forestry and coppice work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 15.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 14.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 13.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 12.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 11.05.2012
7.00am to 4.30pm.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry and coppice work will be using the northern entrance, northern and southern bridleway, eastern and western permitted horse route in connection with forestry and coppice work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 10.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 09.05.2012
7.00am to 4.30pm.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry and coppice work will be using the northern entrance, northern and southern bridleway, eastern and western permitted horse route in connection with forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 08.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 07.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 06.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 05.05.2012
8.30am to 4.30pm.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway, eastern and western permitted horse route in connection with forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 04.05.2012
2.30pm to 5.30pm.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway, eastern and western permitted horse route in connection with forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 03.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 02.05.2012
9.45am to 4.30pm.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway, eastern and western permitted horse route in connection with forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 01.05.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 30.04.2012
9.30am to 4.30pm.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway, eastern and western permitted horse route in connection with forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 29.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 28.04.2012
9.45am to dusk.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work alongside the Emsworth Common Road by the eastern conifer plantation, will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
An area of the north eastern woodland will be closed to the public whilst scrub clearing is carried out during the morning. Use of the permitted horse route / footpath running east and through the conifer plantation to the Emsworth Common Road will not be restricted.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 27.04.2012
9.45am to dusk.
Please be aware that clearing work will be taking place in the central woodland, central eastern and western woodland.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with the Jubilee Plantation in the central western area will be using the northern entrance and western permitted horse track.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation, will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 26.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 25.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 24.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 23.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 22.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 21.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 20.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 19.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 18.04.2012
9.45am to dusk. Please be aware that coppice work will be taking place alongside the north/south main bridleway.
Please be aware that clearing work will be taking place in the central woodland and central western woodland.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with the Jubilee Plantation in the central western area will be using the northern entrance and western permitted horse track.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation, will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 17.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 16.04.2012
Forestry felling course, alongside Emsworth Common Road and in the eastern conifer plantation.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 15.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 14.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 13.04.2012
No forestry work.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 12.04.2012
No forestry work.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 11.04.2012
9.45am to dusk. Please be aware that coppice work will be taking place alongside the north/south main bridleway.
Please be aware that clearing work will be taking place in the central woodland and central western woodland.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with the Jubilee Plantation in the central western area will be using the northern entrance and western permitted horse track.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 10.04.2012
9.00am to dusk. Please be aware that vehicles connected with the Jubilee Plantation in the central western area will be using the northern entrance and western permitted horse track.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 09.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 08.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 07.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 06.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 05.04.2012
8.00am to dusk. Please be aware that vehicles connected with the Jubilee Plantation in the central western area will be using the northern entrance and western permitted horse track.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 04.04.2012
9.45am to dusk. Please be aware that coppice work will be taking place alongside the north/south main bridleway.
Please be aware that clearing work will be taking place in the central woodland.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with the Jubilee Plantation in the central western area will be using the northern entrance and western permitted horse track.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 03.04.2012
No forestry work.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 02.04.2012
No forestry work.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work in the eastern conifer plantation will be using the northern entrance, northern bridleway and eastern permitted horse track.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 01.04.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 31.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 30.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 28.03.2012
9.45am to dusk. Please be aware that coppice work will be taking place alongside the north/south main bridleway.
Please be aware that clearing work will be taking place in the central woodland.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work will be using the northern entrance and will be in the central woodland (Jubilee Plantation area) and in the Eastern Conifer Plantation area.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 28.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 27.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 26.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 25.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 24.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 23.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 22.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 21.03.2012
9.45am to dusk. Please be aware that coppice work will be taking place alongside the north/south main bridleway.
Please be aware that clearing work will be taking place in the central woodland.
Please be aware that vehicles connected with forestry work will be using the northern entrance and will be in the central woodland / Jubilee Plantation area.
Please be aware that school children will be tree planting in the new Jubilee Plantation during the morning.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 20.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 19.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 18.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 17.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 16.03.2012
No forestry work.
FORESTRY WORK UPDATE: 15.03.2012
No forestry work.
Please keep children, dogs and horses at a safe distance from forestry work and heed signs that inform you of work being carried out on the paths ahead. Work is ongoing.
Log piles offer vital winter shelter for insects during winter months. (PHOTO: AB)
February 2011 (Update by: AB) - Sycamore felling
By far our commonest species of maple, and always a subject of dispute as to whether Sycamore is a native British tree, in an ancient woodland such as Hollybank Woods it is highly invasive. Seed pods are produced every year which spin off the trees in great numbers to be carried on the wind over a wide area, encouraging a rapid spread of the species. The seed is, to put it mildly, extremely fertile and not restricted in where it will germinate.
Many woods are now invaded by Sycamore, which will grow vigorously in shade and reaches maturity very quickly, so woods rapidly become a monoculture of sycamore. This is a serious threat to ancient woodland such as Hollybank Woods where Oak and Beech struggle to compete for both light and soil nutrients. Unless managed, Sycamore quickly dominates a wood to the exclusion of other trees, causing serious damage to woodland biodiversity.
For this reason we are addressing the situation in Hollybank Woods now rather than wait until we reach crisis point. Already some areas of our ancient woodland environment here is suffering from the yearly increase in Sycamore saplings. Whilst we can fight this by constant cutting back of new growth, our main option for control is to remove a proportion of the established Sycamore population, there in decreasing the yearly seed drop.
Whilst we have no intention of removing every established Sycamore from the woodland, after all they support just as many lichens as an Oak, and the abundant Sycamore leaf litter attracts many worms and rich humus develops as a result. However, the negative side of Sycamore domination has to be addressed.
Sycamore trees scheduled for felling can be identified by a blue spray mark. (PHOTO: AB)
Why is so much felling debris and timber being left?
Regardless of which type of tree is being felled, be it Sycamore or Birch, or indeed any other tree, keeping the debris, branches and logs where the tree is felled provides a key and vital stage in the regeneration process of the area around where the tree previously stood.
Felling debris creates habitat for regeneration. (PHOTO: AB)
Insects, fungal spores and lichens that will have been on the tree itself or in the bark are part of the woodland biodiversity.
Bracket fungus on felled Birch log. (PHOTO: AB)
By allowing the piles of cut branches and logs to rot down naturally we put nutrians back into the woodland, create habitat and shelter for insects, mammals, fungus and woodland plants.
As log piles rot down they create vital habitat for beatles and moss. (PHOTO: AB)
By removing all the felled timber and tree debris we would be reducing biodiversity, and our aim is to increase biodiversity. For this reason the log piles and tree debris have a very important role in regeneration of the felling sites.
Freshly felled log piles. (PHOTO: AB)
In the first few years logs begin to decay and the woodland starts to reclaim them. Moss cloaks the decaying wood whilst insects and wood beetles go about their duties. Fungus spores already in the bark and surrounding habitat quickly spread through the decaying timber. Over the years the woodland reclaims and recycles the log pile fully. (PHOTO: AB)
If you are out walking and you see a warning triangle ahead by the path, please proceed with care. You may have to wait at a safe distance whilst felling takes place. Please also be aware that you may be requested to follow an alternative path by the forestry team at work. All efforts will be made to allow you to proceed on your chosen path, but for safety reasons this may not always be possible. We appreciate that this may be an inconvenience but for health and safety reasons the forestry team have to follow regulations when working in a woodland open to the public.
Hollybank Woods is both a public space to enjoy and also (in the plantation area) a working woodland, but above all the wood is a conservation site and in order to preserve this we may at times have to close paths temporarily during forestry operations.
You may also find that on some occassions your route is made difficult by having to negotiate 4-wheel drive vehicles parked up near the forestry work sites. Once again, for safety reasons and for movement of equipment this is a necessary part of the woodland management. At any one time we try our best to ensure no more that three vehicles are on site within the woodland. At best we will try and ensure two vehicles, but often three are required in order to comply with health and safety requirements.
Emsworth Common Road has a green metal bar access gate, please ensure you do not obstruct access. This gate and the turning area alongside the road is for forestry and emergency access. Access is required 24 hours a day.
Flora and habitat protection.
Wood Anemones. (PHOTO: AB)
All forestry work carried out in Hollybank Woods is governed by strict conservation principles. Before a tree is felled the site is inspected to assess environmental impact and to ensure minimal damage is caused to surrounding habitat.
Careful consideration is also given to where forestry debris and logs are stacked to ensure swift habitat regeneration.
In the plantation area close to the stream toads are a common occurrence. Before felling a tree the base and fall area is checked and any toads located are moved a safe distance away. Trees are assessed for small invertebrates, mammals and birds. We have even been known to move caterpillars if this is considered beneficial to a particular moth or butterfly!
Felling a tree will of course always result in some damage to both the surrounding habitat, flora and fauna, this is inevitable. We do not fell trees without reason, we fell trees to ensure habitat regeneration and to conserve the flora and fauna of this ancient woodland.
However, on balance the long term benefits of our forestry work to improve the woodland conservation is critical in the medium to long term, even if the short term result may appear to scar the woodland.
Spring and summer will of course bring new growth to the forest and as the ground cover flora increases so the scars of felling will recede.
Friends of Hollybank Woods
About and how to join:
The Friends of Hollybank Woods are a group of local residents who formed in the Spring of 2001 to promote the protection of Hollybank Woods. The wood is owned by Havant Borough Council and managed on its behalf by the Friends of Hollybank Woods who organise regular work parties and themed walks run by local naturalists. The group formed a management committee and undertake well planned conservation work in the woods for the benefit of both wildlife and people using the woods.
There are lots of opportunities to get involved, not just for those who want to do practical work. We need your support!
To receive a Membership Application pack and become a Friend, please contact the Friends of Hollybank Woods membership secretary. Membership costs £1.50 for an adult and £3.00 for a family. Under 16's free.
Anna Williams
Membership Secretary
Friends of Hollybank Woods
Hollybank House
Emsworth
PO10 7UN
Telephone Anna on (01243) 375502
You can email us too, contact details are on the Blog page.
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