Warden’s Blog – September 2021

20th September 2021

Autumn is on the way!

We are rapidly transitioning into Autumn now, the Rowan trees are covered with berries and our Beech trees are full of squirrels enjoying the crop of beech nuts, which are very prolific this year. Our heather regeneration areas are in full blossom now and the area between Castle Rd and London Rd is looking particularly splendid. The mass of flower gives off a lovely scent on calm days.

Heather regeneration areas.

Cutting and clearance

September is the month when we carry out the bulk of cutting and clearance work on our tracks and paths, as well as cutting and removing the long grass from our meadow areas and glades. The cutting of the tracks is one of our major tasks of the year and this time it is a tougher job than usual because of the unusually heavy growth caused by this years mild, damp conditions.

The long grass is cut at the end of each Summer after the wildflowers have set seed and the cuttings are removed as part of our long term effort to reduce soil fertility levels and create a more diverse flora.

Ash dieback disaster

September is also the month when we start to plan our tree work programme for the coming season. Unfortunately, I suspect that the overwhelming majority of my tree budget will once again have to be spent on dealing with Ash dieback problem, this time the worst problems are along Rusthall Rd. 

Ash dieback.

We had a bit of an issue at Fir Tree Rd, when the post supporting the gate that closes off the road above the car park entrance fell over; after twenty years it had rotted away just below ground level. It was quite a job getting the old stump out but it has now been replaced and hopefully will last for another twenty years.

Accidents do happen.

A rather more serious problem occurred on the nearby Wellington Rocks when a young boy got his legs stuck in one of the crevices in the rocks. Fire and Rescue had to attend and it took them three hours to get the poor lad free. Fortunately he does not seem to have suffered any serious damage but it must have been a very scary and distressing experience for him.

Steve Budden