Hedge Clipping 19

Southern Water Biodiversity Grant funded - Hedging Our Future Project

Planting trees - lets go!

The mild weather has meant that leaves have stayed longer on the trees this year but they are normally away by December. We are at the start of our tree planting season and have begun creating a new hedge in South Mundham with lots of different native trees. These have either been grown in our tree nurseries or have been acclimatised in the nurseries after being given to us by organisations like the Trust for Conservation Volunteers (TCV).

Trees are vital every season for so many species and that includes the winter months. A lovely thick hedge is a great place for invertebrates, small mammals and birds to shelter during storms and strong winds, and also provides protection from predators like magpies and other corvid species.

We are going to be continuing with our native tree planting in South Mundham this month and it is a key site as it will provide such much needed habitat to a very open field. Many bat species will now cross an open area and follow hedges to access woodland areas. In the future this new hedge will allow bats to move around. The site is also close to one of the new proposed CDC strategic wildlife corridors so this will bolster its local value.

1500 hundred more trees arrived at the end of November and we have 1500 more arriving in the new year. We will need to get these in the ground so there are planned planting sessions in January, February and March, most Tuesdays and some Saturdays. Please join us, do something rewarding, eat cake, have a laugh and meet new people.

Anyone can plant a tree as it does not involve lots of digging. Putting a bamboo cane in the ground or handing out the trees all helps us with this job. You can help to plant a tree to celebrate a life and to create a legacy.

Please come and help us!