That's Hedge-u-cation or there's a whole lot of logging going on.



Just some of the arsenal of tools

 On Saturday the 25th of February the Youth Rangers returned to Bracelands for a day with a green wood work/hedge focus. After an initial introduction to a range of green wood working/coppicing tools and a forthright explanation of the tools safe and intended use, the group split into two with half exploring green wood work skills and the rest of the group undertaking a hedge survey and completing the construction and installation of our bird boxes.

Unique recycled homes available now

The Green wood working group under the careful tutoring of Dave Jackson from wild wood coppice, spent the morning transforming an ash log, of especially difficult grain, into a set of spatulas to adorn the finest kitchens in the land. The young people used a range of tools in order to complete their hand made utensils, from the axe, to the carving knife, draw knife and the traditional shave horse bench.


How to ride a shave horse



While one half of the group were going out on a limb with the wood work, eight Youth Rangers undertook and OPAL survey of the hedgerow that bounds the site. The group looked closely at how to define different types of hedgerow, and to identify some of the common  species of plant and animal that find refuge within this important habitat. The construction of the next boxes begun in our first outing was completed, and then carefully located  within the surrounding woodland. Survey of the nesting sites will be undertaken later in the spring.

Thank you to Dave our tutor for the day and to Les for bringing the amazing two handled logging saw! More pictures to come on the face book page.