18/01/2026
Last week started with the trimming of this very large laurel hedge, the lovely yew and another massive beech hedge!
Exhausting but rewarding work!
For the rest of the week we were working in the Green Lane Woods complex (wiltshire wildlife trust) alongside Josh Rogers @ Nature Matters
We’ve been carrying out sensitive woodland thinning and long-rotation coppicing, mainly hazel, with the aim of improving woodland structure and boosting biodiversity. Letting more light reach the woodland floor while retaining key feature trees, especially oak and field maple, was a big part of the work.
Along the way we created a range of habitat features, including habitat piles, standing and lying deadwood, and even a leaky dam, all to add structural diversity and support woodland wildlife. Some selective scrub management too, mainly hawthorn and blackthorn where appropriate, always with long-term conservation in mind.
All of this helps support a healthier woodland, particularly maintaining the conditions needed by the rare Bechstein’s bat population that calls these woods home 🦇
