Next task we will be continuing to cut back a path in the bramble at the western end of the site. This path was badly overgrown making access difficult last summer. As well as improving access, wider margins between the bramble patches will provide a fire break in the event of bramble fire. On Google Earth you can see this part of the common was very open in 1999, with just a few patches of bramble. Over the years these have grown and joined up. We should be burning up the bramble and having a fire.
Category Archives: future tasks
Joint fonc / wcv / hcs task
FONC will be joining the HCS rangers and the Wednesday Conservation Volunteers on Wed 18th December. We will be clearing scrub from the heather, cutting back and burning bramble or some combination of the two. There will be a fire for baking potatoes so bring one along (wrapped in foil works best) Meet at the car park at 9.45. WCV have worked on the site before, notable doing the majority of the inner fencing. See their website for more details of what they do: https://wednesdaycv.org.uk/
HCV Sunday task
Come and join in with Hampshire Conservation Volunteers on Sunday 12th January for some scrub clearing and burning. Bring a potato if you like for baking in the fire. Meet at the car park at 10am. See their website for more details: https://www.hcv.org.uk/index.html
HCV Sunday task
Our planned start date in October has been and gone due to some boring administrative delays, but the wheels are moving slowly and we hope to start bfore much longer. In the meantime the lovely Hampshire Conservation Volunteers will be putting in a day of scrub clearing on Sunday 17th. Turn up on the day, or ideally book ahead so that they will have sufficient tools etc. https://www.hcv.org.uk/index.html
Future tasks
All tasks cancelled
Due to the Coronavirus epidemic we have no more tasks for this season. Normal service should resume sometime in September. Watch this space.
11 March Bramble bashing
Next task we will be continuing to cut back a path in the bramble at the western end of the site. This path was badly overgrown making access difficult last summer. As well as improving access, wider margins between the bramble patches will provide a fire break in the event of bramble fire. On Google Earth you can see this part of the common was very open in 1999, with just a few patches of bramble. Over the years these have grown and joined up. We should be burning up the bramble and having a fire.
First FONC task Wednesday 5th February
Better late than never. We are finally ready to start conservation work on Wednesday 5th February. Meet at 10:00 in the car park which is on the A27 almost opposite Netley Firs Close. We will be removing scrubby regrowth, mostly birch from in and around the heather. There will be a fire for burning the birch and cooking potatoes.
Thanks to a grant from the Chestnut Fund, we have bought nice new loppers and other tools. There should be more popping than lopping going on, as we now use tree poppers for removing the birch, roots and all. This should save a lot of time in future years as the previous practise of cutting and treating has been only partly effective.
Tasks will continue every Wednesday in February and March.
Friends of Netley Common 