Conservation Report – May
On Sunday, 16th May, our Conservation Group met once again. Fifteen people attended, which included 4 Committee members of Friends of Fox Hill. We ensured Government guidelines were adhered to by splitting into 3 groups, each one with a leader.
Our aim for the morning was to remove more Rhododendron and create space for a greater variety of trees to grow.
All the brash was stacked along the verge by the Dorset Way entrance. WBC Countryside Service will shred it and the chippings will be used in our next session to improve the main pathways.
In addition, we managed to fit in a short session of Himalayan Balsam removal, another invasive plant. Rhododendron and Himalayan Balsam both have attractive flowers. However much we remove them, there will still be plenty left to admire.
Stephanie Mckay, Conservation Officer FOFH
Tim Lloyd, our Chair The Working Party briefing The Working Party Clearing Rhododendron Brash A dog walker is interested in the activity Stacking the Rhododendron brash The Rhododendron brash waiting to be chipped by the Council in a month’s time
Conservation Working Party
Our next Conservation Working Party of 2021 will take place on Sunday, 16th May from 10am – 1pm. Please come and join us, meeting at the main Dorset Way entrance for Fox Hill woods.
This session will focus on removing Rhododendron as the season for coppicing has passed. It is also possible that we will begin removing Himalayan Balsam, which is an invasive plant.
Please wear clothing with long sleeves, long trousers, sturdy shoes, and bring a pair of gardening gloves. Don’t forget to bring something to drink, and eat, if you so wish.
The event will follow the current Government guidelines regarding COVID-19. We regret that no children under the age of 16 are permitted due to insurance restrictions. All work carried out is with the approval of Wokingham Borough Council.
If you would like to attend, or need more information, please contact us by sending an email to events@friendsoffoxhill.org.
Spring Working Party
We had an amazing turn out for our conservation session in the woods yesterday, and achieved a great deal. A big thank you to all those who gave up their time to help.
The area where we have previously worked is now more open to sunlight. There is evidence of a wider variety of plant species beginning to grow. There is more wild Honeysuckle and several smaller tree saplings, including Hawthorn which is not so common in the woods. Some of the native Bluebell bulbs we put in last December are showing and two different species of butterflies were spotted recently. The Hazel trees coppiced when we first began our work are showing good regrowth. Hazel was traditionally planted to provide an autumn harvest of long straight poles for use as fencing and in agriculture. We have recently been granted permission to coppice some more of the Hazel in the woodland and are following in the tradition of using it to form the posts for our dead hedges. Our dead hedges are lined with a bed of dead wood and then layered with Rhododendron. We are removing some of the Rhododendron as it is an invasive species and stops other native species from thriving. Our hedges are arranged around the area which has been cleared to encourage walkers to take the pathway and not accidentally trample on the wildflowers and small saplings.
In addition to the conservation work a substantial amount of litter was cleared during the morning. Also, a mouse was spotted living in the base of one of our hedges.
Stephanie Mckay, Conservation Officer FOFH
The Working Party The Working Party Bubble removing a tree that has fallen through a Hazel Removing Rhododendron Coppicing Hazel Removing dead wood Building a dead hedge Dead hedge filled with Rhododendron brash New growth being protected by the dead hedges Protecting Bluebells Dead hedge Dead hedge along the path Litter collected Litter collected
Conservation Works
Our first Conservation Working Party of 2021 will be taking place on Sunday, 11th April from 10am – 1pm. Please come and join us, meeting at the Dorset Way entrance for Fox Hill woods.
Please wear clothing with long sleeves, long trousers, sturdy shoes and bring a pair of gardening gloves. Don’t forget to bring something to drink, and eat, if you so wish.
The event will follow the current Government guidelines regarding COVID-19. We regret that no children under the age of 16 are permitted due to insurance restrictions. All work carried out is with the approval of Wokingham Borough Council.
If you would like to attend, or would like more information, please contact us by sending an email to events@friendsoffoxhill.org.
Finding Trees In Fox Hill
Have you ever wondered what types of tree are in Fox Hill? Which tree bark do dormice use for their nest? Which tree was planted by the front door, in Victorian times, to keep evil spirits away? Looking for an activity while walking through Fox Hill woods?
The Finding Trees in Fox Hill map will help you to locate the most common types of tree in Fox Hill. The second page provides information about the trees and some fun facts. We hope that you and your family enjoy the activity.
Note: When printing the document from the link, ensure that under ‘More Settings’ and ‘Scale’ “Fit to printable area” is selected. Alternatively, download to your computer, select ‘Print’ and ensure that “Fit” is the chosen option under ‘Page Sizing & Handling’.
Minutes of Meeting 2021
Further to our Annual General Meeting on, which was held on Sunday, 21st February 2021, please find the link to the Meeting Minutes. Thank you to all those who were able to attend.
The Minutes also give the details of the Committee positions. There are a few vacancies, so if you would like to join, please contact us at info@friendsoffoxhill.org.
For reference, the Committee reports can be found using this link – FOFH AGM Presentation.
We look forward to seeing you during the year on one of our activities.
Notices
NOTICE FOR CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS 
As a reminder, please note that the FOFH Conservation Working Party planned for Sunday 14th February has been postponed. Our sessions will resume once Government guidelines relating to the current lockdown are lifted.
NOTICE FOR MEMBERS A reminder that our AGM will be held on 21st February 2021, as notified by email on 24th January. A Zoom link will be sent by email prior to the meeting. Any questions to be addressed at the AGM can be sent to secretary@friendsoffoxhill.org by 12th February 2021. Please note there have been no nominations contesting any of the positions for the Committee, whether new or existing applicants, therefore a vote is not required. Results will be given at the AGM.
Annual General Meeting
21 February 2021 at 15:00
Further to our post on Facebook on 16th January 2021, we are pleased to announce that the Friends of Fox Hill AGM will be held on 21st February 2021 at 15:00 via Zoom for our members.
Our presentation is available for everyone to read and can be found using this link – FOFH AGM Presentation.
Features Map
We have put together a map showing some features of Fox Hill along the paths within the woods. Although the map is not to scale, it should give a good indication of where these features are. Some are already known, such as the “Snogging Logging” and the “Rhododendron Walk”, but for those of you who are relatively new to the woods, the map will help find them. It will also be a great way of spending walks in the woods with youngsters trying to find the features.
The map can be downloaded to your phone as your guide.
Conservation Working Party Report – December
Thank you to everyone who came along to join our Conservation Working Party on 13th December 2020. The weather was much kinder than predicted and a great deal was achieved.
We were recently given permission from WBC to work in two areas of the woodland and this is thanks to the support of a professional arboriculturist, who is acting as our agent and giving professional advice. We are also incredibly lucky to have the help of Steve Loyd, who has manged Ruscombe woods for many years. Steve is very knowledgeable about the use of traditional hand tools and managing native woodland for the benefit of nature.
We began our session with a quick introduction, confirming that everyone was aware of the risk assessments, and had submitted emergency contact details. Some tool instruction was given, and we then dispersed to different sections of the area to be worked.
One group tackled the Rhododendron, and a good section was reduced to ground level. This non-native invasive species blocks light, and our long-term aim is to increase the range of habitats and biodiversity in the woodland. The best option for removing Rhododendron is to burn it or use a chemical plant killer. Neither of these options were open to us, so it was decided to use the brash in our dead hedges. Dead hedges create natural barriers to protect areas from too much footfall and provide a valuable habitat for invertebrates and small mammals.
A second group edged pathways by pegging in the logs to reduce the risk of rolling, and a third group constructed the framework for the hedge. At 11.30 we stopped for a break, and to review the progress made, after which it was all hands on deck to move the brash and trunks of Rhododendron to the dead hedge area. Other tasks included planting native bluebells and moving dead wood where it was restricting the growth of living trees. Most of the dead wood was left in place as it provides another valuable habitat.
The area we are trying to protect Rhododendron before cutting Beginning work on the Rhododendron Tim working on the Rhododendron Working on the Rhododendron Result of clearing the Rhododendron Pathway before edging Pathway with edging pegged in Family bubble work together to put in posts Family bubble using the post rammer Filling the dead hedge with Rhododendron brash The completed hedge Planting native bluebells
