Grove Woods tree planting day
In 2017 hundreds of mature deciduous trees were felled in Churston’s Grove Woods on the advice of the Forestry Commission due to disease. Since that time Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust has replanted some 4,800 new trees. Work continues to increase the biodiversity of the area via local groups. Julian Rees goes along to a volunteer treeplanting session hosted by the Friends of Grove Woods to find out more.
T
he Friends of Grove Woods, working with TCCT volunteers and members of the Torbay Climate Change Action Group met up in Churston on a wet Sunday morning to plant a further 1,000 trees. The saplings were donated by the Woodland Trust and Volunteers for Conservation and included a variety of native deciduous tree and hedging varieties including Hornbeam, Dogwood, Hawthorn, Oak and Beech. David Durant of the friends group explained that the planting supplements 4,800 trees already replanted
in 2018 but was also part of a wider remit to increase the biodiversity of the area. Since the original felling, measurement of flora and fauna in the valley has revealed a rise in the number and diversity of many plant, insect and bird species in the valley. This planting session along with other projects carried out by the group such as clearing scrub and maintaining the central ‘ride’ and interconnecting pathways at the sides of the wood all aim to create a shared natural space with good access and the most diverse range of species possible. The same view in 2020
After the fellling in 2017
48 | April/May 2020
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