This may involve felling some trees and coppicing others. Coppicing is the practice of cutting trees at ground level, which causes them to bush out as they re-grow, giving improved cover for wildlife. Some of the cut wood may be used to create dead hedges or as stakes for hedge laying projects.
Hedgerow management can range from planting the hedge or filling in gaps in an existing hedge to carrying out hedge laying. Hedge laying involves cutting part-way through the trunk of the shrubs and trees in the hedge, and laying them at a 45 degree angle. They are then supported by banging in stakes of wood harvested from woodland work. Hedge laying gives a hedge a very distinctive appearance and helps to thicken it, making it more attractive to wildlife.
Countrycare manages several sites as wildflower meadows. We take hay cut from them each year which helps reduce nutrient levels and, therefore, competition from other grassland species. Grassland work also takes place in many churchyards around the District.
Ponds need management to prevent them from becoming silted up, and it is often advantageous to modify the slope of an existing pond’s edge to make it more suitable for wildlife. Countrycare also creates ponds on some sites to add to the range of habitats that the area offers.