FoPV Work Morning Roundup - Thursday 12th February 2026

Lyndon
11 minutes ago
3 min read

Hello Conservation Volunteers

After having to cancel our last work morning at Porter Clough due to the weather it was business as usual back at Forge Dam for our latest work morning. (We will re-arrange the Porter Clough session at a later time)

This time our main task was to plant hazel whips to block off the desire line on the NW corner of the dam which cuts across a corner of the Wet Woodland. It has previously been blocked with logs but which keep being removed by persons unknown and who have also posted anonymous signs telling the Rangers and FoPV to stop blocking it(!) This has led to the council dropping some large tree trunks across the exit end, however, the smaller logs and branches at the top end were constantly being removed with people squeezing past the trunks. There is a perfectly good hardcore path leading onto the tarmac path and literally only saves seconds - totally unnecessary but creating a muddy patch of bare earth.

The Parks and Countryside Services had decided that hazel whips were to be planted to block it, and to this end Ranger Matt had acquired and temporarily dug in 140 hazel whips behind the store ready for the volunteers to use.

Having marked out the line for whips it was planting time using the "slit" method and then "heeled" in to firm up the whip and remove any air pockets (quicker and easier for us than the alternative T-slot method), with the whips planted 30cm apart, about 1m back from the path (so we don't have a lot of cutting back along the path edge once they grow), with a second row 45cm behind and in between the ones on the front row to create a zigzag pattern. Being planted closer together at 30cm should enable the hedge to establish quicker.

Whilst the whips were being planted, other volunteers were out in the woods collecting logs and holly to bring back and create a large brash hedge behind the lines of whips which hopefully may deter people removing it, especially with prickly holly in it. Heather was put in charge of the brash building to put into practice her previous week's Woodland Management Conservation Management Workshop on brash building - an excellent job Heather!

The steps which lead up to the top path which couldn't be seen due to all the mud and were extremely slippery have been cleared. They can actually be seen now and safer to walk down.

Elsewhere, the drainage ditch on the opposite side of the path was cleared out to allow the water to flow freely, in fact so well the drainage sump at the bottom couldn't cope and overflowed due to the pipe under the path being blocked and needed rodding out. After a few attempts the blockage was eventually cleared. With the other drains and ditches in the vicinity cleared and tidied up, and the holly brash hedge completed, all that remained was to post up two official SCC signs on the trees to notify of the work and asking for people to keep to the path.

Many thanks to everybody who came along and to Ranger Matt for providing the whips and who also sends his thanks to the team for the "fantastic work" which was achieved.

The next work morning is on Tuesday 24th February. An email will be sent out nearer the time with details.

Lyndon

A Selection of photos from the work morning

Whip planting in progress