Clearing back Castle Hill

This week the TTF (Tuesday Task Force) were helping to clear back some of the vegetation on castle hill to help protect some of the archaeology on the site, this involved cutting down trees and removing them from the site, whilst managing traffic on the narrow country road.
(We also had help from a special new volunteer..Bailey the dog!)

TTF Invade Castle Hill

Today the Tuesday Task Force went to Castle Hill to remove Himalayan Balsom, its an invasive plant species that we've been getting rid of for years. Over that time the amount of balsom has cut down drastically, though there is a lot more work that needs to be done.

Himalayan Balsam Pulling

The TTF found even more foxgloves when they went to Castle Hill to pull Himalayan Balsam. They made a huge impact, but as ever, there is still plenty left!

Himalayan Balsam

Will and Isabel have been looking for Himalayan Balsam on Castle Hill. This is a really invasive plant, but with the persistence of the volunteers and rangers, the amount on the hill has been severely reduced.

Will enjoyed a break on the swing!

Clearing Brash At Castle Hill

Members of the TTF worked with Dave, Richard and Isabel to clear brash from Castle Hill on Tuesday. This was left over from when the area was last cleared.

The branches were piled into the trailer then take to the Batch Valley, where they were burnt.

The area looks a lot better now, and hopefully new vegetation will soon start growing through.

Invasion at Castle Hill

Last Tuesday the TTF went to Castle hill to tackle an invasive species on the scheduled ancient monument. The plant, Himalayan Balsam has spread across the site and is taking over, so our volunteers worked hard all morning pulling it out.

Castle Hill

Nick felling on Castle Hill

Tuesday saw some vital work being undertaken at Castle Hill. Nick and Volunteer John carried on felling trees on the site whilst Matt and Rose sprayed the Himalayan Balsam. This is an invasive weed, a garden escape that can cause bank erosion. It has been pulled and sprayed previously but the weed has begun to sprout again and thus required spraying with round-up. Time will tell if it has worked.

Spraying the balsam.