Try The Woodland Trail

TRY the Trail.

Sunday 27^th May

Between 10am -12

We are in the process of putting together a ‘Woodland Trail Leaflet’ around Hilsea Lines.

We are asking as many people as possible to come along

, give it a go and give your comments.

Each leaflet shows the route to follow with information about the trees that you will see.

The Ranger will be on site to help out and answer your questions.

Collect your ‘Woodland Trail’ leaflet at Bastion 3 off Peronne Rd.

For more information contact:

Pete Roberts

Hilsea Lines Countryside Ranger

07958353152

peter.roberts.cse@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Woodland Grant for Hilsea Lines

Woodland Grant for Hilsea Lines.

Hilsea Lines has been awarded a grant of £30,000 from the Forestry Commission. The grant funds investment in woodlands to create and improve the accessibility of quality areas of woodland for visitors and helps to protect and enhance the biodiversity of the site.

Feedback from the User’s forums and visitors was used to develop the plans which will include improvements to paths, interpretation boards, seating and setting up a self-guided woodland walk in the priority areas of the woodland. In addition to these capital works there will also be woodland management and planting to improve the structure of the woodland.

This funding is a considerable boost to the sites present budget and will allow us to improve the accessibility to the woodland for free, quite enjoyment by the public and support the maintenance of habitats for wildlife, protecting the biodiversity and aspects of our cultural heritage.

For more information about the woodland Grant scheme go to www.forestry.gov.uk/ewgs

Baffins Pond Improvement Works

BAFFINS POND - IMPROVEMENT WORKS

We will shortly be commencing works to complete the marginal water planting and gravel footpaths to Baffins Pond. The work is anticipated to start early February and should be finished before the end of March 2012. The new planting and footpath areas will match those previously completed in 2008 to the eastern side of the pond and are being carried out through a partnership between Portsmouth City Council, the Environment Agency and Baffins Pond Association.
More information about the Baffins Pond Association can be found at www.baffinspondassociation.org.uk

Jubilee Wood Tree Planting

Jubilee Wood Tree Plantinig – Sunday 26^th February.

Members of the Order of Druids and Portsmouth Tree Wardens 

The Woodland Trust Jubilee wood initiative aims to plant 6 million trees during 2012 and with a target of 1 million to be planted during February to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee. As part of this initiative the Genesis Order of Druids arranged a tree planting ceremony at Hilsea Lines. Joined by the Portsmouth Tree Wardens, they planted over 200 native trees, including Oak, Birch, Rowan, Hazel, Blackthorn, Ash, Holly and Hawthorn with one sapling a ‘Royal Oak’ which has come from one of the royal estates.

The trees were planted east of London Rd where it is hopped, that in years to come, they will screen out the M27 and make the Lines that little bit more pieceful for visitors.

Preceding the tree planting the Genesis Order of Druids conducted a small druid ceremony to ask for blessings to the land and trees and celebrate the coming of spring and new life and new beginnings. As part of this ceremony a number of the trees were dedicated to friends and family who had passed over and to recent additions to the family.

The Genesis Order of Druids has a presence on facebook and twitter as well as online through our website www.genesisorder.com they are a druid network affiliate group.

More information on the Woodland trust and the Jubilee Wood can be found at www.jubileewoods.org.uk

Community grant application.

The Hilsea Lines Conservation Volunteers are trying to get a £6,000 grant from the NatWest community force group.

The grant scheme runs as a competition with the top three wining the grant so we need your votes.

UPDATE:

I'm sorry to say that we were not awarded the grant. However, we were very close maybe next year we will be able to get those extra votes. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who participated and voted for us.

http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/4007

The grant will enable us to:-





Volunteer at work


• Improve the Biodiversity of the site.
• Improve access for the public.

If we are successful in securing the grant then we will be able to improve access further and to maintain the parts of the site that have been restored and managed already.



Woodland walk at Hilsea



We have a specific project in mind should we get this funding and that is to open up the canopy and widen the rides which will allow more light to reach the ground flora. Whilst at the same time opening up site lines within the woodland which will give the site a lighter more welcoming appearance for visitors.

Hedgerow Harvest

Free, Healthy Food for the Picking.

Why we annually cut the meadows.

Over the next few weeks we will be carrying out Grassland Management on certain areas of Hilsea Lines.

1.    Meadow management.



Flowering meadow



Yellow Rattle



All grasslands need sympathetic management, without this the fine grasses and flowers become crowded out by the tallest plants and toughest grasses. Eventually scrub such as bramble, hawthorn or blackthorn replaces the flowers and grasses. Grasslands provide a very diverse habitat that can support an exceptional variety of plants and invertebrates. These in turn support large populations of birds, reptiles, and mammals.

The grassland areas at Hilsea Lines are managed by an annual ‘cut and collect’ at the end of the summer, when the majority of plants have set seed. This method maximises the floral diversity, as removing the cut vegetation prevents the build up of nutrients that would favour vigorous pernicious plants and scrub species.

2.    Scrub Management.



Volunteers cutting back scrub invasion

Scrub and bramble have encroached onto areas of grassland reducing the biodiversity of the area. Scrub will be prevented from encroaching further onto the grassland through rotational cutting back to allow the natural wildflower meadow to develop. A certain amount of the scrub is left for nesting and also as a food source for small animals and invertebrates. In large areas of scrub channels are cut through allowing grassland species to move from one grassland area to another.