The money will fund a whole host of improvements there, including improvements to the footpaths to make them more accessible, installation of waymarking and interpretation boards along with improvements to the boundary and the woodland habitat.
In this first year of the two year project, work has started on tree thinning to decrease the overall tree density to allow sunlight to penetrate the canopy which in turn encourages the development of ground flora, which attracts more wildlife to the area.
Coppicing work will also take place, where most trees within the area will be cut to ground level, and their regrowth used to produce furniture, artwork, fencing, and charcoal. Watch out later in the year for a public charcoal making event to be organised by ‘Woody’ – a local community interest company.
The thinning work is done by horse logging, a traditional method of woodland management, used extensively throughout the country until mechanisation meant the use of larger and larger machines. The technique gently manipulates the ground surface which encourages the regrowth of seeds that have for many years been shaded out by the dense tree cover. Everyone is welcome to come along to public demonstrations of horse logging on the morning of Saturday 14th February. However please note that no parking will be available on site, so it would be best if possible to travel to the site on foot.
Cllr Ken Moss, Cabinet Member for Leisure, said “This new funding boost is great news and will be used to carry out lots of improvements including making the area more accessible, by improving footpaths which was the biggest issue people talked about during public consultations in 2013 and 2014.”
For more information about the event this Saturday, or to get involved in volunteering in woodlands within Hyndburn, email philip.johnson@hyndburnbc.gov.uk
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