Jarn Heath, Boars Hill - Saturday, 9 November 2024

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Blog by Sally.  Photos by Kevin, Michele and Sally

On Saturday, 9 November, we returned to Jarn Heath, one of the Boars Hill sites owned by Oxford Preservation Trust, to continue clearing work along the bridleway and to clear one of the glades in the wood (which used to be heath) in order to improve biodiversity by removing bramble, bracken and nettles to afford light to the ground storey for other plants to flourish.  Kevin was our leader for the session and we met in Jarn Way next to the Mound, which is a popular spot for walkers.  There were 13 Green Gymmers afforced by three OPT volunteers and we made our way along the section of bridleway nearest the Mound where we'd last worked in August and past the glade that we'd cleared to the stone bench, where we made our camp.

Kevin had met Rod d'Ayala, the consultant ecologist for OPT, who had given instructions about the areas that needed clearing and he showed us where to start.  Rosie, Margaret and Barbara scythed the bracken and bramble from the glade, trying to avoid cutting down ferns, whilst others removed fallen branches from the pathway and used loppers and saws to get rid of overgrowing vegetation. 

The other area we had to work on was the bridleway which had become very overgrown and difficult for horses, cyclists and walkers to negotiate.  Adrian and Sally set about scything the nettles (some well over 7ft tall!) and bramble back to the hedge/fence line.  Using the tree popper, we removed small saplings, and Ursula, Julio and Rhian cut back overhanging vegetation including raising the canopy of a holly that was growing next to the entrance to a field off the bridleway.  We managed to free up a kissing gate and Kevin filled the gap that people and dogs had been forced to use next to it, to encourage walkers to use the gate instead.  It was lovely to see dogs rather bemusedly eyeing up the blocked entrance to the wooded area and then finding their way through under the bars of the gate.  We were very grateful for break time as the scything along the bridleway was not easy.  

It was a lovely fine day, and lots of walkers and their dogs were out and about and were very appreciative of our work.  We look forward to returning in early December to continue where we left off.

The very narrow bridleway at the start of our session

Rosie making a start on cutting back overgrown vegetation in the glade

Margaret starts working on another part of the glade - bramble and bracken predominate

The overgrown glade

Ursula tackles bramble along the bridleway
Julio and Rhian raising the holly canopy behind which lies a field

Dieuwke and Carolyn clearing the "Crossroads"

Kevin plugs the gap

Break time!

Kevin showing the plugged gap

Rosie and Carolyn clearing the glade

Lesley tackling a thorny problem

Barbara and Margaret on the warpath - watch out bracken!

A robin investigating our handiwork

Dieuwke and Michele in the cleared section of bridleway

Autumn colours shining through - a much less daunting prospect for walkers 
after cutting back the holly

Rhian putting on the finishing touches to the hedge

Adrian, Michele and Rhian collecting up the tools at the Crossroads



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