Gorse cutting - A return to this popular site. A continuation of rotation gorse coppicing.

It was wet and foggy - only just mangaged to get the Bonfire going -but despite that it was fun!

Meet 10 am at Farm Buildings

Grid Ref: SY 595882

Gorse Cutting - A continuation of the management of gorse, breaking up larger blocks and creating a variable age structure for the appropriate bird and invertebrate species.

Quite a nice day as I recall - not the usual side of the road though. We were clearing gorse and brambles from an old fence line.

Meet 10 am at EN office, Slepe Farm, Arne

Grid Ref: SY 959858

Birch and Pine cutting - Yes there are still some young pines left at the very southern point of the heath! Wellies are advised for access to the site.

Oh yes definitley needed wellies - did I have any? No! Did I get wet feet? Yes!

Meet 10 am at by new Police HQ off Ferndown bypass

Grid Ref: SU 070024

Scrub Clearance - More Gorse cutting? No! This site has benefitted greatly by the the Green Team's work especially with gorse control! This time a bit of a change with some scrub control.

Scrub? Looked like leggy gorse to me - good bonfires though - yes we had three!

Meet 10 am at EN office, Slepe Farm, Arne

Grid Ref: SY 959 858

Scrub Clearance - Today we will be clearing scrub where it is invading the open grassland on the western side of the hill.

Meet 10 am at Markstone lay-by east of Child Okeford

Grid Ref: ST 838122

Hedge Laying - Today's work is probably a first for the Green Team - namely hedge laying. This continues work started in the summer to develop a wildlife garden at the Dorset Team Office.

Hedge laying? More like tree laying. Duncan laid one half of the hedge at a neat 45 degree angles, while I helped lay the rest of the hedge Dorset style - as flat as possible to the ground, with trunks and branches intertwined.

Meet 10 am at EN office, Slepe Farm, Arne

Grid Ref: SY 959 858

Scrub clearance - The Green Team have not worked on this site for some time, so this is a good chance to get stuck into some quality scrub clearance.

I don't know what happened - I was busy watching "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" at the cinema!

Meet 10 am at lay-by on A37 Dorchester-Yeovil Road

Grid Ref: SY 622974

Pine cutting - Continuation of the task started on 11 November. Wellies are advised for access to this site.

Um...first Sunday of the month...was there something that someone forgot to tell us? A local Clay Pigeon shoot was being held a couple of fields away! Although not that great a risk - noise pollution was more of a problem - a Risk Assessment was duly performed, and a consensus was reached: To carry on with the task, but at a safe distance away from the occasional stray shotgun pellets. On an ecological note - I don't think they use lead shot in shotgun cartridges anymore, so that's good for wildlife.

Meet 10 am at by new Police HQ off Ferndown bypass

Grid Ref: SU 070024

Stoborough Heath

Gorse cutting - One of the Team's favorite tasks: we continue blazing a trail breaking up the seemingly never ending blocks of gorse.

Supposedly working on Stoborough Heath - we ended up working on the Tramway at the newly purchased Sunnyside Farm. It wasn't very sunny, but it was windy and we almost set fire to a hedge..ooops.

Meet 10 am at EN office, Slepe Farm, Arne

Grid Ref: SY 959858

Hambledon Hill

Meet 10 am at Markstone lay-by east of Child Okeford

Grid Ref: ST 838122

Valley of the Stones

Meet 10 am at Farm Buildings

Grid Ref: SY 595882