Work Day at Letchmire Pasture

Today I took part in a YWT workday for the Lower Aire Valley project.  The task was to plant a new hedgerow at Letchmire Pastures in Allerton Bywater.  This would serve two purposes:

• provide a habitat for wildlife
• form a barrier between the path around the outside of the reserve and the wetland on the inside

This is because there are breeding birds on the wetland, so the aim is to discourage people and dogs from wandering in and disturbing them especially at nesting times.

They say many hands make light work, and we certainly did.  In less than 5 hours, with two breaks, we planted 420 trees and set up 70 metres of new hedgerow.

The hedge is a mixture of species including hawthorn, blackthorn and rowan, obtained through grant funding and a donation from the Woodland Trust. Hopefully over the years this will develop and add value to the site.

I carried out pond surveys at the site last year, so it is interesting to see how it is now being actively managed. Hopefully I will be able to help out on a few more task days in the future.