Brushcutting

With the end of my traineeship looming, I have been reviewing the skills and experiences I have gained on my placement with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.  As might be expected, these are very focused on invasive plant species, so I was fortunate when a place became available on a Brushcutter course.

A brushcutter is a heavy duty strimmer that is used to cut anything from grass to bracken to small saplings. Before the course I managed to get some tuition from my local reserve's officer Kate, and spent a morning cutting back tall herbs and scrub from the clearings around Hollinhurst Wood. This experience was invaluable, and made sure I had a some experience before attending the training.

The training course, held with other trainees at Potteric Carr, included maintenance skills. In the morning, we took the engine to bits and learned how to clean and replace various parts such as filters and spark plugs. We also learned how to exchange the cutting head (and matching guard), and sharpen the blades.  In the afternoon, we had some practice using different cutting heads and cleared some vegetation in the pond areas.

Overall, an enjoyable day and I now feel confident that I can use brushcutters safely and competently on the reserve. And I have another qualification too :)