Hedge planting: Sunday 10 November, 2pm,
Jubilee Wood.
November heralds the planting
season for trees. It’s the perfect time to plant them; when they’re dormant,
they will establish more successfully than during their active growing phase in
the summer.
If you go down to the Jubilee
Wood today, you’ll see 100 apple trees that weren’t there last week, planted as
part of the Growing Together project.
Now, the Woodland Trust has given
Transition Town Whitehead 420 little saplings of half a dozen different species
suitable for making up a hedge – hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, silver birch,
rowan and oak. We will use these to fill in a few of the gaps in the hedgerows
of Jubilee Wood.
Hedges are vital elements in
creating the rich and varied habitat we want to see in the Jubilee Wood. They
provide food and shelter for many species of birds, like bullfinches and
linnets, small mammals and butterflies.
Thick hedges with wide bases
providing plenty of cover are best, with a mix of species that flower at
different times to offer nectar over a longer period and support more insects.
The Jubilee hedgerows have been
neglected for many years but now we have an opportunity to bring them back to
vibrant life. This first – and extremely modest – intervention will start the
ball rolling.
The next phase will be to find a
few people who would be interested in learning the traditional art of
hedge-laying. This valuable skill fosters the rejuvenation of existing
hedgerows, improving their structure and bringing them under control.
Carrickfergus Council will provide funding, under its Hedgerow Hopes scheme,
for a few of us to undertake the necessary training.
But, for now, we need a team of
volunteers to join us next Sunday
afternoon, 10 November, at 2pm in the Jubilee Wood. The hedge we’ll be
fixing is at the side of the path, between Commonwealth Avenue and the pond.
Bring a spade if you can.
